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Bob Ellis believes the current hysteria over Tony Abbott university wall-punching antics is outrageously overblown.
Rudd and Abbott with Marr in the middle.
IT CAN BE argued that when David Marr swore Kevin Rudd once said ‘ratfuck’ he brought him down. It will soon be argued that, when he revealed Tony Abbott once hit not a woman but a wall, he brought him down too.
Marr’s Quarterly Essay is very fine, and a vivid portrait of a confused and mentally violent young man on the make, by a master of lively informative prose who is, thus far, our best biographer. But the effect of what might be called its ‘money shot’ is a sapping, or a sundering − if not a suicide-bombing − of our fair-go democracy and he should not have written it.
Whitlam threw a glass of water at Hasluck once on the floor of the House and kept his leadership ― and Hasluck, when Governor-General, swore him in as PM, unfussed. Hawke was ‘a mean drunk’ and a ‘rat with women’, his wife in her bio of him said, yet gained the Lodge after she wrote this. Greiner and Kennett left their wives after loud arguments and went back to them and were not ruled out of public life, nor John Prescott after he punched an interjector at a meeting when deputy prime minister.
Yet lately, things have changed. Dominic Strauss-Kahn is not now President of France because it was wrongly said he came twice in the mouth of a helpless giantess in seven minutes. John Edwards is going to gaol because a girlfriend had a baby he said was not his. John Brogden tried suicide after a drunken bottom-pat and a lewd one-liner in a private conversation lost him the leadership. Troy Buswell lost his leadership for sniffing a chair. And Tony Abbott, well …
I, too, want Tony Abbott gone, but this is ridiculous. If he were brought down for stirring the current shitstorm in which hundreds have drowned, and thousands of children are to be ill-schooled and shamed and tempted by suicide on Nauru, fine. If he were brought down for defending a Dutch trawler’s right to loot our sea of its fish, fine. But for attacking a wall in 1978 and speaking harshly to a female rival minutes after his defeat … really?
He did not hurt anyone. He did not defame anyone. He did not rape anyone. He did not threaten anyone with death. And he should lose his leadership thirty-five years later for … what?
If it were such a bad thing, Turnbull would have raised it when Abbott challenged his leadership. And he did not. If it were such a bad thing Gillard would have used it in the election. And she did not. It cannot be argued it was not known. Of course it was known. I knew about it fifteen years ago when Abbott was suing me and did not use it.
So what is going on here? An argument with one’s wife in which a cup was smashed forty years ago can get one sacked now, is that it? Is that how things are now?
However it is, it isn’t fair. And David Marr, fine writer and imminent old age pensioner, should be a little less joyful, I ween, in his flushed and lurid pursuit of catty headlines in these, his twilight years. His knee to Rudd’s groin caused Gillard’s dim ramshackle rule, and Labor’s mauling nationwide by voters thereafter unpleased by women rulers. His pussy-whipping of Abbott will, in turn, I fear elect Scott Morrison as prime minister and he should have thought before he so waspishly scratched and bitched and prissily pounced.
And it’s a pity.
There will be a book eventually written called The Economic Consequences Of David Marr. A hung parliament, a needless panicky surplus, a hydrophobic Campbell Newman trashing our social democracy all derive from David’s ‘rat-fuck’ tut-tut. And the Labor Party’s extinction may derive from this ‘wall-fist’ tut-tut, over a bashed wall and some up-close home truths said to a tough little woman long, long ago.
It’s all of a piece, though, really, with the Thomson and Slipper ‘parliamentary poison’ beat-ups, the ‘government in chaos’ beat-ups, the ‘school hall debacle’ beat-ups, the ‘parliament unworkable’ beat-up, the ‘Gillard leadership toxic’ beat-up, all of Abbott’s making, and some say he deserves it.
But I do not. This fair-go country is, or used to be, better than that. And we, or some of us, should be ashamed.
(Read more by Bob Ellis on his blog Table Talk.)
22 Comments
I agree, but don’t forget that the ALP are happy to go along with torturing refugees and are happy to do what Abbott wants.
Both leaders should be sacked.
