The Swan song should be ‘bag the Barnaby choice’
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Treasurer Wayne Swan has been having a not so subtle dig at the time Tony Abbott spends clocking up the ks on his bicycle, battling the surf and gadding about on quad bikes. “I personally would love to go surfing more often but I can’t because I’ve got a very important job to do,” sulks Swan. On your bike, Wayne. There’s plenty to criticise the Opposition leader over, but the toned one’s fitness regimen isn’t it. Try this instead: today Paul Kelly dubs Tony Abbott’s call to bump Barnaby Joyce from the finance portfolio a “brave and correct decision”. But what about the initial decision to hand him the job just four months ago? Giving Robb, a man who actually has a clue about millions and billions, a guernsey now doesn’t exonerate the original judgement call to anoint “former accountant” Joyce in the first place. |
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19 Comments
I criticise Tony Abbott for wearing Lycra and riding a bike.
Clearly he has more knowledge and understanding of the gay community than he lets on.
“But what about the initial decision to hand him the job just four months ago?”
Swan (and Rudd) have being making criticisms along these lines ever since Joyce was dumped, so the premise for this article is completely stuffed.
You may think criticism of the lycra lout is unfair but their are plenty who would doubt that he can properly focus on his job with such a training regimen. The appointment of Joyce in the first place may be evidence of that.
Agreed with SNE SN11 there was plenty of criticism about Rudd spending time out of the country (usually on official business mind you)…so Tony can train hours training presumably and still do his jon properly? Not too sure about that
no crikey you are wrong, wayne swan is correct, how can abbott be on top of things if he is out bike riding all of the time or whatever
he is doing this to get publicity in the daily news, which he is getting
what the news organisations should be concentrating on is when every time he gets caught out telling a lie, or is found to not have a grasp of policy, and then says oh im sorry ive learnt from my mistake
WHY DOES THE PRESS NOT SAY , come on tony abbottt you are a serial offender all the times with these apologies
i can imagine crikeys comment if wayne swan did the same as tony abbott has been doing,
you would be demanding his resignation
Yeah, I’m getting a bit tired of Abbott constantly apologising and backing down from whatever offensive broadside he’s launched in one direction or another…
He said he felt “threatened” (??WTF) by gay men, then added to it with the “orthodox view of things” comments, both of which appeared to be off the cuff (ie, how he actually feels, without rehearsals and minders’ advice). Then, he tries to fix it with an interview on a gay radio station, doing an Eddie McGuire “some of my best friends are gay” retraction, expecting us all to forget everything he said on the subject when he was a Howard minister.
Standing in front of a town hall meeting in a country meeting, he says Climate Change science is “crap”, then manages to apologise and “clarify” that statement a dozen different ways, depending what audience he’s in front of.
It would be nice if the meeja could get past this “straight talker” bullshit that’s been peddled ever since he grabbed the leadership - look at how many different positions he’s held on any issue you care to name, and call him for what he is: a coward.
Wayne is right. Abbott needs to spend less time in lycra and more time focussing on policies.
This weekend Action Man will compete in a triathlon at Port Macquarie. After that he takes off on a 10 day bike ride. Both events require a high fitness level and a lot of preparatory training.
Kevin Rudd will spend those 10 days talking up his health policy at every opportunity and getting organised to meet with the premiers. Abbott will be out of the picture.
I believe that Abbott worked out in the gym before the big health debate. Maybe he would have fared better if he’d spent that time preparing a bit of a policy. What has Abbott been neglecting while he’s been training and surfing and posing in lycra? Headlines and pretty posed pictures are very nice but the man has a job to do as well. I think he’s forgotten all about it.
I am always suspicious of people who exercise obsessively and excessively. Why do they do it? It doesn’t lead to longer healthier lives when compared with moderate exercise. Rather it leads to bug…ered knees, backs and ankles that become a burden on the healthcare system.
I don’t know why Abbot does it, but I’m sure we keep hearing about it because exercise is seen as righteous in sport obsessed Australia. It’s a vote winner.
My parents are both still alive at 82 and 87 and have never done any more exercise than a regular moderately paced walks. They are also far more tolerant of trades unions, non believers and the poor than Abbot, and don’t feel the need to denigrate those who have a different opinion than themselves.
They also stick to their veiws on things until their is concrete evidence to the contrary.
I’m with Swan on this one, although if Abbot stops I will be asking why.
@ RG
“I am always suspicious of people who exercise obsessively and excessively. Why do they do it? It doesn’t lead to longer healthier lives when compared with moderate exercise”
He is probably addicted to the endorphins — when endorphin junkies don’t get their fix they tend to be very agro. I am surprised to hear Abbott went to the gym pre-debate … at the time I remember thinking he mustn’t have had his fitness fix that day because he was so nasty and short tempered.
