ON Q&A last Monday night, Malcolm Turnbull described, with unusual candour for a politician, how it felt when he lost the Liberal Party leadership in December 2009. It was ”very, very gut-wrenching, it was devastating”, he said.
No doubt Kevin Rudd felt the same way. And Brendan Nelson, and Kim Beazley and Simon Crean and all the other leaders who in recent years have been dismissed by their parties.
Photo: Alex Ellinghausen
Now that these political assassinations are more often than not conducted under the media spotlight, the defeated leader is expected to front the cameras, be brave, be sporting, not cry (even if, as happened to Kim Beazley, you’ve just learnt of the sudden death of your brother) and, most of all, move on.
Politics is a pitiless business.
But it is also increasingly absurd the way the media no longer waits for leadership failure; it now anticipates it and, with no attempt to disguise its bloodlust, makes the presumption of a change in leadership the prism for day-to-day coverage of politics. Such is the fate of Julia Gillard, whose demise is confidently predicted on a daily basis by the politician commentariat. If her party doesn’t get her, the voters will. Either way she is dead, politically speaking.
Such is the confidence of the journalists and shock-jocks and others who peddle these opinions, that they see no need to wait for history to happen. Why bother waiting for the actual voters to actually vote when these pundits have persuaded themselves that already it’s all over? As a result, they feel no obligation to respect the person, let along the office of prime minister, since in their minds she is already gone.
So they feel free to mock her in ways that would have been inconceivable with other leaders and, as recently as a year ago, even with her.
Gillard has always had to put up with intense, often unfair and sometimes cruel commentary about her clothes, her voice, even her body shape. As I have documented, since she became Prime Minister Gillard has been subjected to vile sexual and at times pornographic vilification of a kind that is new to our political vocabulary (and which still continues).
But now there is a new element. The pundits are scoffing and mocking her every action, from her new glasses to every policy or political step she takes, as if to say: why bother, lady, it’s all over anyway.
They are mocking her plans to spend a week in western Sydney. (No one mocked Tony Abbott when he spent a week in Aurukun with indigenous communities last year.) They are mocking the name of the place where she will stay because Rooty Hill is seen to have sexual connotations. The obnoxious Larry Pickering, who continues his cartoon offensive against Gillard, this week drew her at a place he labelled ”Nookie Knoll” with the Prime Minister, as always in his cartoons, carrying an enormous dildo. (In fact, I understand Rooty Hill was so named in 1802 by Governor King after a hill on Norfolk Island that had been difficult to dig because of the number of roots under the surface of the soil.)
They are mocking her, openly and shamefully, when she tries to communicate with the Australian people. When Gillard and Treasurer Wayne Swan this week tried to talk about the G20 meeting they have secured for Brisbane in November 2014 – a gathering that will bring many millions of dollars of income to the city and state – all the media wanted to know was whether the visit to western Sydney meant she was ”campaigning” rather than ”governing”.
That they even had to ask the question was another cause for mockery: fixing the election date eight months in advance is seen, not as an admirable introduction of some certainty into the year’s political calendar (as The Australian Financial Review’s Phillip Coorey stood up and said at the National Press Club when Gillard announced it), but as further evidence of ineptitude. She’s such a loser, this woman, they say. Ergo, everything, every single little thing she does, is wrong, stupid, ill-judged, and thus both the reason she will lose the election and why she deserves to.
The media, and those in politics who push a similar line, justify using this circular reasoning by reference to the opinion polls. These have been universally bad for Gillard in the past few weeks, no doubt about that. Last week, the Age/Nielsen poll had the Gillard government trailing the opposition 44-56 on the two-party preferred vote. On those numbers Gillard cannot win.
But you’d think only the foolhardy, or those with no memory (or even ability to Google), would make firm predictions about election results on the basis of polls seven months out. John Howard experienced similar, or worse, polls even closer to elections that he subsequently won.
In 1998 his government sat at 44-56 11 weeks out from the election that he went on to win 49-51 (the Coalition won a majority of seats despite Labor winning the popular vote). Again in 2004, with the media asserting confidently that he faced ”a landslide defeat”, Howard was at 44-56 five months from the election that he won 53-47.
This time, apparently, it’s different.
This time, voters are not just waiting for Gillard with the proverbial baseball bats. This time, according to Senator Nick Xenophon, ”some of them almost have a nuclear missile”.
The hatred of Gillard is such that voting her out of office is not enough. She has to be nuked.
Really?