I was terribly disappointed in David when he became all purse lipped and prudish over Thomson maybe going to a brothel and his false claims that Thomson is being investigated by anyone at all.
It bothers me that Rudd’s reputation was trashed when really the essay showed a decent person who sometimes lost his temper in disgust and despair over injustice.
Bob I am surprised at the tone of your article. You make it very clear you do not find ABBOTTS belting a wall within inches from a womans face on both sides,of any consequence.
Perhaps it would help you if you incorporated that particular action by Abbott with the combination of his various deeds and words against women then and since. It’s not at all pleasant. You blame his decline in todays polls on the revelation of that particular episode 30 yrs ago. Rubbish. As I have indicated and understand reading the scores of comments on various media from scores of women, it is his continued overall attitude to women generally and women in authority foremost.
I am not going to document all the confirmed examples here, they are well known. Suffice to say, I am very surprised you would have us believe that action 30 years ago is of bugger all consequence today. I disagree. How many women have you spoken to about it, or is your conclusion based on chats with the boys over a few beers? You are welcome to your opinion, I find it disturbing, unacceptable and insulting to all women.
Bob, you and Greg Sheridan both. What’s a little misogyny, physical and verbal violence against women, gays and lesbians, let alone that pesky little habit of pathological lying. At least it’s not rape. That seems the be the gist of your argument or do I have that wrong? This is not about an incident 30 years ago. Nor was Marr’s revelation of “rat-fuck” a prudish response to Rudd performing blue. Both are illustrative of something fundamental about the personalities and temperaments of the men involved, that is immovable and seemingly not open to change or influence from other people or ideas. Tony Abbott does not have a problem with the women who like or love him, or who collect their pay cheque courtesy of him, but he has a proven historical track record of contempt and hostility towards women who oppose him, challenge him or ask him difficult questions and expect him to come up with the answers. And if he ever ends up in power I will be doing all I can to #destroythejoint.
It absolutely stuns me that some men refuse to acknowledge that this is about violence towards women. Its is sickening that some men see it as being trivial. It does matter!
The alleged Abbott wall-punching incident happened a long time ago it is true and Abbott may have mellowed a little but there are more recent events which indicate the leopard has not changed his spots. Abbott is a bully and he tries to intimidate women who challenge him. But apart from that he is shallow, his grasp of economics is poor (despite him being a Rhodes scholar)and he is a disciple of BA Santamaria’s conservative Catholicism.
Strewth, this is the longest straw I’m yet to see, David Marr is now culpable for the economic collapse of what? Go home and have a nice cup of tea Bob, give the missus a slap under the ear and write another piece of tripe that defends the abuse and bullying and degradation and subjugation of women and weave it into a defense of a vile bully who deameans and abuses the PM of this country and what?
Oh I know, use this bullshit to defend the fact that his grub should never be the PM of this country, and use all the other tripe to make your point.
You used to be one of my heroes, now I reckon you really are just another sad old liebral convert so embarrassed to be found wrong when this nutter does not win the next election.
‘Despite him being a Rhodes Scholar’.
We were all gobsmacked at the time.
How does a full time student activist get the academic marks that fulfil the formally extremely demanding criteria to be awarded a RS?
The criteria are centred on threefold excellence – academic, sport, and broader ‘public’ contribution.
The inference at the time was that the RS gong had a politicised component.
A few years handed out to those of Anglican pedigree?
Then one to the RC crowd for balance.
It appeared at the time that TA ticked all the boxes.
Is it a bit sexist to consider violence by a man towards a woman to be ‘worse’ than violence by a man towards another man? I know it is about how Tony Abbott is sexist, but some of the language used to attack him seems to reinforce the gender divide. Just saying…
David Marr put the facts out but you don’t like it, and don’t like him either………..Bill.
We have had 2 YEARS of him bullying the PM Julia Gillard.
No decent man would do such a thing.
That is proof enough of his rotten character.
………………BOB.
It’s an exageration to say Marr will be the cause of Abbott’s desire to be PM not happening. I’ve never though t he would win and still do not.
I cannot recall when anyone won on such negativity and Tony is almost the supreme advocate of negativity.
