grodscorp@grods.comFigureheads should remain figureheads
 | Posted by The Editor on Monday 14 April 2008, 4:52 pm Categories: Politics Tags: Governor-General, MichaelJeffery, QuentinBryce, TheQueen |
Congratulations to Quentin Bryce for being selected to represent the Queen in Australia. She seems like a most worthy recipient of the honour and… oh, what’s that? She’s a woman? What’s that got to do with anything?
Anyway, today Ms Bryce declared an agenda of sorts. You know, just like an elected official does when starting a new job.
Governor-General designate Quentin Bryce says improving the wellbeing of Indigenous Australians will be a priority when she takes up the post.
[...]
“Like very many Australians I’ve been looking into my heart and asking what is the contribution that I can make in 2008 to advancing the wellbeing of our Indigenous Australians,” she said.
Good on her for wanting to make a difference, but unelected, symbolic figureheads that represent unelected, symbolic figureheads of other countries should confine their activities to cutting ribbons at art galleries and hosting tea parties. Michael Jeffery threatened to stick his nose where it didn’t belong, saying “I think I will be able to talk on issues and principles and values and standards quite comfortably as Governor-General”, but in the end he laid fairly low besides from his pathetic motherhood statements before swearing in each new Minister and vague statements about masculinity.
Hopefully Ms Bryce will do the same. (And hopefully she’ll be the last G-G as well.)
GrodsThink Ep.31 (16/9/08)
Monday 14 April 2008, 5:22 pm #Chade
Jeffery was doing well until he got to the word “principles”, though…
It wasn’t the comment that she is a woman that annoyed me most; rather it was the way the grandmother tag was used in one story I read - like that’s going to help her with the scissors when faced with a large pink ribbon. Or red.
Monday 14 April 2008, 5:29 pm #Bruce
And hopefully she’ll be the last G-G as well.
Oh yes.
Monday 14 April 2008, 6:48 pm #magic bellybutton
The headline in The Age irritated me: A woman takes the keys to Yarralumla.
Before I clicked on it, I thought - someone stole the keys? How is that possible?
I’m still not sure if I’m annoyed that I didn’t make the connection, or if they made it sound like she overthrew Jeffries in her desire to be useless to all of Australia now, rather than just Queensland.
Monday 14 April 2008, 7:09 pm #Bron
I saw a headline when the news first broke, forget where, saying “Quentin takes keys”. I fell for it, thinking it was a bloke.
Monday 14 April 2008, 7:51 pm #Mikey
Remember how shitted off Howard got with St Billy Deane? There was no way Jeffrey was sticking his head above the trench on that one.
Besides if he’d gotten between Howard and greeting/farewelling troops he would have had size 2’s tramped across his forehead.
Monday 14 April 2008, 8:55 pm #Wah
Tap?
Monday 14 April 2008, 8:58 pm #The Editor
First, second and third warning, Wah. Yellow and red card.
Monday 14 April 2008, 9:02 pm #Bron
But why the warnings? She’s hot.
Monday 14 April 2008, 10:17 pm #magic bellybutton
I saw a headline when the news first broke, forget where, saying “Quentin takes keys”.
He’s a sneaky bugger. Probably trying to get them for Ray Martin.
Monday 14 April 2008, 10:24 pm #Bron
LOL @ magic bellybutton.
The first Quentin I thought of was Crisp, Quentin Crisp. He was a fine looking man (and a very funny writer, I might add).
Monday 14 April 2008, 11:41 pm #Zombie Mao
OMG THE G-G HAS A VAGINA!!11!!!
Seriously, its just a event opening gig.
Still its waaaaay better than Jeffries, he is such a tosser. Tricky Dickie Court appointed him as WA Gov back in the day.
I remember being in the front row of a ceremony, cant remember what it was for, where he was the invited speaker. His speech was totally off topic, history of the bellybutton lint of past WA Governors or something. I dunno I nodded off. Apparently the VIPs noticed. Oops. Didn’t shut him up tho.
Tuesday 15 April 2008, 6:47 am #jLo
She went to my school. Irrelevant, I know, only it was the first thing I thought when I saw the news. That, and what the hell is going on with Rudd’s fringe in that picture in the Age.
Yay for QB being the last GG.
Tuesday 15 April 2008, 10:08 am #steveo
All good arguments why Australia should have a directly-elected head of state, rather than one appointed by two-thirds of a current government.