”It’s a devastating business, a terribly cruel business, politics,” Malcolm Turnbull said on Monday night. ”Because all of your mistakes and blunders are out there in the public arena. You’ve got nowhere to hide. There is not an ounce of privacy.”
Nor, in the case of Australia’s first female Prime Minister who, we were reminded again this week by the (female) Liberal candidate for the western Sydney seat of Lindsay, has no children, is there the slightest drop of mercy. Or respect.
Is mockery the new misogyny?
Originally published at: http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/pms-critics-make-a-mockery-of-political-debate-20130301-2fbi7.html#ixzz2MLRVOfnf
Criticism is not mockery.
This Prime minister has deceived the public many times, the latest is the NO campaigning until August. This promise she managed to hold for less than 3 weeks (one of her longest).
Is there blood-lust in the media? Probably; there certainly is in the electorate. She is two faced and the Australian public does not like double standards.
She complain’s that the media has misunderstood her but when Australia complained about the “No carbon Tax promise” her response was, you have misunderstood me but you will have to lump it because I want to be PM. This from a woman whom spruiks the words ‘Fair Go’ on a daily basis.
The main issue with blaming misogyny for Gillard’s problems is that her demise actually began with the progressive left. One of her first moves was to jag to the right on asylum seekers, then water down the mining tax, then reaffirm conservative stances on other hot-button issues such as gay marriage.
This opened up a major hemorrhage on Labor’s left flank, and the ALP lost three votes to the Greens for every vote that they lost to the Tories at the last election – not because these voters were misogynists, but because they saw in Gillard a craven opportunist.
Mockery often follows when respect is lost regardless of gender.
Thank you for expressing so succinctly our family’s thoughts on recent media coverage of Australian politics. It is now very difficult to find unbiased political reporting on TV, radio or in newspapers. Polls are simply a record of a hypothetical event at a particular point in time. They are not accurate predictions of future events. It is time for the media to take a deep breath and start acting responsibly, or they may end up with the government they deserve.
Anne,
Agree totally that the teratement of the Prime Minister has been miogynistic and vitriolic, but I also feel that such rantings would not resonate at all with the wider populce unless they tap an existing vein of deep seated dissatisfaction with this goverment. Just look at today’s Age & SMH polling in key Western Sydney Labour seats, and you will see that the dissatisfaction with our PM’s performance is apparently higher amongst polled women than men in these constituencies.
At last some sense in the über tabloid world of Australian media.
The only missing element though is a comment on Her Majesty’s opposition leader’s role in promoting such a banal treatment of the PM in the media.
Julia Gillard is criticised because she lied to Kevin Rudd thatbshe was loyal to him, she lied to the Australian people that there would be No Carbon Tax under the Govt I Lead before the election, she lied that company tax would be lowered and it hasn’t, she lied that she wouldn’t touch Medicare, she lied that she wouldn’t touch Chronic Diseases availability but that has now gone, she lied that palliative care would be OK because Labor cares about Health and now this too has now gone! So please don’t try to stick up for this woman because you think she is criticised because she is a woman, it’s because she is a liar and cannot keep her promises!
Get over it! You’re talking about politicians responding to events as they unfold. Good politicians need to be somewhat pragmatic. How about John Howard’s lies? No one seemed too by them.
The treatment of Julia Gillard by the media is a national disgrace, and as a woman I am outraged by the blatant misogyny exhibited by the press. We have come to expect appalling opinion pieces (they are certainly not journalistic reports) from the Murdoch press, but Fairfax these days is no better. I did not renew my subscription to the Herald because I was fed up with the anti-Gillard, anti-government tirades emanating from that rag. Thank god for the internet, where these days we have many sources from which to obtain political information.
Excellent article, but so depressing.
Oh boo hoo poor Malcolm Turnbull… Who took Brendan Nelson’s job in a classic leadership challenge.
He was the worst Opposition Leader with no chance of winning against the (then) worst PM of all time, and was told openly he would be challenged if he supported Rudd’s ETS.
Malcolm does best when working within his shadow portfolio, but, like Rudd, will never again lead his party.
Seriously, you and your two commenters truly believe that us horrible misogynistic nutjobs only criticise gillard because she is a woman?
That is delusion taken to the most extreme level.
It’s very sad Anne, with you being a staunch feminist, like so many of the sisterhood, and that in itself is more than okay, but what I don’t get about 99% of the feminists, is the demonisation of Tony Abbott, who may or may not be a misogynistic nutjob (I go with the may not, even after being so empowered by the rancid ranga harpy’s screeching diatribe, written by a man by the way), yet you and the sisters fail to rail about the vile culture that is islam, and let’s not forget what happens on the blackfella communities.
