Antinuclear

Tony Abbott’s untruthful performance on ABC TV’s 7.30 Report

Tony Goes The Full Abbott By Newmatilda.com, Ben Eltham, 23 Aug 12,  The Opposition Leader let it all hang out on the 7.30 Report last night. Just how loose with the truth did he get? NM looked at the transcript and dug up some answers to the questions raised by the Opposition Leader Tony Abbott’s complicated relationship with the truth has been on the public record for a long time.

Just over two years ago he admitted in an interview with Kerry O’Brien that “sometimes, in the heat of discussion, you go a little bit further than you would if it was an absolutely calm, considered, prepared, scripted remark, which is one of the reasons why the statements that need to be taken absolutely as gospel truth is those carefully prepared scripted remarks”.

His various gaffes, withdrawals and evasions are now so numerous they warrant compilation in a handy reference guide.

But in last night’s 7:30 interview with Leigh Sales, the Opposition Leader went “full Abbott”. Nobody should have been surprised, but as he bulldozed one question after another, the extent of the Liberal party’s preference for “truth creation” became clear. This is what an Abbott Prime Ministership will look like — not a cobra strike on the truth, but a python squeeze.

Ben Eltham discusses the closure of BHP’s Olympic Dam project elsewhere at New Matilda today, but here’s an examination of how “loose with the truth” the Opposition leader got at a few key points of last night’s interview….

It’s easy to tune out when Abbott starts to recite his talking points. Julia Gillard is a liar, we can stop the boats, the carbon tax is destroying the economy, people seeking asylum are illegals.

And no, there wasn’t much that was new or unpredictable in Abbott’s performance last night, but the departures from the truth were so numerous and so egregious that they warrant comment.

Leigh Sales’ efforts to hold Abbott to account were admirable, but they didn’t work. To hear the alternative Prime Minister hold out on the very simple question of whether or not it’s legal to seek asylum was a grim portent of what’s to come. It displayed a disdain for the truth, for Sales, and for voters. http://newmatilda.com/2012/08/23/tony-goes-full-abbott

August 23, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | AUSTRALIA - NATIONAL, politics