Tony Abbott’s Budgie Speech

Posted on May 12, 2011 by patriciawa

We know well this politician,
Our leader of the Opposition.
He’ll rise to expectations
With his usual accusations
About taxes and extortion.
There’ll be some new distortion,
Like corruption of our Treasury
By Gillard and the ALP.
Such is his ambition
For universal recognition
And electoral majority,
I have it on authority
He’ll do his usual raving
On debt and national saving.
Then he’ll use this vital budget speech
To finally his budgies breach.

He’ll expose himself in all his glory.
So that, once again, he,
Not Australia’s economy,
Will be the headline story.

NOTE FROM ME 15/05/11 Abbott’s ‘Budget Reply’ was non-existent. He re-cycled his 2010 Election Campaign Launch Speech, which in my opinion, exposed him, or he exposed himself, as having nothing constructive to say about the economy or any kind of critique of the government’s budget plans. It was still hailed by some as a smart move, particularly by News Ltd media outlets. I wrote about this today in asking why news coverage of our PM is so limited.

Comments

Pip, 12/05/11 Patriciawa, what can I say, you’ve excelled yourself.

Feral Skeleton, 12/05/11 PatriciaWA, He’d love to, I’m sure. Abbott is such an Exhibitionist. When I came in from shopping today and saw that vision of him stretching his hammies at the top of a hill in Canberra, for the assorted agog cameramen, all I could think to myself was, “What a Wan*er.”

Ad Astra, 12/05/11 Your poem summarizes nicely what will happen tonight, with such pleasant rhyme.

Janice, 15/05/11 10 more stars Patricia. ” He’ll expose himself in all his glory.” – Great line that! The expose would show there is nothing there but empty space.

Patricia WA, 15/05/ 11 Agreed. “All bare! Nothing there!”

Pip, 16/0511 You got that right; All bare, Very little there!

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Think Badly Of Malcolm? Honi Soit Qui Mal Y Pense!*

Posted on May 10, 2011 by patriciawa

So Malcolm Turnbull is hosting a post-budget conference.
Who is he hoping will attend his forum on finance,
Businessmen or Liberal party members? Will this help enhance
His reputation, as Abbott shows too much belligerence
Which, with dour Robb and Hockey’s bluster, inspires no confidence?

Didn’t Abbott once farewell Mal, praising his excellence,
Ironically describing him as ‘man of the renaissance?’
Here he is, indeed ‘reborn’ with all his former nonchalance.
Fighting NBN clearly not his route for re-emergence,
But his new ‘trim’ TV image is surely no coincidence.

It leads to speculation that he plans one more advance
On party leadership. That gained, does he dream of dalliance
With Windsor and Oakeshott and other independents
Just when Greens are poised to assume that fateful balance
In the Senate of a power so crucial to our governance?

Whatever the outcome of the Coalition power dance,
Have any of our media commentators perchance
Asked themselves the question of real significance;
Is Malcolm Turnbull, with all his charm and grandiloquence,
Any match for our PM in guile, strength and intelligence?

*“Evil be to him who evil thinks!” or “Perish the thought!”

NOTE: Peter Martin posted a note about Malcolm Turnbull’s ‘Forum’ just before he went into Budget Lock-up. It amused me to speculate that Malcolm might be using the post-Budget fall-out which could be damaging to Tony Abbott as an opportunity for another leadership challenge. Malcolm’s rather patrician bearing lends itself to a pretentious style and vocabulary which was fun to play with.

COMMENTS

lyn, 11/05/11, Hi Patricia! You are a marvel, congratulations on your very enjoyable pome, photo is the work of an expert , well done.

Janice, 15/05/11, Well done, Patricia. Malcolm is big on charm and grandiloquence but very small when it comes to leadership material. I don’t think he will challenge the Deputy Pope but might make Leader of the Opposition if said DP implodes in his own negativity.

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‘Don’t Come Here By Sea!’

