grodscorp@grods.comOffensively hypocritical populism
 | Posted by The Editor on Thursday 22 May 2008, 6:45 pm Categories: Politics Tags: Tags: AgedPension, BrendanNelson, LiberalParty |
Look, I know that posting over and over again about Brendan Nelson is like shooting fish in a barrel (and I’m going to try and cut down on my addiction — I can give up if I want to) but some things are so offensive that they just have to be highlighted. Take this for example.
And I say to Mr Rudd and Mr Swan and the other members of the Labor Party who tell us they’re driving a so-called social justice truck, you try and live on $273 a week [the aged pension]. I think some of them couldn’t live on $273 for a day let alone $273 for a week.
That makes me so incredibly angry that I have trouble typing the words. Brendan Nelson and the shameful government of which he was a member had eleven long years to raise the aged pension above its current level if they were at all concerned about it. Their actions, however, suggested quite the opposite. And to suggest that Rudd, Swan and the other Labor ministers are disengaged because they draw salaries greater than the pension is simply juvenile. What about poor widdle Tony Abbott who bitched and moaned about his $90,000 pay cut last year when he was dumped from minister to opposition backbencher? I’d like to see Abbott live on $273 a week instead of his paltry $127,000 annual salary plus benefits.
So Brendan’s obviously got a plan for how he’d better look after pensioners if he was, by some miracle, elected.
QUESTION: And what do you promise pensioners?
DR NELSON: Well the most important thing that we need to do at the moment is to make sure that pensioners are on Mr Rudd’s political radar. We need to make sure that we stand up for pensioners to make sure that they have a voice. We’re in the process at the moment of examining policy although it’s only six months since the last election, and one of the things that is very clear is that our nation has a responsibility to put Australia’s age pensioners on a solid financial footing. I think it’s very clear at the moment that all of us, and the Government in particular that so cruelly let down Australia’s pensioners in its Budget, needs to re-examine its budgetary priorities and there needs to be further strengthening of the financial position of pensioners.
The short answer is: “No, we have nothing to promise pensioners.”
Now, just to make sure I’ve got all of the bile out of my system here are a couple of amusing moments from the same Nelson doorstop.
First:
…if Mr Rudd has got the time to go and see Cate Blanchett and her newborn baby, which is all terrific, he’s got the time to actually look Australia’s pensioners in the eye and tell them what he’s going to do to help them.
Cate Blanchett test — TICK!
Second:
I think my wife would certainly confirm that I’m much better with my shirt on…
A proper conservative must have proper conservative sex, after all. Beds together and lights out! Just think of England, darling. This will all be over in a few seconds.
Third:
QUESTION: But how do you adequately tackle climate change when you’re [inaudible]?
Good question, journo. It’s tough for Nelson when he’s completely ignored by the electorate.
GrodsThink Ep.29 (26/8/08)
