Victoria Fielding

Spinach or shit?

Spinach vs ShitA friend recently sent me a classic Tweet:

‘Voting for Tony Abbott because you don’t like Julia Gillard is like eating shit because you hate spinach’.

Fine, some people don’t like Gillard (spinach). They don’t like her voice. They don’t like her hair. They don’t like her glasses. They don’t like her boyfriend. They don’t like her marriage status. They don’t like her lack of religion. They don’t like her gender. They don’t like her. Fine. Some people are unhappy with some of Labor’s policies. I get it. It’s absolutely understandable that you don’t like everything the Labor party does. Neither do I. I like most of it. And I like some of it very much. But not all of it. Big deal. The odd thing is, every time these shit-eaters are asked why they are eating shit, they just go on and on about hating spinach. It’s quite irrational.

SpinachTweet

Let me say first up, I quite like spinach, especially with feta, so this is an easy choice for me. But there do seem to be quite a few people in Australia who are absolutely hell bent on rejecting the healthy spinach option, and haven’t even considered the side effects of eating shit instead. Let’s have a closer look at the alternatives in a few important areas of political policy.

Climate policy

There has been a lot of fascination over the last few years in Gillard’s determination to bring in an ETS, and her supposed lie of bringing in a Carbon Price instead. Never mind that Gillard quite clearly is doing what she promised, and bringing in an ETS, with the Carbon Price used in the interim to compromise with the Greens to form a minority government. Either way, if you’re a shit-eater who hates the Carbon Price, have you ever had a look at the shit alternative?

Ever heard of Abbott’s Direct Action Policy? In this fantastic post on the Political Sword, Ad astra asks some very good questions about this shit policy. It’s probably not your fault that you know little about Direct Action, considering how pathetic the mainstream media’s scrutiny of this policy has been. But if you can’t be bothered seeking it out, and haven’t even thought about the alternative once the Carbon Price is ‘axed’, it’s important that you know you are not being offered zero action against climate change. What you are being offered by Abbott is a shit, no details policy that will cost tax-payers $1,300 per household, per year. Considering the bleating about larger electricity bills, you’d think $1,300 per household would raise some eyebrows. And even worse, no one has been able to confirm that this policy will even reduce emissions, when the Carbon Price is already effectively doing this. So Direct Action is expensive and possibly won’t work. It’s funding coal instead of research and development into sustainable energies. It’s bullshit. And Abbott hasn’t even explained how he will fund it. If you’re going to hate the Carbon Price, the least you can do is justify this hatred with a love for Direct Action instead. And if you can’t muster love, at least be informed. Rather than ranting about ‘Gillard lying’ as if this is some sort of critique of the Carbon Price, when deep down it’s clear you don’t believe in climate change and therefore can’t understand why action needs to be taken, at least give it five seconds thought. Have a think about how it will taste to eat shit.

The NBN

Surely you can see how desperately embarrassed Malcolm Turnbull is of his party’s shit alternative to the Labor government’s National Broadband Network. If Turnbull can’t get excited about a crap alternative to a superior network, why on earth should you be excited about it? Labor’s NBN is going to cost $37.4 billion and will offer super-fast broadband to homes and businesses Australia wide. Turnbull and Abbott’s shit NBN will cost $29.5 billion, and will only supply not as fast broadband, to businesses in metro areas, and households who can afford up to $5,000 to connect. Murdoch is happy with this policy. It keeps his Foxtel TV subscriptions monopolizing the market for many years to come. It’s no wonder the Liberal’s launched their policy at Fox Studios, just to show Rupey how much they care. So you shit-eaters, when Telstra’s copper gives out and you’re left without any broadband, let alone the not so fast version that you paid through the nose to connect to, and when giant fridge units turn up on your pavement, will you at least do us spinach eaters the courtesy of admitting you’ve been eating shit?

Gonski Education Funding Reform

So you’re not happy about the Gonski school funding model? You don’t want extra money from the Federal Government for schools to provide a more equitable standard of education for all Australians, regardless of family wealth? Fine. So what do you think of the alternative? Christopher Pyne, the so called Shadow Education Minister, who wouldn’t recognise a good education if it was gifted to him, claims that:

“too much money has been wasted on reducing class sizes and that instead there should be more focus on the quality of teaching.”

Pyne also thinks the 5 – 15% of teachers, who he describes as ‘not up to scratch’ should be sacked. Apparently he thinks sacking teachers helps education quality. I guess the spinach eaters in this case would have to be those who value the benefits of a good education for all, whereas the shit-eaters just want to see the government cut, slash and burn spending with the selfish hope they’ll be left with a few extra dollars in their pocket each week through a tax break, and if that means larger classes, less teachers and lower quality education system, so be it. Sorry to tell you, those eating shit, that a short term tax decrease at the expense of quality education will just end up costing us all. Please think about this before picking up your spoon.

