PETER Slipper tonight took a swipe at Tony Abbott saying he was the Opposition Leader's friend when he didn't have many.

And his shot at the man he helped become Liberal Party leader will be used to establish that Mr Abbott was closer to Mr Slipper than he has acknowledged.

"I have been a good friend of Tony Abbott even when he didn't have many," Mr Slippper said on Twitter.

"I even delivered him the key vote he needed to become leader."

Mr Abbott won the Liberal leadership by one vote and it was Peter Slipper who was significant in campaigning for him and against then leader Malcolm Turnbull.

"He seemed to be the right person at the time," he said of his choice in late 2009.

Mr Slipper stood down as Speaker on Sunday until allegations of taxi docket rorts are cleared.

Mr Abbott today maintained his insistence that he would stay out of the Speaker's chair until additional claims Mr Slipper sexually harassed a male staff member are resolved.

He also used Twitter last night to complain that "media have trespassed" by entering his home garage and had "rubbed their hands over my wife's car".

The head of the Australian Anglican Catholic Church says Speaker Peter Slipper is a "complex" man who has taken a "strong" stand on "conservative moral issues" but has another side to his character.

Mr Slipper, who is facing allegations he rorted Cabcharge vouchers and sexually harassed a male staffer, is an ordained priest in the Traditional Anglican Communion.

Earlier this week, Archbishop John Hepworth asked Mr Slipper to stand aside from his role as a priest and legal adviser to the synod until the harassment allegations are resolved.

So far Mr Slipper has failed to do so.

This morning, Archbishop Hepworth told AM Mr Slipper was "in the tradition of the Australian larrikin MP ... that is, people who are interesting, have bad patches and very good patches".

"He's a daily mass Christian when he's in Canberra. And his speech-making and voting record in the House, over many years, has been consistent on the life issues, abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment, on religious freedom issues," he said.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-04-25/church-wants-slipper-to-stand-aside/3971334

I could be wrong but there it is... I don't know...

I am prepared to "believe" that Peter Slipper is not guilty of anything. Slipper may have been set up or tainted all along his career in politics by jealous people... Preselected nine times by the Liberals who "knew" he was suspect, does not add up... The fact that Howard's chief of staff denies ever having "been" alerted to some sexual allegations against Slipper back then in 2003, suggests that the present case which relies on referring to these allegations is bunkum, or moo-poop... But the mud sticks... One cannot verify the word of someone against another. Never. Unless there are proofs.

The only thing that Peter Slipper may be guilty of is being an oddball who may have thought he was entitled to some "political" expenses, but was proven wrong... He had to reimburse the crown for these. That does not mean that he was out there to "rort" the system... like for example an Abbott does. Abbott may not fudge his political expenses, but he plays a far "dirtier" political game than any other politicians and has basically enforced other politicians to become grubby too. This country would be actually better with more Slippers and less Abbotts in the ranks. One Abbott is one Abbott too many... On this one, there are many "proofs"...

------------------------

Meanwhile the mud sticks:

From Michelle Grattan
A discredited Speaker corrodes trust in the political system.
LET'S start with the bottom line. The government should cut Speaker Peter Slipper loose. He is not an appropriate occupant of a position that carries all the symbolism of Parliament's role at the apex of our democratic system.
Slipper is standing aside while allegations he breached the criminal law by misusing Cabcharges are examined. He is not waiting for the police to finish their assessment - last night he released a batch of Cabcharges that he obtained from the Finance Department, saying the ''documents have all been completed by me and are clearly in my handwriting, as I said they were''.
The government has said he can return to work if cleared of these allegations, made by a male staffer, even though civil action claiming sexual harassment, brought by the same man, will not have been resolved.
This is not tenable, in either practice or principle.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/slipper-was-always-a-bad-fit-and-should-not-be-reinstalled-20120426-1xnxn.html#ixzz1tBvv83oi

Hi Gus,

Yes, I have to agree re the Slipper matter.

