I didn't hear anybody bring up the Prime Minister's resignation from Slater & Gordon, nor the Craig Thomson or Peter Slipper affairs – although that could have occurred while I was out of earshot. However, I heard women use the opportunity to talk about other issues that matter to them: sexism at work, getting ahead in their career, childcare, and how having a female prime minister has changed the perspective among some young girls about what opportunities and careers they can pursue...
...Following the event I was asked by some people, including a radio journalist, if I felt part of the 'strategy', and, cynically, if anyone had discussed policy during the drinks. That struck me as odd – particularly in a year like this when political journos and those in the press gallery appear to have spent more time discussing everything other than policies.
Know the sad thing about all this? If the Homewrecker had invited, ahem, quality journalists instead of over-hyped kitchen-table keyboard ticklers, they would not have asked about those scandals either.
UPDATE: In comments The Irish Lion observes:
The Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, last night hosted a gathering of well-known men for Christmas drinks at the Lodge. The select all-male group comprised mainly Rugby players, conservative bloggers and Christian lobbyists and included Alan Jones, Larry Pickering and Andrew Bolt.
After a hearty meal of barbequed endangered species, Tony and the boys retired to the snooker room to quaff port, smoke cigars and ponder the thorny social issues of our time, including “how to get more men on company boards” and “why are we wasting so much money on the Arts”.
Doesn’t read well, does it?
What I find astonishing, is that the woman who this year took every opportunity to accuse Tony Abbott of being sexist and misogynist, holds a women-only Xmas party, yet nobody sees even the slightest irony (nor an inkling of sexism) in such an event. I listened to the coverage on ABC's AM this morning, waiting for them to mention the massive, pink elephant in the middle of the Kirribilli lounge room, but to no avail.
ReplyDeleteWith Anne Summers there giving advice to the PM, the mummy bloggers should not only be worried about their husbands.
ReplyDeleteOh, that was a bit below the belt sir/ madam.
DeleteWhat? The various deeds done or the comment? I hope you mean the former for that is fact.
DeleteNew show: Underbelly:Homewreaker
ReplyDeleteStarring Julia Gillard, Craig Thompson, Emerson, Ralph Blewitt, Wilson and an assortment of Union thugs and heavies, plus a large entourage of hookers.
Yeah, Gillard cares for women alright. So much so that she believes in importing "Muslim feminists" far and wide. She such a caring soul.
ReplyDeleteI see Plibersek on 730 tonight.
DeleteSpecial Mastermind subject: Female genital mutilation in the Muslim community.
It is obvious that the dumbo has been dragged kicking and screaming into this one because the NSW Minister and NSW Plod have exposed it.
Tanya is full of "education" and "community groups" and "cultural change" but very light on "law enforcement" or even perhaps "let's add this to the Terms of Reference for the Royal Commission".
And, aided and abetted by Uhlmann, she manages to weave in a swipe at Abbott on RU486.
Yep .... you read it right ..... a story on Muslim female genital mutilation can be contorted into a cheap shot at Abbott.
The Irish Lion
This is the same woman PM that was shagging other women's husbands while they were dutifully home minding the kids?
ReplyDelete11th December 2013
ReplyDeleteCanberra
The Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, last night hosted a gathering of well-known men for Christmas drinks at the Lodge. The select all-male group comprised mainly Rugby players, conservative bloggers and Christian lobbyists and included Alan Jones, Larry Pickering and Andrew Bolt.
After a hearty meal of barbequed endangered species, Tony and the boys retired to the snooker room to quaff port, smoke cigars and ponder the thorny social issues of our time, including “how to get more men on company boards” and “why are we wasting so much money on the Arts”.
Doesn’t read well, does it?
The Irish Lion
I know you wrote that in jest, but I'd be very happy to see this happen. I'd know I could rest easy in the knowledge that the country was again in good hands.
DeleteIn fact, I really wouldn't like to see Abbott do that.
