Notorious No campaigner Tony Abbott says marriage equality will “strengthen” Australia
Former Prime Minister and longstanding anti-marriage equality campaigner Tony Abbott has changed his tune on the issue of marriage, in a bizarre backflip during his parliamentary speech in the debate.
Speaking in parliament, Abbott said he now believes marriage equality will “strengthen our social fabric” of Australia.
“The overwhelming support for same-sex marriage that the plebiscite showed is a sign of the warm acceptance that Australians have for gay people,” he said.
“There may indeed be a few homophobic individuals lurking amongst us, but no-one should ever again claim that Australia is a bigoted or intolerant country.
“As the plebiscite abundantly demonstrated, we are as easygoing as any country on Earth, and, whatever your race, your creed, your gender or your sexuality, to be an Australian is well and truly to have won the lottery of life.”
He added that he looked forward to attending the impending wedding of his sister Christine Forster and her partner Virginia.
Throughout the postal survey process, Abbott was a strong advocate for the No campaign.
At one stage he said he would prefer a straight couple to raise his lesbian sister’s children, reinforcing the tired notion that kids fare better with both a mother and a father.
He also said that anti-marriage equality campaigning should continue well after the postal survey period.
Given Dean Smith’s marriage bill is likely to pass the House of Representatives this week, making marriage equality a reality, perhaps Abbott’s 180-degree turn isn’t a major surprise, but rather a tactical move to position himself on the right side of history in the last minute.
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He will never be able to wash the blood off his hands.
It’s no wonder ordinary people no longer want to vote for any of these politicians. They are all liars. They lack conviction and it would appear they have no ethics
What happen to the old adage….” say what you mean and mean what you say”
Warren Buffett was credited in saying words to this effect….when the tide rises Everyone is happy….but when the tide goes out you know who is swimming naked….Tony…you are naked…and it’s not a good look mate. You are not worthy of my time, vote or tax dollars.
These issues of politicians having no ethics are not just for “ gay “ Australians….but ALL Aussies…..we should be disgusted in our elected representatives.
He must have had some secret polling done in his electorate and discovered that even the Liberals in it won’t have a bar of him. When I lived Manly, NSW there was a fairly large GLTBIQ Community – even if we were Illegal at the time –
Too late, Tony, far too late. Your ultra-right-wing Conservatiism is, like all extremism in Australia, anathema to the vast majority – just as Ultra Left-Wing Socialism is. You should simply resign from the Liberal Party and join that other homophobic, arch right-wing conservative extremist Cory Bernardi prior to the 2019 Federal Election. Better still would be if the Liberals dis-endorsed you as their candidate.
He’s always been a political opportunist. Phony Tony!
That song from Grease… ‘Hand Jive’, goes “how low can you go, how low can you go, how low can you go, how low can you go-o-o-o?”
In Abbott’s instance, there is no ‘low’ that could ever be low enough. It’d be infinitely impossible to be able to describe or measure how low he could go (like the question: “what’s the smallest nano-distance that can be measured before one surface touches another?”).
I wonder if future editions of Thesauruses will include the names ‘Turnbull’ and ‘Abbott’ in the list of synonyms for the word ‘shallow’?
He now wants Victoria’s new euthanasia laws to be reversed in the future, saying: “A future Victorian parliament should have the moral decency to repeal this euthanasia law. No one should be told that their lives are not worth living or that they’re a burden.” (…which, is I known is *not* the case; I have cancer, and if I was able to [or *wanted* to] be euthanised, I know that I wouldn’t be told this, nor feel that I’m a burden). Here’s the link: https://twitter.com/TonyAbbottMHR/status/935758354282110976
If it came to a Federal vote, as shown here, he’d no doubt promote myths about euthanasia he did with Marriage Equality. And if Australian’s had to vote for it, and his seat of Warringah had a ‘yes’ response, just like the major one for Marriage Equality, he’d do another about turnabout and not only be suddenly positive about euthanasia, but he’d try to imply that it was him that made it all possible.
Shallow. Plotless, Spineless.
One day at Manly Beach…
• Someone from the public, #1: “Shreeeeek! What’s that long thing that’s just slithered out from the leg of Mr Abbott’s budgie-smugglers?”
• Someone from the public, #2: “Oh don’t worry. That’s just his spine.”
This is simply laughable!
So if Tony agrees that marriage equality strengthens our social fabric, he must therefore agree that by pretty obvious logic he was campaigning to weaken our social fabric.
What a fucking dickhead.
Amazing that Christine and Virginia would welcome him at their wedding. I don’t think I would be able to be that generous. I am confident that in about 10 years most pollies will look back with shame at this time in history.
That’s because Christine and Virginia are far more tolerant and patient than Abbott deserves; they’re more mature than he is, and don’t want to be pulled down to his level.