Yes Anne, little things like female genital mutilation, forced marriages to little girls, honour killings, women wearing that disgusting black tarpaulin (just so we men don’t become so inflamed seeing that delicate little ankle or wrist), and on the blackfella communities, well, let’s see, bashings and the occasional murder, and there’s the not so delicate issue of beautiful little children being raped and sodomised (who can forget reading that many of the children have venereal diseases, one as young as two).
Yet you girls (oops, there I go again with my patronising misogyny) do not speak out on what ares without doubt the most misogynistic and vile cultures in Australia today.
And I am a smart boy, but not even one such as I can understand that.
I guess in the lefty luvvie female world, where the vile and totally inept gillard rules, it’s more than okay because it is cultural and religious (and definitely not Catholic, as what happens in that world is definitely verboten) in the good non-Catholic way.
The hypocrisy, and abject stupidity and ignorance of this article defies belief, and it is sad that there are women out there who were empowered by gillard’s ranting and screeching.
We criticise her because she is totally out of her depth, basically a stupid woman with her hyperbowl and high dungeon (among others). Yes, she may be a lawyer by trade, one sacked from her last job and one who is also going down for fraud and theft (even if you think she is totally innocent).
I’m thinking that you are also of the view that anybody criticising obamalamadingdong is just a racist too.
Unbelievable!!!!!
Peter – I’d love to post a spirited reply pointing out the deep seated hatred, racism and sheer anger which clearly afflicts you, but your very own rantings do such a great job by themselves, rendering any riposte totally superfluous! The only saving grace in your contribution is that your references to “Hyperbowl” (sic) and “high dungeon” (I think you mean “hyperbole” and “high dudgeon”) are hilarious, indicating that you may have a future in providing comic material in any future comments, albeit of course unintentionally !
“Aussie Expat”: How about instead of fleeing — in true moonbat fashion — behind the race card, you actually address his points? What did he say that was wrong?
Aussie Expat, “hyperbowl” and “high dungeon” we’re actually utterances by Julia Gillard, Peter was merely quoting Julia Gillard.
Gender Equality surely means equality to be criticised if one is a failure. If you google the AWU affair (there is a load of damning documentation), you will see that Julia Gillard is an invertebrate liar. Google “Julia Gillard Slater and Gordon exit interview by Peter Gordon” and you will plainly see instances where she admits to assisting in fraud.
Thanks Anne, kudos for publishing dissenting views.
Well then, what about the misogynistic mockery contained in an article written by Anson Cameron that appeared in the Sat Age at http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/politics/the-hostile-pen-is-mightier-than-a-wellaimed-taser-20130228-2f6y0.html? Mr Cameron’s disgusting opinion piece would indicate that sadly, the PM is definitely not the only one to be subjected to ‘vile sexual and at times pornographic vilification’ or indeed ‘cruel commentary’, wouldn’t you say?
Can this woman do no wrong? Can any woman? Perception is reality, regardless of how that perception comes about. We will wait until September to see what the majority want – women and men voters alike. And then, Ms Summers, you will have to eat it all up if you wish to continue living in a democracy. I will likewise eat my desserts if it goes the other way!
I always read your columns Anne, but more and more they are sounding like an apologia pro vita sua.
You are stridently arguing that Gillard’s problems are because she is a female. This is abject nonsense.
Sure she has been roundly criticised and characterised. Such is the lot of a politician. Some of the commentary , and the cartoons about John Howard are equally vicious. This has nothing to do with sexuality.
Gillard’s problems are entirely of her own making. Most of them boil down to incredibly bad politics. Some of them boil down to incredibly bad unprofessional past behaviour. There is no way that this can be explained by the arguments you have presented.
Sometimes it pays to stand back, forget your prejudices, take a deep breath and clinically analyse the facts. Try it. You may arrive at a different view.
I have sisters who have always been avid labour supporters. They had high expectations of Julia Gillard. They are profoundly disappointed.