Also Labor, despite the persistent doom and gloom of the MSM has performed as an effective government and the great mass of people have got on with their lives. the present polls do not surprise me in the least.
As for Chris Pyne claiming there is a ‘dirt unit’, he must think that people haven’t noticed the personal attacks upon Julia Gillard that have been relentless and continue the theme that somehow her government is illegitmate.
Actually I agree with MaralynS about Marr who at times is like many journalists : too close to the forest to see the trees.
He doesn’t always get it right and makes sweeping generalizations as he did about Thomson as did Stephen Mayne who demanded on Q&A that Thomson reign.
As for Greg Sheridan- a pretty sad performance on Q&A.
I always look forward to when Bob is posted to this site. He is usually on the money with his analysis but in this case Bob, you are so far off as to be an embarrassment. That Abbott harassed a young woman nearly 40 years ago is a black mark. That he still continues to act like a thug demonstrates that he hasn’t learnt anything during his life. I could accept that he made mistakes when young, God knows I did but it is an act of maturity to firstly accept that you have erred and secondly to learn what the triggers were that caused that error and be consciously aware of them so that they never dominate your actions again.
One merely has to look at Abbott in Parliament where I have seen him gesturing to the government benches in the ‘come on’ mannerism that denotes that he would like to physically fight someone there. That is NOT the actions of a person I would like to lead this country. Add to that his bully boy swagger (another good indicator of a thug) and his cowardice in not facing the media for the last week all indicate a man who is too psychologically fragile to be a leader of this country.
Heaven help us if he does become PM and we are faced with a situation that requires guile and tact. He has demonstrated by his negotiations with the Independents that he possesses neither. He most definitely is not leadership material.
Bob,
I don’t take into account the punching of the wall, although it doesn’t surprise me. I knew the man was a no good when he was in Howard’s government.
I don’t care that he is a catholic, I don’t care that he loved B.A. Santamaria. I do care that he is a base character, has no charisma, is horrible and is mean. he also has no Policies and is more negative than the negative terminal on my car battery. He doesn’t have a positive terminal. That means he is unbalanced. I know that the combination of all of these things and particularly his Politics make him unsuitable as the sort of Leader I would like.
When you talk about leadership the man has zero skills. he is just a bully. Do as I say. and follow my lead. He will take Australia back to the master servant era.
Bob he is inherently unsuitable for high office. You made a mistake also about fairness. Those who live by the sword should die by it as well.
Over blown eh. but you all attacked the PM about her past also Abbott attacked his own party member in Peter Slipper and also attacked Craig Thomson with no hesitation.
And Abbott squealed like a pig to spill the beans.
Se we the people demand you spill the beans Abbott on your thug past and groping incident how much more is there?
Bob you are just showing your misogynistic streak, you have never liked Julia because you are like Abbort you don’t like those women that have a brain. You have always idolised Rudd & are now Joining the “nutjob” brigade.
I suppose you will make sure this comment is deleted too, you thin skin for an old Rhino I must say.
Bob, one of your weaker efforts.
Bob is married to one of the smartest women writers in this country, how can he not like bright women?
He worked with another very bright Iranian woman with the Bakhtiyari kids and their mum. He adored Roqia Bakhtiyari who in spite of no education was and is one of the smartest women either Bob or I ever met.
Bob loves women, the claim that he is misogynist is just plain lazy partisan hackery.
John, you take TA down when you can, because sometimes the most obvious reasons that should have been blocked by MSM. There is no fairness in war and politics. Also, don’t forget Megalomaniacs are not restricted to running corporations.
Bob Bob Bob, Not John…. Sorry. Almost as bad as calling you Bil….
MSM=trash=women’s weekly
This piece falls below IA’s usual high standard. If we wanted to hear apologies for Abbott, there’s an abundance+ of it in the so-called “mainstream” media.
there is always a tipping point (jumping the shark?) when it becomes clear a leader will lose and perhaps it’s fair to say Marr, despite his sweeping generalisations, has signaled that but that is just good timing on Marr’s part.
Bob is basically correct to point that out but, Tony is never going to be PM.