DeletePeople seek single sex company at various times, but for any PM to deliberately contrive such an event at the Lodge is cringe-worthy.
More often than not the sexism/misogyny mantra is the talisman of the incompetent.
Are you none too smart?
Have you stuffed up at work?
Are you out of your depth?
Are you looking for an unwarranted promotion?
Well, I have the answer.
Find a man and hold up a sexism claim in front of his face like a cross to a vampire.
The Irish Lion
Your hypothetical gathering would certainly be more fun than Ms Gillard's gathering of smug, arrogant "I'm a Mummy ergo a better class of human being than the rest of you" self-imagined victims. I can say this because I am a woman.
DeleteThe funny thing is, Irish Lion, I've been to a few political fundraisers this year and with the exception of the endangered species you have described them to a tee.
DeleteSome of the best non-PC jokes I know I originally heard at political events. Good scotch too.
Hey Irish Lion, you forgot to mention the serving wenches.
DeleteJulia Gillard always notices those and comments on how they are not on company boards.
Even when plenty of women were attending the function where she made the observation that none of them were there, except serving on table.
Any lie will do, it seems, as long she can cry sexism out loud and weeping.
When you say The Lodge do you mean Tim's shed? For that is really misogynist in that no women are allowed, apparently ...
DeleteAngela Priestley has, of course, an agenda. She is associated with the Centre for Policy Development, a left wing, err, think tank whose staff, board and 'fellows' look like a list of 'The Drum' contributors on a slow day, a tediously predictable collection of unionist, 'adjunct' professors and other soft-handed rent seekers.
ReplyDeleteDear Ms Potez,
DeleteTook the time to read Ms Priestly's article. I don't know her from Eve and being an older white male ventured warily into the den of the young Lioness. Very lightweight and chatty style, bit like social pages. Couldn't resist leaving my calling card;
"
RedneckRuss 11 minutes ago
Dear Ms Priestly,
I'm a bit disappointed you haven't been able to detail what that agenda was. After all there you were speaking to the source yet your article reads like a weekend social pages article. I appreciate however this invite was not doubt a high point of your career and you wouldn't want to bite the hands that feed and nurture you. Glad you all had such a special time, sounds like the Champers and canapes were absolutely fabulous. It must be such an honor to be invited into the inner sanctum. But then again you are part of the strategy aren't you.
It's been most enlightening, good evening
RussR
"
My initial impression is that Ms Priestly is somewhat of a lightweight working hard to establish herself within the clique? Am I correct you seem to be familiar with her. If this is the best they have they are indeed in serious trouble.
Regards
RussR
I think your summary is spot on, Russ, and I liked your calling card.
DeleteI only found out about her by googling, and she's still something of a mystery, at least to me, there's very little out there on her background, quals, experience, family, let alone what she might or might not have in common with your average mum.
There seems to be something confected about the whole business. No-one has ever heard of any of these people before, yet we are being told (Channel 10 News, always probing for the truth) that they command an audience of millions and that they are a new force in politics. I'm reminded of the Womens Electoral Lobby, at least when I had dealings with them, a bunch of spoilt, bored upper class 'progressives' who claimed to speak for Australain womanhood.
Ah, google. It's amazing what you can do with a bit of googlefu:
DeleteWomen's Agenda
Women's Agenda is the number one source of independent information and advice for professional women and female business owners who want to make informed decisions about progressing their career and lifestyle.
There isn't another publication, online or offline, which speaks directly to the growing number of professional women in Australia about her life and allows her to learn, share, relax, laugh and enjoy without fear of judgment.
The publication offers achievement-focused information across a variety of subjects of interest to the career-minded woman: finance, investment, employment, post-graduate education, career progression, life-balance, as well as technology, grooming, style, travel and culture.
Women’s Agenda is led by editor Angela Priestley, publisher Marina Go.
Women’s Agenda gives advertisers access to a premium audience of affluent, sophisticated, career-driven women who are looking for products, services and tools that will help them take up the challenges of a modern commercial lifestyle.