King of the Scandal

If you relied on the mainstream media for all your news, you might think the Labor party is the party of scandal and smear. You might think the most newsworthy political event in the last twelve months was a nasty misogynist blogger urging an incompetent, biased, idea-free press into beating up a story about the Prime Minister, surrounding unproven wrongdoing by her boyfriend 20 years ago. You might therefore have missed that Abbott was sued this week over his own little slush-fund affair, which he used to destroy the career of his right-wing rival, Pauline Hanson. It’s amazing how the mainstream media and their shit-eating cheer-squad change their tune about truth, public-interest and political scandal when it comes to Tony Abbott and the Liberal Party.

You might also think ex-Liberal Peter Slipper was the most corrupt in James Ashby’s sexual harassment case. Again, the mainstream media would have you believe this to be the case. The mainstream media don’t want you to know that the real rat is Ashby. And Abbott’s pre-selected friend Mal Brough. So while you’re complaining about the problems with spinach, think how silly you’ll look, when you realise just how badly you’ve been duped. Duped by the mainstream media. Duped by the rich vested interests of Gina Rinehart and Rupert Murdoch who have every reason to promote the eating of shit over spinach for their own self-interest.

So you hate Julia Gillard? Can you at least understand why I’m not just asking you to stop eating shit? I’m also asking you to stop forcing others into a shit-eating situation which is not of their own making. Don’t elect Abbott as Prime Minister. I don’t care if you don’t like spinach. Disliking spinach does not justify a vote for Abbott. Grow up and think of the alternative.

UPDATE: Original spinach or shit Tweet was by Geezlouise (@Turlow1)

GeezlouiseTweet

22 comments

  1. Most definitely shit…….

    Spinach is delicious, palatable, good for everyone, gentle on the stomach, green, non offensive, understated, not hyped, underrated, of this earth, a wise choice, balanced, not highly processed, synthetically manufactured, contains no artificial additives, is not toxic, has remained the same, is not genetically modified, is simple, what you see is what you get and most importantly does not give you the shits every time you are exposed to it.

    Shit on the other hand is….well

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  2. Politics has reached a worrying place when one base their opinion on personal dislikes, backed up with their own, one could say, bigoted prejudices.

    These prejudices egged on by the media, with the concept that all relies on polls, or in other words, who is the most popular.

    Parents who want to be popular with their kids, generally fail. Suspect the same applies in political leaders.

    We need a PM who has the ability to see what is needed for now and the future. A PM who has the guts to put what is needed into leglisation.

    This PM appears to have that ability in most cases. I think her guts to do what is right, is perceived by those who put more emphasis on popularity, as poor political nous.

    What is happening, the media and anyone who votes for him, are giving him a blank cheque.

    I agree with David Marr. Yes, Abbott is an enigma. Yes, he is an intelligent man, as he was a Rhodes Scholar. Unless he suffered brain damage from boxing, one can assume he is still intelligent.

    Then one must ask, why does he talk down to us, as if we are idiots. Why cannot he explain policy.

    Why is much of the policy poorly developed. Most just lifted from the last election, with not even bothering to update. EG Hunt this week with Direct Action.

    Suggest he can, but chooses not to. He does not want to tell us what he intends to do. Many in his party obviously know, but are also willing to sit back a say nothing.

    The enigma is, why does an intelligent man act like an idiot?

    According to David Marr, another engine is that we have no idea how he will perform as PM. None at all.

    Yes, those who do not question Abbott and what he is about, is giving him the freedom to do whatever he likes. More so, if they give him a landslide victory.

    I could not care whether one likes our PM or not. Just do not throw out the baby with the bathwater.

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  4. Victoria, I agree with your sentiments about Abbott (even if I find the imagery at the top of the story somewhat off-putting)
    Most people that I speak to about politics accept that Labor will lose the upcoming election. They just seem to have gone from self-inflicted mess to even more self-inflicted mess. I have admired Julia Gillard for her strength of character & her determination to change our society for the better but I have dispaired of her apparent ability to shoot herself in the foot time & time again. I don’t think she is entirely responsible for the governments problems. She is not helped by the singular lack of ability of some of her senior ministers. (Wayne Swann comes immediately to mind) If ever there was a bloke less suited to the office of Treasurer I cannot think of one. He could not inspire confidence in the most optimistic Labor supporter. He is just the gift that keeps on giving for the Opposition. Unfortunately he is not alone in this regard.
    Given their propensity for self-inflicted wounds I just see no way back for Labor in September.