Posted on May 9, 2011 by patriciawa

We’ve heard your stories one and all.
Widow, orphan, soldier amputee,
And how you strive to reach landfall
Here beyond the Arafura Sea.

You know that if you come by boat
People smugglers charge a hefty fee;
No guarantee you’ll stay afloat
To journey’s end across the Timor Sea.

If Tony Abbott now held sway
He’d stop your boat. That’s his policy.
He’d turn you round, have you towed away,
Deaf to your cries, back to the cruel sea.

A plan to lessen your suffering
Has now come from the ALP,
Anxious to find a buffering
Between Oz and the surrounding sea.

It’s been proposed by PM Gillard,
Wherever your starting point may be,
Boarding leaky boats will be barred.
You may not risk your life at sea!

There now will be an orderly queue
For you to join, perhaps certainty
That at last we might welcome you.
Though for that, you’ll have to wait and see.

Be patient. Understand you’re seeking refuge
In a land already sanctuary
To people whose anxiety is huge,
Girt as Australia is by sea.

Things here aren’t what they used to be
When we had endless plains to share
With those who came across the sea.
So forget all that, and – ‘Come By Air!’

NOTE:     This was written for The Political Sword in response to Ad Astra’s post about political sloganeering so skilfully used by the Opposition. It was a day when PM Gillard’s agreement with Malaysia on boat people was all over the media. I suggested to Ad Astra perhaps we should have some simple slogans which would help asylum seekers ‘get the message’ Australians seemed to want to convey to them.

‘Asylum seekers and refugees: what are the facts?’ (PDF)

https://www.aph.gov.au/binaries/library/pubs/bn/sp/asylumfacts.pdf‎

Comments

Feral Skeleton,     09/05/11. Spiffing! Yes, if only the wider populace would/could get access to our intelligent and exceptional musings.

Ad astra,     09/05/11. That is a very clever poem, and so apt.

NormanK,     09/05/11. Very very clever! I had no idea where you were going with that. I love a good sting in the tail.

Lynchpin,      22/06/12,   PatriciaWA, do you mind if I take your verse and put it to some music. It would be a country/folk ballad style ala Dylan or Springsteen?

Patriciawa,    22/06/12,    Go ahead, Lynchpin, and feel free to change lines/ words/verses etc. where necessary. Thanks for the compliment!

Patriciawa,  22/02/14,

Sunday, February 23, 2014.

Patriciawa    07/02/16   Has anyone found a solution?   We had had hoped that Malcolm Turnbull, PM, might be open to ideas.   It seems not.  This sort of article keeps coming

https://www.getup.org.au/campaigns/refugees/a-more-compassionate-australia/shut-down-manus-and-nauru

Homepage

Patriciawa   28/12/16   More  written and said in the past year, this summary may help too.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/nov/13/offshore-detention-nauru-immigration-history-human-rights

Patriciawa  30/12/16  A further PS – just met a delightful new neighbor of mine, Fatya , who might almost have read my ‘pome’ with its advice in the last few lines of verse above, ‘to come by air!‘    She told me that decades ago she flew to Australia as a tourist to visit her sister and that once here,  she applied to stay.   Initially she was rejected, but she persisted and applied, again and again, every three months, over the next seven years and finally became an Australian citizen.

She told me of how gradually demoralizing that had been since she had no working visa and therefore was unable to take regular employment in her trade as dressmaker.  More of this later when I talk to her again.  I am hoping that she will perhaps comment here and tell us the story in her own words.   An important feature of this for me was about those lost years of ambition and talent wasted while young people try to gain legitimate working visas.   Are refugees and boat people really taking our jobs?