Women’s Agenda audience research findings*
70% of women would like to increase their personal wealth.
82.1% are interested in career content but only 7.7% currently source this content elsewhere.
79.8% are interested in content relating to jobs and Board information but only 6% currently source this elsewhere.
76% purchase a product or service online at least once a month.
More generally, the Women’s Agenda audience is:
73% are aged 25-50, 46% are aged 25-40.
57% are in management roles, 36% are C-suite, partners or owners.
78% are degree-qualified.
41% earn a salary above $100k, 15% earn a salary above $150k.
83.5% reside in NSW, Victoria or Queensland.*
*Source: Proprietory survey of Private Media female readers (n=1,231).
Thanks for the response Consuela,
DeleteAre the WEL related to the Citizens Electoral Council? They are are an absolute group of extreme Right Nutters (Give us Right Wing Rednecks a bad name). As regards Ms Priestly who can say?. If she was a Dr she'd flaunt it. As regards younger ladies I'm an older white man undergrad at a progressive uni, many are more concerned with getting a start in life than the social progressive BS, self confident and assured. The older white woman lecturers despair because they don't adhere to the mantra of the sisterhood and celebrate their femininity (this of course could be my own self delusion ). Fear not young women and men are generally smarter than the new elite give them credit for (especially the 2nd & 3rd Gen Kids).
Take it easy all will be well
RussR
I have said elsewhere and will say it here too: all of this 'women's agenda' stuff is quite dangerous politically if you are not of the left. Under the guise of speaking in the abstract for women generally, in these types of blogs and MSM commentary, every issue raised about women and our lives is given a leftist slant. It is hardly noticed, it defines the zeitgeist, the way of thinking if you want to be a 'contemporary' woman, and many women are completely sucked in to vote exactly against their own and their family's real economic interests.
DeleteDespicable, really.
What does The Red Barren know about mummying? They'd find more empathy in a meeting with Tony.
ReplyDeleteThe cynic in me says that lefties will probably fall for this sort of thing every time.
ReplyDeleteKevin Rudd pulled the same trick with his sham 2020 summit. Oh goodness me, how incredibly flattering, the most powerful person in Australia has just invited me to this event because I am so intelligent and influential! Clearly no ulterior motive involved at all...
And, of course, now this.
You'd think they'd realise that they're being flattered so the PM can get kinder press coverage. I'm sure most of them do realise this. It would, admittedly, be a hard invitation to refuse (I mean, I'm sure many would be saying to themselves, well, why not?)
But it just looks so incredibly weak minded, and corrupt, and cowardly. May work for Gillard in the short-term. In the longer-term, it will probably lose the Labor Party far more voters than it gets.
Tim, they are a younger generation of 'kidults'...well into their thirties, they still think and react as teenagers, despite being parents themselves.
DeleteAnd like the duped teenager that suddenly realises they've been 'had'...watch out!
To your other point, when has anything done by this government been 'long term'? Except the debt that is...
Potentially a valuable learning experience for the Mummy-Bloggers.
ReplyDeleteOnce the cops finish their investigations and the AWU/SLAG scandal formally moves to the courts, the MBs will upgrade from I Was There 101 to the next class - I Was Used 202.
Not a lesson you forget in a hurry.
G'day HH,
DeleteIf I was one of these lucky poppet's I think I'd rather deny all involvement. The PM has gone beyond desperation to ludicrous.
They are obviously very lightweight.
RussR
Having taken more than one for the team this year Phillip C, Peter H, Laurie O, Barry C and David M et al must be pretty miffed by now. What do they have to do to get the PM's attention? Surely a blokefest would do?
ReplyDeleteAs a Male I have no issue with women in power however I do have an issue with anyone in power male or female that are GROSS INCOMPETENTS. And that is firmly where our Prime Minister fits. I am deeply ashamed to think she represents me in any way shape or form.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what Tim was doing... probably refreshing their drinks, regularly like a good host
ReplyDelete