The fact is that there is no 'investigation' underway, simply because the allegations have arisen through a civil action launched in the federal court. Until the court processes are complete, the matters concerned won't be determined. This means, in effect, that Abbott expects Slipper to 'swing in the wind' until this process is completed, notwithstanding that he doesn't apply the same standard to others against whom untested allegations have been made, including numerous priests.

Of equal concern, the mad 'Monk' appears content with a situation whereby Slipper's accuser is free to benefit from the entire three ring circus via media interviews etc, without hindrance. Indeed, even if the allegations wind-up being thrown out of court, Slipper's protagonist can continue to profit (it hasn't been confirmed if his lawyers are acting on a contingency basis or otherwise), but it seems like in this situation, if one is not worried too much about one's residual reputation, just about anything goes.

Based on Abbott's logic, Rupert Murdoch would have been in the stocks as the 'ex Chairman' of News Corporation months ago .... no chance of Tony bleating for that outcome. 

Not my idea of justice.

Cheers,

John.

Thanks John for seconding this motion...

Meanwhile:

A handwriting expert says Peter Slipper still has questions to answer over his use of Cabcharge vouchers, despite the embattled Speaker releasing photocopies of the documents he says are being investigated.

The Federal Government says it believes the release of the vouchers clears up the criminal allegations against Mr Slipper, saying it is now up to him to decide when he resumes the Speaker's position.

But the Opposition and key crossbenchers, including Tasmanian MP Andrew Wilkie, say all the allegations against Mr Slipper - including that he sexually harassed a male staffer - need to be cleared up before he can resume his duties.

And Mr Wilkie says he would support - or possibly even move - a no-confidence motion against Mr Slipper if he is in the seat when Parliament resumes on budget day, May 8.

Mr Slipper says the 13 vouchers released last night disprove former staffer James Ashby's allegations that he handed out blank Cabcharges.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-04-27/handwriting-expert-questions-slipper-cabcharge-copies/3975702

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Yours truly: I am a "handwriting expert"... As an "artist", I can forge anybloody person's writing (or style of drawing) as required which in my days of advertising was a near daily occurence. I had to match "handwriting" on products from overseas to adapt to local palates... No-one could pick the difference... Meanwhile in the opposite case, have you ever tried to write a Cabcharge docket in a cab, on your knees?... The writing never looks quite right, does it?... And between me and a lamppost, Peter Slipper is not obliged to write his dockets with the same hand-writing every time... Like me, he may have a dozen ways to write depending on the mood...

We all should know that by now, hand-writing experts are often dismissed from court cases because the analytical process is too unreliable...

The more revelations by the Terrorgraph, the more Peter Slipper is smelling like roses...

THE limousine driver at the centre of claims Peter Slipper misused his travel entitlements was convicted of forging Cabcharge dockets in 2002.

Antwan Kaikaty, who has been driving the Speaker for 19 years, was convicted of stealing a mobile phone and money from a female passenger, who was also indecently assaulted, according to the NSW Administrative Decisions Tribunal, reported The Daily Telegraph.

Mr Kaikaty, who spoke with Australian Federal Police officers yesterday, was sentenced to 12 months in prison, but given a suspended sentence.

The explosive revelations come as Mr Slipper faced further questions over his use of handwritten taxi documents to pay for three trips around Sydney in January and February. It is understood Mr Kaikaty, who has hired a criminal lawyer, was the driver on each trip.

Labor frontbencher Craig Emerson has accused Tony Abbott of using "weasel" speak to outline what his party knew of the sexual harassment allegations against Speaker Peter Slipper.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-news/abbott-uses-weasel-speak-emerson-says-20120428-1xrbs.html#ixzz1tJJxok8W

When Opposition Leader Tony Abbott was questioned about the allegation, he said he had no specific knowledge of any involvement by the Liberal party in assisting the man who lodged the claim, former staffer James Ashby.

