What’s in a Wink? Why Australia is set for a Boring Political Future.
Let’s get things straight; Abbott’s wink is not an affront to woman the world over. Nor should we take it to be damning evidence of a complete disregard for suffering Australian’s as another writer on this website would have you believe. Abbott, confronted with an absurd situation in that he was talking to a 67 year old woman who moonlights as a sex line worker, cracked a smile and winked at the radio host who was smiling back at him. Had the camera been on Jon Faine and captured him smiling, or even committing the same gesture there’s no doubt that it would not have been considered twice.
Somehow, the fact that it’s a politician means that it should be construed as evidence of a man devoid of all morals, a sexist and a general pig. Give me a break. Ever since Abbott has been sworn in as the leader of the liberal party, people have latched onto anything that doesn't fit with the normal and horrifically boring lifestyle of our other politicians. Looking at Howard, Gillard and Rudd presents the complete dearth of character in the modern politician, seemingly they are required to be about as interesting as paint drying to represent a nation supposedly famous for its easy going and larrikin nature.
Abbott has made some bad slip ups, don’t get me wrong. However, we can’t simply attack him every time he does something not in keeping with the quasi robotic nature of other politicians. Just as we saw when Andrew Laming skulled a beer from a hand stand, it seems that there’s no room in modern Australia for the kind of innocent lampooning that is revered in former leaders such as Bob Hawke. We need to make the decision as a nation, do we want politicians who are too afraid to be themselves lest they fall outside the hyper-pc world the media wants politicians to live in, or are we ready to once more allow our politicians to be human beings?
Chris Cross
