As quite a few of you already know, my dearest is from the US.  She arrived in Australia in January, just before Australia day.  As such, she sees Australian politics with fresh eyes.  Obviously I’ve talked to her a lot about politics but for all my opinionating, I try to answer all questions objectively.  And when I get onto political rants, she can tend to tune out and who can blame her?  So all she really knows of Tony Abbott’s work is what he’s done this year.

By contrast, I first became aware of Tony Abbott when he was involved with Australians for Constitutional Monarchy in the late 1990s.  He struck me then as a slimy character who would say and do anything to further his own ambitions and nothing that has happened since has done anything to modify that view. But in fairness, perhaps my pre-existing opinion of him has coloured how I view his behaviour today.

So it is telling that my dearest has, without any influence from me, decided that Tony Abbott is being a dick.  She began with no opinion on him, but today said, “If you’re going to stop people from going to a funeral and prevent the head of government from meeting a visiting head of government, with all the damage to relations that brings, not because it’s an emergency but just because you can, then you’re being a petty, childish ass.  Suck it up and act like an adult.  If you want people to vote for you, you have to act like you’re electable.  Act decent.”

Those of us who are used to him are not suprised by his antics.  That a migrant with no opinion would come to the same conclusion in just seven months, says a lot.
Onya, People Skills!