Dr Emerson was sceptical of Mr Abbott's use of the word "specific", which he referred to as "weasel" speak.

"What did Mr Abbott really know?" he asked.

Abbott Uses Weasel Speak - Emerson Says 

I do not know if James Ashby's allegations against the Speaker are part of a sophisticated plot by the Liberal Party. Aside from the fact that they are intensely convenient for the Liberal Party, I am aware of no actual evidence for that theory.

One suspects the judicial process will - as it is designed to do - test the accusations in light of all the evidence available, including the testimony of those best placed to comment.

But conspiracy theories - in general - are not what they once were. Remember when conspiracy theories were complex, secret affairs, subscription to which involved the purchasing of special literature, or at the very least the viewing of cult, unmissable documentaries that raised, for instance, ''shocking questions'' about the US government's involvement in the September 11 attacks, or similar?

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/if-the-slipper-fits-think-conspiracy-20120428-1xrgv.html#ixzz1tNP2tNVf

Yes dear...

That's the beauty of this world imbued with conspiracy theories and grand porkies... We never know unless we're officially told we've been conned by whatever — including fooled by a strange string of coincidences... But my dear Annabel, conspiracies have always existed... From Caesar being murdered to Guy Fawkes and say, the death of David Kelly (2003), we can all but suspect foul play... Or like Shakespeare fantasise about Brutus... If we don't we may as well give up and enjoy being raped. Thus we're entitled to theorise about conspiracy, though I am not suggesting here that Slipper is not apt at slipping up by himself, but sometimes a bit of a push goes a long way...

Have you ever heard of the "Double Cross" system? If not go and find out about it... The beauty of this deception is that we never know unless the entire mechanics of the deception is revealed... But sometimes, even without ANY evidence, there are whiffs of conspiracy floating around...

It's a truly terrible realisation, but the person most like Peter Slipper in the current Australian Parliament is none other than Tony Abbott.

You don't, or at least don't want to, believe this? Then, as Gough Whitlam might say, compare and contrast.

Both are vigorous men; highly ambitious and committed politicians. Both went to exclusive schools and on to university to study law. Both are now conservative Christians and militant monarchists with a zeal for their causes which occasionally upsets their more cautious colleagues. Both are married with children.

For a time at least their shared positions and interests apparently drew them together: Abbott was a welcome guest at Slipper's wedding and as recently as 2010 spoke glowingly as the man was endorsed for the ninth time by the Coalition to represent them in the federal Parliament; indeed, they even voted for him as their sole nominee for the high office of deputy speaker.

It was Slipper who cast the final vote to enable Abbott to knock off Malcolm Turnbull in 2009; if he had been able to repeat the act to make Abbott prime minister a year later, his grateful leader would have happily kissed him on both cheeks, or probably all four.

But how it has all changed. We are now assured that Abbott knew Slipper was pretty suss all along and that the party was planning to deny him preselection next time around.

Well, true, but this was only because a heavier candidate, the former Howard minister Mal Brough, wanted his seat. It had very little to do with the many allegations of rorting and misconduct which Abbott and his colleagues had known about, and studiously ignored, for at least six years.

http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/3980486.html?WT.svl=theDrum

COALITION frontbencher Christopher Pyne spent almost two hours drinking and chatting with James Ashby a month before the political staffer lodged court documents accusing Speaker Peter Slipper of sexual harassment and misusing CabCharge dockets.

The National Times has learnt that on the night of March 19, around 9.30pm, Mr Pyne - the Manager of Opposition Business in the House of Representatives -  met with Mr Ashby and another Slipper staffer in the Speaker’s office.

Two separate sources have confirmed details of the meeting to the National Times - both insist Mr Pyne rang back later the same evening to request Mr Ashby’s mobile phone number.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-news/pyne-confirms-i-had-drinks-with-slippers-accuser-20120501-1xweb.html#ixzz1taZNjOFP

Former Howard government minister Mal Brough has been subpoenaed by the Federal Court in connection with the Peter Slipper case.