Patriciawa 11/12/18  Yet another PS after last night’s Q&A when someone from the audience outraged me, and I’m sure others, by suggesting that Australian politicians were wasting time still arguing about a few (ten?) children still in long-term detention when other countries were dealing with hundreds of thousands of the millions of immigrants wandering the earth seeking refuge.  Tanya Plibersyk convinced me of the sincerity of her own views as she spoke which probably resulted from the very direct experience of her own parents as Slovenian refugees to Australia, back in the 1940’s.  She clearly understands the global nature of this problem and I was sorry not to hear more from her about the international committee and policy work she and the ALP have engaged in over the past few years.   She very graciously conceded the chance to have the last word on this Q&A finale for 2018 on ‘freedom of speech’ to another panel member,  Nyadol Nyuon, lawyer and community advocate, another great example of   why refugees  and migrants of whatever race. religion or origin should be welcome here.

Some links to follow up on this:

https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/national/2018/12/11/tanya-plibersek-boat-backflip/?

https://www.techly.com.au/2018/12/11/qa-tanya-plibersek-praised-class-act-episodes-final-moments/

 

 

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I just feel sad about Abbottabad

Posted on May 7, 2011 by patriciawa

For me there’s only sadness
In all this Abbottabadness,
The hysteria and the madness
Of this grisly melodrama
When the terrorist Osama
Finally faced his karma;
When I watched Barack, our former hero,
Lay a wreath and I saw our hopes of him go
For burial amongst other ashes at Ground Zero.

This isn’t a ‘polliepome.’ I wrote it in response to Talk Turkey at the Political Sword who was very angry about what Barack Obama, as President of the US had commissioned in Abbottabad. He saw it as an assassination. I’m very conflicted about that too and probably will be for ever. So when I tried to respond to Talk Turkey’s very clever black humor below with another limerick I could only write some ‘bad’ poetry to try to express for him how I feel.

Talk Turkey wrote 06/05/11

I just heard how Osama was clad at the time,
and I just couldn’t pass up the horrible rhyme:

The Yanks are so pleased with Obama’s
Finding that place of Osama’s!
They’re all so damn thrilled
That when he was killed
He was unarmed and in his pyjamas!

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Julia Dreams Of Abbott The Bad

Posted on May 4, 2011 by patriciawa

Oh Gillard, the Good, I acknowledge you now,
To your natural talent do I bow.
You and your Windsor friend have the country’s ear.
His gift to you is two more years.
I know you’ll go well if I on my part
Never again on the national stage play the media tart.

NOTE – This parody was inspired by Strewth in today’s Australian writing about
Abbott, Our Bad – a whimsical reference to Abbottabad, where Osama Bin Laden
has been hiding out. Seems it was founded during the British Raj by one James Abbott, who may or may not be a distant relative of Tony Abbott. He farewelled the garrison with a poem (shown below) which Strewth invited us to better! I simply re-wrote it in the orginal style, echoing his words but not the sense, and featuring our modern pollies. I heard from James Jeffery, Strewth Editor, later that day saying he had been amused by my ‘pome’ and planned to use it. My first acceptance for print publication of a pome!

“Oh Abbottabad we are leaving you now.
To your natural beauty do I bow.
Perhaps your winds sound will never reach my ear.
My gift for you is a few sad tears.
I bid you farewell with a heavy heart.
Never from my mind will your memories thwart.”

Comments

lyn,  04/05/11,  Brilliant Patricia, very very enjoyable, we are very proud of you.

Feral Skeleton,  05/05/11,  PatriciaWA, I’m not surprised you have heard from Strewth. Your pollie pomes are works of Fine Art. And they are getting better every day.

Patricia,  05/05/11,  My first printed ‘pome’ was a disaster! Strewth has a ‘Poet’s Corner” and that’s exactly what it is. Just a tiny portion of column where three winning ‘poems’ for the Abbottobad parody competition were squeezed in at the very bottom right hand corner of the page. Never mind, I had all the excitement of an ‘acceptance’ and at least that description of Tony Abbott as a ‘media tart’ has appeared in The Australian!

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Who Dunnit?

Posted on May 3, 2011 by patriciawa

Seems Julia Gillard has been framed.
In other words been ‘fitted up;’
That far and wide she’s been defamed,
So Aussies feel they’ve been sold a pup.