I am with swan on this one — it is a matter of priorities. And whoever took the press to task over their rubbishing Rudd for his overseas trips while commending Abbott’s exercise timeouts — Yay! Someone noticed the ridiculousness of the press’ priorities too.
I live overseas but just heard Swan say about Barnaby on Lateline ABC - “he should not have been appointed in the first place…” I thought, I have heard it all now.
I was lucky enough to attend a board room lunch just after Labor were elected and Swan was the guest speaker. The attendees were small to medium business owners and not one person left impressed with his business and economic acumen. I’d say that Barnaby probably has a higher economic IQ than Swan, its just that Barnaby is not a polished speaker.
I think most people will say that “Swan is nothing special” but Australia does not need a blue collar treasurer at this point of our history.
P.S - if anyone from the ALP should be treasuer, its Tanner.
Swan and the Governments new ammunition on the Opposition is to bag Abbotts appointment of Joyce in the first place. Yet they appointed Garrett (who should have been sacked) and appointed Fitzgibon who had to resign. Bit of a weak argument I would think.
There is a pedestrian quality about Swan - he is no political star but he is a competent performer. That means that he is streets ahead of a chaotic conspiracy theorist like Joyce.
I guess the question is, do you really want our federal treasurer to have a ‘pedestrian quality’?
Australia is now a known economic performer on a global scale (within reason of course) and needs a high quality treasurer. Tanner appears to be more astute than Swann, but who really knows unless he sits in the seat.
Both then again, both parties do not appear to be overly blessed with talented ‘potential’ treasurers apart from maybe Turnbull ‘if’ he was every promoted to the front bench again.
correction - ‘But then again, both parties do not appear to be overly blessed with talented ‘potential’ treasurers apart from maybe Turnbull ‘if’ he was every promoted to the front bench again.’
Dr Harvey M Tarvydas
So spot on BK!
In a world where literary genius is in danger of shrinking under the power of the tiny often irresponsible superficial meaning that can be attached to the ‘grab’, ‘one-liner’ or the oft perverted sniff of philosophy that oozes out of the ‘headline’ with no intelligent discussion to follow you have produced (in a short stab) a multi-layered profound philosophical question about accountability and honesty. The acceptance of Mr Abbott’s psychological explanation for leaving Mr Turnbull out (an outright lie - that constant accusation he uses in debates) bespeaks of confidence by the said Mr Abbott in the intellectual shallowness of the press and media and a joyful amount of his cheekiness in having the media and press swallow that ‘crap’ as a demonstration in swallowing to the ordinary Aussie purveyor of media’s rancid secretions.
Some of the commenter’s are SO spot on about excessive hard exercise and health and I love the observations of JENAUTHOR.
Medicine (when it’s being honest) knows Olympians most often live shorter lives than average.
This sort of exercise is unhealthy in many ways.
The popularity of this sort of ‘sport’ (rather than exercise) for everyone is explained in the psychological raptures of ‘hero’, ‘winning’, ‘tough’, ‘super tough’, ‘super fit’, not ‘health’.
Dr Harvey M Tarvydas
I’ve been travelling since Friday avo so hence the Sunday comments BUT on many Sunday ABC Radio News broadcasts Christopher Pine has been going off on exactly this – ‘Hey, help health you hypocrites, my master is ‘leading by example’ in health and exercise and all you do is spend money’.
Dear sweet Chris needs to be led by example on intelligent application of real economics, wisdom, saying stuff (that is worth saying) as it is, truth about health, remembering he is working for and paid to so do by real decent Aussie’s and stop crapping on them.
It is totally ‘pavlovian’ to find crap tasty just because your heroes applaud you for chewing and spitting it.
Harvey - did the same apply to Paul Keating? he f**ked up the entire public system by the time he realised he was probably our worst PM of all time.
some lefties on here have some serious brain blockages if they are debating whether ‘excessive’ fitness is good for an Opposition leader, or not…
Dr Harvey M Tarvydas
NAPOLEON your DYNAMITE is going off.
I can see you are upset and whom you don’t like but your not really saying why, just throwing accusations. I can’t possibly know what the ‘entire public system’ is.
I am not a lefty but no righty’s have remotely adequate political depth to ever workout what I am instead.
I was discussing (debating) whether excessive excercise is good for you and me.
Left right left right Left right Left right they’re marching names aren’t they.
I don’t march for anyone.
Napoleon, you say you attended a board room lunch, as what? The drinks waiter.
You also proclaim you live overseas. That explains your ignorance of the Australian political scene and your sad habit of shooting off without any basis for most of the ‘tripe’ you write.
Why do I feel uneasy about taking your word at face value? However its a democracy we live in so we will persevere sweetie. Carry on.