Peter,
So, let’s analyse the facts:
1. Julia Gillard negotiates her way into the lodge in a hung parliament. Is this poor politics?
2. Julia Gillard leads a hung parliament through a full term (nearly there)
3. A mining tax is enacted – yes, not as strong as it could be, but it has been enacted.
4. The NBN – an essential service for Australia’s future continues to roll out.
5. Paid maternity leave is now law.
6. Climate Change is properly acknowledged through the passing of the Carbon tax. The sky hasn’t fallen in.
7. The foundations of a national Disability Insurance Scheme have been put in place.
8. Long overdue education reform has begun to take place inspired by the Gonski report.
9. Fewer ministers have been forced to resign from this government than any federal government for decades.
10. Australia continues to have one of the strongest economies in the world.
11. No bad past unprofessional behaviour has been proved.
After taking a deep breath and analysing these facts I wonder if you still think Gillard deserves the vitriol dished up to her.
1. JG’s negotiation is really capitulation – The Greens would never have supported TA in any policy. JG capitulated to Bob Brown’s demands that The Carbon DIOXIDE Tax must go ahead, and boat people still be allowed to come. Power before principle – Soviet Politics.
2. Yes we are nearly there… the ALP are facing a wipeout at the next election. I wonder why.
3. Like all things this government does: FAILURE. The Mining Tax was budgeted to raise $10,000,000,000 which of course they spent. Actual Revenue: $126,000,000. OOOPS
4. NBN no cost/benefit analysis, kept off the books, and likely to cost $60,000,000,000 in money borrowed from China, just so the electors can be bribed with faster downloads of porn and pirated movies. Reality check: takeup rate is laughable. Subsidies for satellite service for remote/rural areas that cannot access ADSL/3-4G is sensible though.
5. Paid maternity leave is something new?
6. Wondering why Rudd dropped his ETS? Gillard, Swan and Tanner convinced him to drop his harebrained scheme: the populace were starting to realise that the climate has always changed over BILLIONS of years, and ETS is just a ponzi scheme and would result in electoral destruction. BUT Gillard capitulated to Brown and he we are… Taxing Carbon DIOXIDE at $23/tonne where and hoping to trade with a market that has collapsed to $4. All for ZERO benefit to the environment because Carbon DIOXIDE is “theoretically” heating the world. Plants like it though.
7 & 8. Wow, another grandiose promise that requires yet more money borrowed from China. Too bad they will be booted out in September.
9. With a wafer-thin margin what would you expect? A few resignations of late though. I wonder why. Echoes of the last days of the NSW ALP.
10. Yes, thanks to Howard & Costello we had money in the bank and an inherited debt of $96,000,000,000 paid down in 10 years. What happens if there’s another GFC whilst the teenagers are still in charge of the purse strings?
11. No past unprofessional behaviour? How far back do you want to go? As far back as her Slater and Gordon days might ring a bell? Doing work off the books for her AWU boyfriend in direct conflict of interest of ther client (AWU) and her partnership (asked to leave by Peter Gordon)… when caught out admitted the entity she helped register was actually a Slush Fund for union officer election purposes (not a training organisation described on the articles of association (misrepresenting the purpose of the entity to the WA Corporate Affairs Commission)… But in her own words “everybody does it”. Helping her boyfriend arrange finance for his new (the memo is on the interwebs: “Olive please waive conveyancing fees” signed Julia). Helping her boyfriend conceal his property purchase from his soon-to-be ex-wife by post-dating her non-witnessing to the specific power of attorney signed by Ralph Blewitt who was in WA, whilst she was in Victoria.
Dishonesty, incompetence and failure are the hallmarks and legacy of Julia Gillard. Worst PM ever… The other title she stole from Kevvy.
1. Pompous, bloated nonsense worthy of LNP smear politics. That Julia could negotiate with the Greens and independents says much about her skill. She used her intellect very often in parliament to show us just what a dill Tones really is.
2. Yes the fix is in. Murdoch and Fairfax are giving us the line that Labor is finished. Get ready for the next sellout of ALL public assets under the guise of responsible neo con economics. Flat taxes for all, sell all assets to big business. Look at what is happening in Qld. Lies from that drone Costello peddled faithfully in the media.
3. Tax working as it should. It is a super profits tax. Try and keep up!
4. Why is it you LNP types don’t want cutting edge technology for ALL Australians? Instead of looking back what about placing Australia in the vanguard of technology.
5. Tones’ maternity leave paid for by a levy he said he would never introduce. Just another mad monk lie.
6. Another emotive rant. It is clear that the many more economies are going to adopt an ETS. Tones also lied about this but not challenged by a compliant media.
7,8,9. What? More blather.
