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The only female Prime Minister of Australia was Julia Gillard. By crook and by crock, she hung in there, pilloried by the media  — the right media for her doing too much and the left media for her not doing enough — hated by her jealous colleagues, loathed by the “Liberals” (CONservatives), twisted and thrown out in a chaff bag by the taxi drivers listening to Alan Jones, hated by pseudo-“lefty” commentariators such as Mike Carlton.

As much as she could, Julia had the guts and to some extend the power of serenity to stand up to the chauvinists, misogynists, sexists and the boofologists in the midst of the Kanbra prickery called parliament. She had to make deals with some awful characters in order to maintain her grip. She did as much good as she could under the circumstances — a good which still has repercussions in Australian politics today — the Carbon Pricing, the royal commission into sex abuse and the NDIS, amongst others. Not only “she” was a woman, she was an atheist, living with her partner — an ordinary bloke, a non-gay hairdresser...

I vaguely remember the “funeral” of a great Labor politician — or was it his wife — (boy, do I forget things), at the Opera House, and there, in the glassed corridors, you could hear Simon Crean and other faceless men of the Labor party, plotting to remove Julia Gillard from the post — the next day. 

Now, one hundred years after Australia elected its very first female parliamentarian, Annabel Crabb presents Ms Represented (https://iview.abc.net.au/show/ms-represented-with-annabel-crabb), a raw and honest account of politics from the female perspective on ABC TV. My view on Annabel has been often expressed on this site. She’s got the annoying ability to sit on the fence and present Genghis Khan as a gentle soul making toast for a picnic. 

I nearly fell of my chair, which is impossible since one seats deep between two padded arms rests, when I heard Amanda mentioned what "Liberal” (CONservative) politicians thought of Bronwyn Bishop as she had put her beehive in the ring to get the top-dog job (see toon above)... And there was a good reason for their rejection… It wasn’t because she was a woman. Bishop had been useful at making the worst right-wing men in that party appear like moderates. Margaret Thatcher was a wimp compared to Bronwyn. Her enormous extreme right-wing bias, slightly counter-balanced with a few charitable motions would have destroyed this fair country. That Tony Abbott eventually got rid of Labor and nearly destroyed this fair country, by lying through his teeth, was only due to the devious promotions of Rupert Murdoch. Rupert had played the game of forcing Labor to get rid of Julia, to replace her with Rudd to be rudely dumped by … Rupert of course… You could see how Labor’s kittens were being devalued of all decent principles, in the process… Men are stupid. Rupert is deviously clever.

No, I am not a misogynist. If you peruse through this site you will find that I have supported the women who were worthy of being supported, including Julia Gillard. In general it’s a choice between good and not good — which often reflects as a near-demonic choice between “social justice and charitable enterprises” and the pit-falls in between. The other Bishop, Julie Bishop, now with her own Barbie Doll, might have been passable in the top job but she had played too many submissive games of wind-wane, to be trusted. Amanda Vanstone was a better bet and had a better knowledge of politics, but she would have never cut through the cheesy sexist pretty-girl men of her “Liberal” (CONservative) party.

I feel Annabel show is a curse for present women in politics. Appearing on the show, one has to bare one’s soul without damaging one’s further prospects, nor hitting too hard on other political females (and males), past, present and future. Not to be on it and it would appear as a woman snubbing other women. 

Most of the present women in the "Liberal” (CONservative) party, like their male equivalent, are playing the games of deceit and fudge with an extraordinary amount of dishonourable hubris: sports rorts, the Great Barrier Reef, China, etc. This is part of the thrust in this misnamed political party which only survives through lies, lousy judgements, god-botherings and other poor rubbish tricks — promoted through the Murdoch media as the natural born-to-rule fashion. It’s painful to watch and our only respite is to make cartoons about our slanted views… 

And so be it.

GL.