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When the nation’s most venerable newspaper chain decided to trash a reputation built up over more than a century and reinvent itself as clickbait for whinging millennials, it really went all the way. It not only imported a pantheon of victimhood from the United States but also a new necronomicon of darkness. White? Male? Heterosexual? Over 40? Of the right – or not of the “I’ll thcream and thcream and thcream ‘till I’m thick” incontinent left? Catholic? Why, you must be the true embodiment of evil. And to Fairfax that embodiment goes by the name Tony Abbott.
The former PM may be gone from the Lodge, but despite Fairfax’s efforts he’s not gone from public life. So yesterday a story appeared on its websites with the headline “Tony Abbott tipped for a scare in Warringah”. There’s a disconnect between the actual article and its title. Quite who’s doing the tipping is not specified and the story’s author, James Robertson, even qualified the “scare” part by putting the word in inverted commas:
“While political operatives are focusing intently on the country’s most marginal seats, excitable chatter is mounting about one of its safest: former prime minister Tony Abbott’s seat of Warringah. With Mr Abbott sitting on a margin of 15 per cent, local campaign workers are not doubting he will be returned, but speculation is growing that he may face a ‘scare” at Saturday’s poll in the form of a sizeable swing against him.”
It’s not until you read a little further on that a potential source emerges:
“For a man whose supporters are talking up a second act in Australian public life, the size of the swing in Warringah will inevitably be compared with the average and picked over more than most others.
“Complicating matters for the usually indomitable local member is the large field of candidates lining up to challenge him. One of the axioms of politics is that larger fields lead to bigger swings.
“With 10 candidates, Warringah will be the equal second widest field for any NSW lower-house seat this election. Only Lindsay and Grayndler have more, with 11.
“The problem such a wide field presents is simple, one Liberal insider explains: if each of the candidates picks up only a modest 0.5 per cent share of the vote, then that’s an instant 5 per cent swing against you.”
One Liberal insider. One! And just an “insider”. Not a “senior Liberal”. In other words one Liberal Party member keen to do down the former PM has constructed a bodgy metric as the basis for a bodgy story — one happily swallowed by the poor unfortunates who remain afflicted by Abbott Derangement Syndrome. Anything to have a go at Tones.
Hilariously, the story doesn’t appear to have made it into the print edition of the paper the former PM’s constituents read – or used to read – today’s Sydney Morning Herald.
But, naturally, it got a run in that rattiest of rags 900 kilometres down the Hume, The Age.
Quality media.
I’ll make a prediction-any swing against Tony Abbott in his seat will compare very favourably with the swings against other Liberal members.
Would this also apply to the seat of Wentworth as it has 10 nominations if I remember correctly?
Also, I think when it broke that Abbott was winning significant donation funding for the Lib marginals, someone in at Fairfax decided that they’d try and put a stop to it. They’d invent a story that says: ‘Look out Tony, while you’re out backslapping, your own seat is on fire – fly home, quickly now and defend it.’ At least we’re in no doubt as to who Fairfax barracks for.
Tony Abbott remains in my mind as the actual gold standard for principled and courageous leadership of liberals still active.
Malcolm Turnbull remains in my mind as the gold standard for unprincipled backstabbing and undermining.
TA can explain in 5 mins clearly what Turnbull takes 15 mins to not explain.
The left and its media clients hate TA as they see him as the conservative champion so he must be continually denigrated and if possible destroyed. Turnbull is terrified of Abbott as he knows Abbot is twice the man that he is and has alliances forged through mutually held principles rather than mutual convenience and greed. He know he is continually compared unfavourably to Abbott by many if not most true conservatives
I trust TA will be returned to parliament and the people of warroonga will not be swayed by bug eyed pretenders. I pray that Turnbull will be dismissed.
‘Nation’s most venerable newspaper chain’ could easily have been written as ‘nation’s most venereal newspaper chain’.
It is because the ‘ala sinistra’ loathe him so much that Abbott was unelectable if he had continued as PM. The vitriol of the Fairfax press knows no limit and TA perhaps, because of his seminary training, knew not how to demolish it, sad to say.