Lawyers for the Commonwealth today told the court that former staffer James Ashby, who is suing Mr Slipper for sexual harassment, colluded with another staffer, Karen Doane, to undermine Mr Slipper's reputation and advance his political opponents, including Mr Brough.

The lawyers have told the court they have phone records to support their argument of a calculated political campaign against Mr Slipper.

They allege Mr Ashby gave information to Mr Brough and to News Limited journalist Steve Lewis.

The court has issued subpoenas to both Mr Brough and Mr Lewis for information they have allegedly been given by Mr Ashby.

Lawyers for Mr Slipper and the Commonwealth have tried to have Mr Ashby's sexual harassment claim struck out, describing it as an abuse of the legal process.

But Mr Ashby’s lawyer Michael Lee argues that they have been too vague about what they mean by that.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-06-15/mal-brough-subpoenaed-in-slipper-case/4072794?WT.svl=news1

James Ashby, who worked as a media adviser to the Speaker of the Federal Parliament, Peter Slipper, worked to undermine his boss by giving information to a tabloid journalist and to his political rivals, a court has heard.

David Chin, the barrister for Mr Slipper, told the Federal Court today that Mr Ashby's lawsuit for sexual harassment has been designed to cause "political and reputational damage" to the Speaker and for the "political advantage of his political opponents in the Liberal-National party", including former Howard cabinet minister Mal Brough.

Julian Burnside, QC, for the Commonwealth, told Justice Steven Rares that mobile phone records show Mr Ashby and another adviser, Karen Doane, "were working together to undermine Mr Slipper when they were still working for him".

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has accused Government ministers of trying to "bully" James Ashby into withdrawing his sexual harassment case against Speaker Peter Slipper.

Mr Ashby has accused Mr Slipper of making unwanted sexual advances towards him, and is taking legal action in the Federal Court against Mr Slipper and the Commonwealth Government.

On Friday, Attorney-General Nicola Roxon took the unusual step of holding a press conference to outline the Government's response to the legal action, declaring the clear intention of the litigation was to "harm Mr Slipper and bring his reputation into disrepute".

"This matter was not commenced in the court for the purposes of finalising or resolving a workplace dispute, but it was brought for other purposes," Ms Roxon said.

Her comments were followed on Saturday by fellow Government frontbencher Anthony Albanese, who compared aspects of the case to the Watergate scandal in the United States.

Mr Abbott says the Government has overstepped the line.

"What we've seen is Government ministers trying to bully the complainant into withdrawing his action," he told DMG Radio in Adelaide.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-06-18/abbot-claims-bullying-in-ashby-case/4076902

After having had proofs that Pyne and Brough have been hovering above the case, Abbott would be better advised to shut up and wait for the fall out... He may end up having some egg on his face... see toon at top...

Tony Abbott says he would be "happy" to accept the vote of Peter Slipper if the former Speaker sided with the Coalition.

The Opposition Leader's approach is in stark contrast to his insistence that the Coalition would not accept the "tainted" vote of former Labor MP turned independent Craig Thomson.

Mr Abbott said yesterday that Mr Slipper was not a "fit and proper" person to hold the high office of Speaker, but he argues there are significant differences between Mr Slipper's situation and the case against Mr Thomson.

"Craig Thomson has been found by a quasi-judicial body to have misappropriated some $500,000 in low paid union members' money," Mr Abbott told reporters in Canberra.

"So there is a fundamental difference between Mr Slipper and Mr Thomson, and how he (Mr Slipper) votes is up to him."

"But if he chooses to vote with the Coalition, we certainly will be happy to have that vote.

"Certainly I would think that someone who was elected as a Coalition member would be inclined to support the Coalition's position," Mr Abbott added, referring to Mr Slipper's recent history as a Liberal National Party MP.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-10-10/abbott-happy-to-accept-slipper27s-vote/4305428