    Having said that, we are now faced with the prospect of Abbott as PM. What a depressing thought that is!! The man is a complete buffoon. I cannot think of a single redeeming quality in him. He was a Rhodes Scholar, unfortunately I think this must say more about the qualities of the Rhodes Scholarship than it does about the academic qualities of Mr Abbott. He cannot express himself coherently, his public speaking skills seem to be stuck in the Grade Three sandpit. He cannot think on his feet. He just comes across as a dumb embarrasment to our country. I cannot imagine him on the world stage trying to converse with world leaders, The thought of that just makes me cringe.

    Even worse though, I don’t think he does original policy development. He is stuck in the fading glories of the Howard past. He seems to think that the answer to all our problems is to go back to the future. Sure the Howard government did many good things (but they also did Iraq & Work Choices to name a couple) But that was ten years & more ago & the world is a very different place now & is evolving quickly. This requires a leader equipped to develop policy for the future not the past.

    Perhaps worse, he appears to be threatened by intellect & original policy thinkers in his own party. To protect himself in his position as leader he finds it easier to surround himself with a front bench largely made up of yes men & women, remanants of the Howard era & no talent lick spittles. Liberal MP’s with talent are kept well away from positions of responsibility. I believe this is done only to protect Abbott & his insatiable ambitio for the Prime Ministership, regardless of the consequences for the country.

    How can it have come to this? What a dilemna we face, Vote of Labor & know that the same tired old hacks will continue stumble along scared by the shadows of Kevin Rudd or vote Liberal & be faced with that buffoon in the Lodge! It hardly bears thinking about.

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    • Well, this government has produced a reasonable economy. Cannot be all bad. Why would one endanger that, for a man, most see us doing no better.

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    • Well said John. On the positive side, many of the tired old hacks have gone to the back bench. Good riddance to Ferguson, Crean and other union morons.
      Given that Abbott is almost certain to be elected, the best we can do (I mean thinking voters who are not rusted on to Liberal or Labour) is ensure that the the liberals do hold a majority in the upper house. Despite the on-going media criticism of the independents, these people have done a fantastic job is getting some reforms through parliament – reforms that the Labour Party would never have implemented if it was not a minority government.

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  5. Apologies to anyone who was offended by the image on this post. I had the option of either a shit, or Abbott’s face and I chose the least offensive of the two.
    Cheers
    Victoria

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  6. Victoria most of Australia is desensitised to Abbott’s shit so I wouldn’t sweat it too much

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  7. Dear Victoria,
    I was sent your article by a friend.

    Thank you for writing what I have felt for a very long time.How can any individual ‘like’ ALL the policies of a particular party? How can ALL the people ‘like’ ALL the ‘leaders’ that are decided by THEIR political party?

    Sometimes a doctor can be arrogant and not so bedside friendly, not massaging patients egos but can be the best practitioner for the complaint and ensure the wellbeing of all his/her patients. Hence, the best person for the job.

    Ms Gillard has and is taking us into the next decade or more, thinking ahead and not just for her own political survival. Some policies may need ‘tweaking’ along the way as they progress. ‘Modelling’ of policies and the reality, as the world views and economies change are nearly always a little out so small changes to move policies in the correct direction will be needed. THAT’s LIFE!!

    How can we change the perception from the indoctrination of LIES that Tony Abbott and his party have managed to repeat to the public via MSM?

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  9. We don’t now and nor have we ever voted for the PM, there is no basis on which we even have a PM.

    The voters of Lalor and Warringah vote for Gillard and Abbott, the parties elect them leaders and we have zero say in the matter.

    I do wish youngsters like Victoria would learn how elections work.

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    • To Marilyn, April 27 @ 3.51pm.
      Technically correct of course but a pointless observation really. Most Australians have very little to nil engagement with the political process. The 6pm TV news & occasionally the newspaper headlines is about as detailed as their engagement goes. What do they see on the news & in the headlines? Abbott & Gillard of course. I would say the vast majority of voters form their opinions on these snippets in the MSM.

      You only have to read the blogs in the online editions of the Murdoch & Fairfax press to see that there is a small core of contributors who constantly write the same rubbish every day to reinforce their political prejudices with the same tired slogans & carping attacks against the character of other writers who dare to intrude on their favourite blog sites with an alternate view or a contribution that challenge the core contributors to debate actual policy (but I still love to draw attention to their partisan drivel, it stirs them up something shocking!)

      These sites however draw only a tiny minority of voters who maintain political interest (witness the contributions to this blog site for example)

      Given the poor quality of poitical commentary (journalism??) in the MSM & the struggles of daily family life, it is not surprising that most voters simply cannot be bothered to do more than vaguely note the daily headlines involving Abbott & Gillard & form a political opinion which is then almost impossible to change during an election campaign.

      So Marilyn, you are technically correct but you fight a losing battle in trying to convince voters to practice political debate in its purest form.

      Reply

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