Faine-ing indignation

John Styles, editor of Australian Conservative, listens to the ABC:

If you are going to take offence at somebody’s error or perceived slight, it is probably a good idea to make sure you appear fair and reasonable when you’re doing it, rather than present as rude and impatient. Otherwise, your indignation might come across as distinctly ungracious and even somewhat contrived.

It is something 774 ABC Melbourne morning presenter Jon Faine might reflect on after paying out Tony Abbott for arriving late for an interview on Wednesday morning. (Although, something tells me that ABC personalities are not big on introspection of this kind.)

Faine took offence when Tony Abbott, due at the ABC’s Southbank studio at 8.30 am, was delayed by traffic and arrived about 20 minutes late.

…

Jon Faine: “Tony Abbott has a history of being late. In fact, it’s got him into trouble during election campaigns, it’s got him into trouble in various ways. He manages to be on time for a triathlon. He’s now 15 minutes late for his appointment here.”

…

When, Tony Abbott arrived in the studio and joined the program, he apologised to “Greg” for being late.

“Jon,” Faine archly interjected, implying that Abbott couldn’t even get his name right. Abbott let it go, but he needn’t have.

As Abbott arrived in the studio, Faine was taking a call from someone who had phoned in with a question that he would have liked to put to Abbott. The name of the caller was … Greg.

It would have been obvious to most people listening that Tony Abbott was apologising, as you would expect any politician to do, not to the impatient and grumpy radio host, but to the person who really mattered most – the voter – talkback caller, Greg.

If Abbott had chosen to do so, he could have asked Faine if the emotional exertion of working himself up into a state of hyper-indignation had led him to forget the name of the talkback caller he was chatting to on air.

Source: Australian Conservative