10. Costello sold off our gold at rockbottom prices, sold us the lie of deficits putting pressure on interest rates, basked in the glory of the Hawke/Keating reforms, provided very little infrastructure, introduced the never ever regressive GST, dished out middle class welfare to maintain office. His money in the bank was mainly due to the sell off of Telstra. Some record. Also why is it not prudent for governments not to spend in difficult times?
10. Where do you begin. Tony has aggressively intimidated many women over the years; documented. Sexual assault charge, lied to the public regarding Medicare funding, Bernie Banton affair, Lies during ABC interview regarding his own slush
fund, lied about lying regarding this matter. Howard gov’t, WMD lie, children overboard lie, many ministers jettisoned for lying, Reith and telephone rort, thugs with dogs on the docks, non core promises, ethanol tax to benefit his mate, bailing out his brother with public money and the doozy of them all the AWB scandal. Now there is a case that Howard himself was a crap PM. Budget surpluses are not the only criterion on which to judge a PM.
Sorry Kel – JG will be remembered as the best PM ever, who will romp in a glorious election win. What was I thinking?
David,
What an interesting rant. But it simply ignores the reality. I could challenge your scorecard, but most of it is spin. Hardly worth the effort. I am sure you won’t enjoy September 14th but I and the majority of the Australian population will certainly do so.
I guess you are one of these LNP ratbags who is dreaming and are almost orgasmic over the thought of an Abbott government. I have not seen any Abbott or ‘can’t count’ Hockey talk that doesn’t lead to the conclusion that they are going to contract the economy, lessen taxes for billionaire mates, shrink the public service and voila we have a recession. Why is it the LNP nowadays has this total aversion to spending when times are less than ideal. The Labor Party always comes up with big infrastructure ideas that keep the country moving and the LNP always comes forward with the BS that balancing the budget will lead to growth. It never has and never will. Look at the Vic Libs, they slashed the guts out of the economy and Vic is in recession and we had to go through the knifing of Ted which is seen as a orderly progression by Tones and Joe who were nearly word perfect in their discussion of the Baillieu assassination. By the way one of my heroes was Henry Bolte. I lived near him and understood his idea of let’s get the place moving. The current LNP federal party are incapable of governing for all Australians they have too many interests that want to be paid back.
The relentless attacks on our fine Prime Minister Julia Gillard by the main stream media because of her decision to spend some time in Western Sydney to address community concerns; is shameful. Since Julia Gillard became the leader of Labor she has travelled extensively throughout Australia holding community forums accompanied by many Labor MPs. I have watched live forums on ABCNews24 and our PM does not hide from the tough questions and there are plenty thrown her way. Her warmth, grace under pressure and intellect shines through. I suggest to others to watch these live forums if possible because they reveal the diversity of our country and peoples concerns and demonstrates the strength of Julia Gillards character. Hopefully her Western Sydney forum will be televised. This weeks msm Rooty Hills headlines have been merciless, inflammatory, humourless and uninformed in every way. Our media are failing us miserably with their inaccurate and mendacious reporting. Which brings us to why? I’ve decided she is attacked and condemned because our first female Prime Minister Julia Gillard is bright, feminine, decent, has a deep love of Australia and wants Australians to have the same opportunity she grabbed with both hands and never took for granted. So why would our media be guided to destroy and demean someone who is determined to improve Australia for the many not the few? We look no further than media ownership and their puppet Tony Abbott who promote divisiveness within our communities to maintain their power base. Tony Abbotts LNP is creating hopelessness not hope and Australians are smart enough to recognise decency. Julia Gillard holds her head high as she should – a strong, gracious female leader being attacked by manipulative cowards.
Dear Anne,I have to disagree with you re your article concerning Julia’s vilification.She is in the most powerful position in the land,and much like any CEO of a major company (gender aside)she has to take the bad criticism with the good. If we women cant move behond this new ‘gender war’ then my generation (born 1953) have achieved nothing! Jenny
,
Thanks Anne for a great article. Many of us are completely fed up with the media treatment of Julia. So refreshing to have genuine analysis of the current state of play. More please !
thank you for the article about the Demonizing of Julia Gillard. It seems to be an expected cultural norm.
She is meeting the same fate of most of our female politicians, only more so.
Larry Pickering is a total disgrace, I agree.
Once again ,thank you.
Hello Anne
Congratulations on a most informative article. Finally, somebody writes the truth about the media’s (ie Sky News, News Limited, all the so-called media commentators) involvement in the crucifixion of Julia Gillard.
It is just unfortunate that your comments didn’t make front page headlines in all newspapers.
And yes …. mockery is the new misogyny.