So who gains? Who’s in the frame
For undermining our confidence?
Who’s in the picture? Who’s to blame
For putting out false evidence?

Well, Tony Abbott’s hairy frame
Appears too often on TV,
With many an unchallenged claim
About government inefficiency.

He’s pictured on a climbing frame,
In boxing ring, on racing bike,
With politics ‘called’ as if a game.
But it’s fixed. He always gets the mike.

National pride would be our mind frame
Were we shown our PM abroad.
There she was met with wide acclaim.
Who stifled that? There’s another fraud!

Case for defence is therefore framed
In terms that prove another crime,
And those who really should be named
Are those who stand to win big time.

So, let’s not have this tale of framing
End with victory for we know who!
A man, a party and Establishment all bent on taming
A brilliant woman, who is definitely not a shrew.

Comments

Janice, 03/05/11.   Brilliant, Patricia. Such a clever little doggie framed by roses

Feral Skeleton, 03/05/1.   PatriciaWA just keeps getting better and better.

Ad Astra, 03/05/01.  PWA, thank you for your verse, as always so beautifully expressive.

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Where Was Our PM?

Posted on May 1, 2011 by patriciawa

Are you like me and wonder why
Images of our PM seem zero
While news media let not a chance go by
For a story picturing their ‘hero?’

Why, when he has an early morning dip,
Is there always someone from the press
On hand to get another photo clip
Of Tony Abbott in ‘undress?’

On Christmas Island he’s a ‘pop star’
Where he ‘plays some pool and has a beer.
Chatting up a blond perched at a bar,’
Slighting our PM to raise a cheer.

But, overseas on affairs of state,
Conferring with heads of government,
Partnered by a true Australian ‘mate,’
Her competence gets no acknowledgement.

Julia Gillard, in the desolation
Of Japan’s earthquake, sharing their distress,
Provides, it seems, just an illustration
Of how she needs to improve ‘her dress.’

In London amongst the royal wedding crowd,
Compared with any other famous guest,
Our PM really does Oz proud.
She’s poised, elegant and well dressed.

There we glimpsed her once. We may again
As daft old Dame Edna makes a fuss
About her hat, mocks her origins, and then
Sneers at her because she talks like us.

On ‘Insiders’ today we get more spin,
Lots of footage of the Coalition’s ‘Action Man’
As if the Oppposition was already in
And our Prime Minister an ‘also ran.’

But did you hear that banker whose opinion was,
After travelling with her on the China trip,
“She did sterling work as statesman!” So now, will Oz,
At last, commend her? Or will that be just another media blip?

NOTES The idea of Julia Gillard not being ‘Prime Ministerial’ is ridiculous.

I was astonished at how little media exposure she was getting on that tour of devastated Japan. And similarly at the Royal wedding. She looked great, was suitably dressed, carried herself well amongst all those other ‘suited’ gents, and talked sense. Tim carried himself well and looked as personable as any of our head of state’s partners have ever been.
Imagine – here we have a woman PM, frankly an atheist, unmarried, openly in a long term relationship with a good looking guy. He travels as her ‘partner’ on official state business and is accepted seemingly without criticism of him or of her. He seems to know how to be friendly with foreigners, stand at a respectful distance when required and to choose the right fork at formal functions.
Wow – times have changed! I bet the powers that be on the right are terrified that Julia will dig in and be there for years to come. No wonder they’re doing all they can to downplay her brilliance as an example of how women’s lives can and should be in modern Australia.

COMMENTS

Ad Astra,      01/05/11,      Patricia WA, your delightful poem says so much about how poorly the media treats our PM, how it gives Tony Abbott a regular leg-up, and the unfairness of it all.

Pip,     03/02/05/11,   patriciawa, love the pome.

Janice,      03/05/11,      Another gem. Thanks so much for sharing your pomes, Patricia – they make my day.

