You know when your remarks are reported by a major overseas news agency as “editor’s pick” that you’re on a winner.
Tony Abbott has been getting great press recent after he told Kerry O’Brien from the 7:30 Report that voters they should only believe his “carefully prepared scripted remarks” and not his off-the-cuff comments.
Anthony Albanese writes on the issue at The Punch:
Tony Abbott said “The statements that need to be taken absolutely as gospel truth are those carefully prepared, scripted remarks”. This extraordinary concession from ‘Phoney Tony’ was followed by ten minutes of evasion and confusion.
We know that Phoney Tony has been receiving acting lessons but quite clearly he’s acting coach forgot to tell him how important it was to stay ‘in character’.We know that Tony Abbott has extreme views on Work Choices, on social policy, on the public sector, and climate change scepticism but he has been trying to keep that in check. We now know from his own mouth that whenever he speaks it will be unclear whether it is ‘gospel truth Tony’ or ‘heat of the moment Tony’.
Tony Abbott has blown his own credibility out of the water and any Australian who was in any doubt over whether he was trustworthy now must take Tony at his word that he is not. Perhaps Tony Abbott will now drop the act for good and expose his extreme out of touch views for all to see.
I suspect though, Tony Abbott will continue to say anything and do anything in his search for power regardless of whether he believes his statements to be true or not.
This was the key exchange:
Abbott: “Kerry, all of us when we are in the heat of verbal combat so to speak will sometimes say things that go a little bit further.”
O’Brien: “Mr Abbott, we are not all leaders of major political parties.”
Abbott: “Politicians are going to be judged on everything they say, but sometimes, in the heat of discussion, you go a little bit further than you would if it was an absolutely, uh, calm, considered, prepared, scripted remark. Which is one of the reasons why, the, the the statements that need to be taken absolutely, as, as gospel truth is those carefully prepared, scripted remarks.”
The entire transcript is here.
UPDATE:
Karl Bitar just tweeted the link to the latest ALP ad on Abbott’s admission.
One response to ““Carefully scripted remarks” scandal is great news for Tony Abbott”
Tony Abbott would like to pensioners and old australian work till they drop.
In his time he sad pensioners had never better. The liberals claiming that they have manage the economy better than the labour party where is that money they made how is possible that nothing was put aside for rainy days like recession.
I have never voted Labour party before in my life but after the constant fear campaign telling the public a complete lies, about reckless spending and the media is not scrutinizing the opposition party at all, they are playing the support tactic to liberals. The mining industry has lots of money to play politic but they have no money to pay taxes like the rest of hard working australians do. They selling raw materials instead to create some down stream activities and jobs for australians people