NOT so long ago, calling the Prime Minister a “%$#&ing muppet” would have been appalling.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
While Australia prides itself as an egalitarian society with a good dash of larrikinism, we have also maintained some level of respect for the nation’s institutions.
While we may have ridiculed our political opponents – sometimes brutally - we have also favoured the cutting retort over simple abuse as a form of debate. Maybe no longer.
The reaction to last week’s report that a Tasmanian man had been fined $500 for offensive behaviour over calling Prime Minister Scott Morrison a “%$#&ing muppet” at the Bathurst 1000 last month saw more people wanting to congratulate the accused than castigate him.
The general feeling was that the use of term “muppet” was justified; only the use of the expletive concerned some (and only some). So what does that say about Australian politics today?
Certainly, the revolving door of political leaders has damaged the standing of politicians in the eyes of many Australians.
Indeed, it was Mr Morrison himself who referred to Australia’s leadership dramas as “the Muppet Show” around the time he replaced Malcolm Turnbull in The Lodge.
It was an acknowledgment that Canberra had become a circus and that politicians were spending too much time concerning themselves with internal party disputes than actually running the country.
But it’s more than that.
Politics today is more about slogans than policies. It’s about finding the catch phrase that will “cut through” on the nightly news rather than trying to explain a difficult point.
Our leaders brand themselves as Kevin 07 or ScoMo, and they bring in advisers to tell them what to wear and how often they should post on social media.
There is a dumbing down of politics that does neither the politicians nor the electorate any credit.
But the court found the accused had crossed the line in abusing the PM, and so he had. There is no excuse for using that sort of language in public, and no defence for speaking that way to the PM – particularly when he is with his young daughter.
But this incident – and others like it – point to an erosion in respect for our politicians that has been gathering pace for some time now.
And, as much as we hate to say it, they probably have only themselves to blame for that.