Patriciawa,    06/05/12,    Just over a year later and our PM is suffering far worse than simply being censored out of the the daily news.   There are questions on the Poll Bludger about her poor image and extreme unpopularity.   To which I replied:-

NOTE – “Confessions, Kezza, my say, re the image of the once very attractive and likeable Ms. Julia Gillard – News Ltd and friends have systematically censored any good news about our Prime Minister off front pages and news headline stories from the day she took office, especially overseas in situations which would normally have had Aussies puffing out their chests with pride. I thought this was pretty obvious by the time of the Royal Wedding early last year.”     I followed this with  Where Was Our PM?”

Kezza2,     06/05/212    Patriciawa, I’m so glad you pen, in verse, an almost daily historical record of what our PM is up against.  That wedding was almost a year ago, wasn’t it?    Or just over a year.   Yet, some on here don’t want to know about the adverse press suffered by the PM.   That the daily reports of “no one’s listening” does alter opinion.Yet, it’s dismissed out of hand, as if it has nothing to do with the “perspective” of the nation.    Thanks again, PatWA   You’re a treasure.

my say,    06/05/12,   Is it possible to tweet patricia’s poem to this link. If she approved. Thanks patricia, loveley thoughts.

martha, 04/04/12, and here we are in april 2013. abbott is not in hiding he is being hidden, why? I think where possible when tweeting a picture of him should be placed on the end of every tweet the pub have a great range of photos for you to copy, but also the pm who nowm who now wears glasses, by the way she alwasy, did but had contacts is being poytrayed as wtte o well she only wears glasses to look the part.
abbott on the other hand is in hiding, is he worried he doesnt look the part?

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The Australian’s Hero!

Posted on April 27, 2011 by patriciawa

It seems some women are impressed
When Tony Abbott gets undressed.
Paige Taylor watched him have a swim
Then wrote how Christmas Island welcomed him.

He was greeted like a pop star,
‘Chatted up a blonde perched at the bar,’
Played some pool while he had a beer,
Put down the PM to raise a cheer.

He seemed unmoved and hardly deigned
To notice refugees too long detained.
He passed on a chance to be bombastic?
Well,…. the start to his day had been “fantastic!”

The picture below with captions prompted a slight variation for Larvartus Prodeo

“What a fantastic way to start the day,” he said, before jumping into Flying Fish Cove. Mr Abbott was exercising with the Australian Federal Police’s elite organisational response group, which was flown in last month to respond to riots at the detention centre.

“Fantastic way to start the day!”
Tony Abbott was heard to say,
Having fun with the AFP
On their morning dip in a clear blue sea.

As usual someone from the press
Was there to snap him in ‘undress.’
The Australian reported on that swim
And how Christmas Island welcomed him.

He was greeted like a pop star,
Chatted up a blonde perched at the bar,
Played some pool while he had a beer,
Put down the PM to raise a cheer.

Unmoved by riots he hardly deigned
To meet asylum seekers long detained.
He passed on a chance to be bombastic?
Why bother? Already his trip had been “fantastic!”

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Australian Idol – Not!

Posted on April 26, 2011 by patriciawa

We women do not like it
When Abbott comes on tele,
Showing off that he’s so fit.
The sight of his flat belly
Simply makes us have to spit.

Prancing on the beach all bare,
Does not impress one little bit.
We shrink from all that body hair
And budgie smugglers whose tight fit
Tells the world how little’s there.

Not that he needs a large tool kit,
Or one at all, to be PM.
For that he’ll always be unfit.
He only knows how to condemn;
Tear things down, turn everything to shit!

Comments

Janice,     26/04/11,     Another 10 stars, Patricia. I wonder is he attempting to convince everyone that the body below the head compensates for starved brain cells.

Lyn,      26/04/11,      Thankyou,  brilliant,  well done Patricia.  Congratulations.  I wish we had a placard somewhere to parade your verse around,  anyway the best parade is TPS.  I would like to add my thoughts to some of your words,  but don’t dare,  I couldn’t stand to mar my reputation or upset my dignity.

Ad Astra,     26/04/11 Lovely pome, Patricia WA!  After reading Lyn’s description of Tony Abbott’s Christmas Island performance I was wondering what Lateline would show of him.  Fortunately all we saw was him punching someone’s gloved hand,  a metaphor for his approach to politics, and doing some abs exercises before he made a comment about detention centres. Why the preliminaries were considered newsworthy only the ABC would know.  Maybe he insisted on them to enhance his ‘Australian idol action man’ image and convince us all that he is fit for high office.

Feral Skeleton,      27/04/11,      I’m disappointed you couldn’t fit ‘legs akimbo’ into your pome.  Otherwise, a sterling effort!  It’s simply,  as AA says,  all about the ‘I’m fit for office’ meme, and the narcissistic posings of an exercise-junkie poseur.

Pip,      27/04/11,    Patricia,  that’s going to keep me laughing all day; it reminds me of the revolting Madame Thenardier,  from Les Mis,  referring to Monsieur Thenardier.  Hand waving in a southerly direction, she whispers,   “Not much there.”

Sue,      27/04/11,      Patricia to add to your visual,  on ABC 24 this morning they had to show Tony at Christmas Island lifting weights.

Min,     27/04/11,     Excellent Patricia, I am certainly with Pip on that one about lots of smiles

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Mr. Rabbit’s Doubts, Deliberations and Decisions About the Royal Wedding.

Posted on April 23, 2011 by patriciawa

Many of us here in Downunderland
Living far away from the Motherland,
Question the need for a royal wedding.
We’ve heard too much of prenuptial bedding
By this young and attractive royal pair
And their ‘on again, off again’ affaire,

The British government seem overjoyed
To have something for their unemployed
To smile about as they drink their beer.
Although we don’t have that problem here,
The populace is pleased and seems excited
By the thought that we have been invited.

So,  our Red Queen and partner will attend,
Which Mr. Rabbit simply can’t defend.
Our Governor General will act graciously,
But that woman will behave mendaciously!
She lies!  And worse!  She’s living in sin!
But that,  he must not say,  to his chagrin.

He knows our PM and her ‘de facto’
Have just met Emperor Akihito
On an official visit to Japan,
Where due deference was shown ‘her man.’
How will Mr. Rabbit contain his spleen,
When these two meet Her Majesty, the Queen?

So public opinion is in suspense.
For many this marriage does make some sense.
If only to produce a legal heir.
But there’s already one.  No,  two!  And spare!
So all this great expensive spectacle
Is just so ‘royals’ can look respectable?

Our Mr. Rabbit is always urging
Young women here to refrain from merging
With others,  even with their fiancé.
For this royal bride he’ll just have to pray.
‘Cos the whole world knows he is far too late
To counsel thus our Prince William’s Kate.

Suddenly,  the wily Mr. Rabbit
Has seen a chance and he thinks he’ll grab it.
He can promote himself as Mr. Clean;
Proclaim this sinful charade obscene!
Even declare himself Republican!
He pauses.  Could he cross that Rubicon?

Downunderland gets roused by many things,
It hates dead empires and corrupted kings.
No need for a double dissolution!
He Can Do It!   Cry,  “ People’s Revolution!”
As absolute ruler of this nation,
Who’d dare not send him a royal wedding invitation!

Comments

Miglo,     23/04/11,    I love it, Patricia.    I imagine Tiny Rabbit would have checked his letter box 25 times a day waiting for the invitation that would never come.

Pip,     24/04/11,    Patricia that’s a gem.    Mr. Rabbott would be ear bashing his wife and saying all the BAD WORDS that he can’t say in so many words in public.

Bilko,     24/04/11,     Patricia WA, Every line a pearl!    I do not know how you do it!    A gift that keeps giving.    Mr. Bean gets an invite and Mr. People Skills is left out in the cold.

Janice,     24/04/11,     Patricia, you just get better and better. Thank you.

Feral Skeleton,     24/04/11,     I would have thought Tony Abbott would be mingling with the Koch-roaches in the US.   PatriciaWA, You are one very talented lady.

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