Monday 29th of April 2024
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pass the chaff-bag ....

pass the chaff-bag ....

Alan Jones has been recorded at a Sydney University Liberals’ Club nosh up saying that Julia Gillard’s dad died of shame about his lying daughter. Here is what The AGE reports he said:

Every person in the caucus of the Labor Party knows that Julia Gillard is a liar, everybody. I will come to that in a moment. The old man recently died a few weeks ago of shame. To think that he has a daughter who told lies every time she stood for Parliament.

Warming to his task this putrid purveyor of perniciousness and haranguer of hate said that the media had brainwashed the rest of us not to attack her because she was a woman. This vile little man went on:

No, no look, hang on, this is where we are weak. This is where we are weak. Can you believe that they have gone, the federal party because they’ve been brainwashed by the media to ‘oh back off, she’s a woman, go easy’.

A tweet on the Sydney University Liberal site (since removed) said it was a ‘brilliant speech by Alan Jones last night. It’s no wonder he’s the nation’s most influential broadcaster.’

Influential? Yes. Pernicious, vile, foul, reactionary, sexist – yes too. It says a lot about our society that this scumbag has such a role and place in it.

It now appears that the Young Scum (future leaders?) auctioned a blouse made of chaff bags allegedly donated by Simon Berger, Woolworths executive and former Liberal pre-selection candidate in Bradfield. For those who don’t know, 5 times on radio Jones has made some references to putting the Prime Minister and others in a chaff bag.  Sometimes it is accompanied by suggestions about taking her in it out to sea for her to swim home.  

The Australian Communications and Media Authority found the comments disparaging and disrespectful but said they did not incite violence or brutality.

Let me make some suggestions then for Alan Jones, in the spirit of disparagement and disrespect.

‘Shove Alan Jones in a chaff bag and take him as far out to sea as they can and tell him to swim home.’  Only the names have been changed.

I have nothing but contempt for this disgraceful right wing hack whose hate of women and Labor drives him to make such outrageous comments.

After I first wrote this, and in response to the backlash, Jones ‘apologised’. In the words of Mandy Rice Davies “He would say that, wouldn’t he?’ But it wasn’t really an apology, more a rambling acceptance of the reality he had alienated a lot of people and a justification for his general approach with the ‘occasional slip up’. If the vile comments had not become public and provoked such outrage Jones would not have apologised.

Karl Quinn from the Sydney Morning Herald called it the apology that giveth and taketh away.  He wrote, after Jones mentioned his thick skin and not being affected by personally offensive tweets, what Jones said:

”That doesn’t really affect me much because I suppose I might be a different sort of person,” [Jones] said, adding almost as an aside: ”I don’t know what the constitution of Julia Gillard is on these emotional issues.”

He then slipped in the apology, but the damage had been done. She’s a sheila. Emotional. She can’t take a bit of rough and tumble.

Even in apologising his hatred of women comes through. That this woman hater has such an influential position in our society is a condemnation not just of him but of our society.

In the past I had thought the feminist argument that Gillard is singled out because she is a woman was wrong. Her policies are the policies of the acceptable face of neoliberalism in times of economic adequacy. Hence our anger with her is anger with Labor’s wealth shifting policies, shifting wealth from us to the rich.

But now I am beginning to understand that on top of that sections of the media, like Order of Australia recipient Jones, use sexism and misogyny to re-direct our anti-neoliberal anger in a reactionary way, to attacking the oppressed of the system rather than the perpetrators of the problems, the rich.

Ditch the witch and Ju Liar indicate a world in which misogyny lives. After the rape and murder of Jill Meagher the extent of the everyday harassment and sometimes violence against women has begun to come home to me, and to many others.

That oppression of women is clear in most aspects of our lives – from lower pay for equal work, lower superannuation, longer domestic work hours, sexism in advertising, to rape and other violence, including domestic violence, against women.

We live in a society which oppresses women. Jones reinforces and strengthens that society and its oppression of women both generally and with his attacks on the Prime Minister.

Contrary to what the ACMA says it looks clear to me that comments about chaff bags and sea invoke images that are violent. They may not incite violence, but they show the second class citizenship of women that many think women have or should have.

Jones is certainly one of those sexists. Only a few weeks ago this expression of right-wing thinking said that women were wrecking the joint. He is also a climate change denier and anti-refugee and anti-Aboriginal to boot.

Of course he includes others in his chaff bag comments, including men, but the primary target of his abuse and vitriol is Julia Gillard and women.

Jones’ comments about Gillard’s father are a vile lie.  John Gillard died after battling illness for some time. But that is not the point. The right wing populism Alan Jones promotes has no care for facts when it can demonise the other side. As Jones is wont to say about someone else  ’the truth and [he] parted company a long time ago.’

Tony Abbott took 18 hours before he responded to Alan Jones’ remarks. Why the long silence from Abbott? Will he be appearing on Jones’ radio show any time soon? Abbott released a statement, but did not appear in public. He said:

Alan’s remarks regarding the PM were completely out of line. It’s good that he’s recognised this and apologised for them.

Wow, thrashing him with a feather eh Tony? Abbott is afraid to condemn the remarks of Jones because he uses much the same tactics and because he doesn’t want to alienate one of his chief parrots and Jones’s conservative audience.

So Mr Abbott, when is your next appearance on his show? Better give it a few weeks break to let the controversy die down. Then it will be OK. After all you seem to share the same misogynist hatred of the PM.

Jones thinks he influences large numbers of people. At best he reinforces their own views and prejudices. But I suspect, given many of his listeners may be older Australians and women, that his remarks may have alienated some of them.

If you want to know what an Abbott government will be like on economic policy, look at Campbell Newman. If you want to know what it will be like on social policy look at Alan Jones.

There is hope. There are plans to hold a demonstration against Jones outside the radio station he works at in Sydney. In Melbourne an estimated 70000 people turned out in memory of Jill Meagher and for a safer world for women.  That safer world can begin by sacking the woman hater Alan Jones.

Shove Alan Jones In A Chaff-Bag

elsewhere ….

 

sign the petition to kiss goodbye to Uncle Alan …..

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from politicoz ….

SAYING IT AS HE SEES IT

"In little more than a year he has gone from being the dapper and eloquent godfather of the shock-jock clan to the embarrassing uncle who has to be kept away from the microphone during the wedding toasts," writes Malcolm Farr.

Alan Jones apologised for his comments at the Young Liberal function, but in technical terms only. Like Mitt Romney recently, he was 'caught out' expressing exactly what he thinks. So while his views towards Gillard remain unreconstructed, any apologies or explanations seem empty.

Jones's employers, supporters and friends are under pressure to disassociate themselves not only from him but also from the substance of his remarks. The episode has ironically made it harder to attack Gillard personally in the future – which is why the ALP are playing this for all it's worth.

The only risk is over-reach.

Nick Feik, EDITOR

Jones Forced To Eat Words

Michelle Grattan, The Age

"In this toxic political climate, the appalling comment that shock jock Alan Jones made about the death of Julia Gillard's father has now become part of the wider battle between Labor and the Coalition… From the Liberals' point of view, they get the benefit without usually having the dirt on their own hands. But when Jones goes over the top, as this time, he can drag Abbott into trouble vicariously." (ALSO: Sponsors Abandon Jones' Show) 

Put Your Hand Up If You’re An Offensive Bastard

Malcolm Farr, The Punch

"The central task, almost an obsession, of Mr Jones has been to remove Julia Gillard and he has flopped. He can’t even boss her around. There is a wider political consequence to this latest controversy."

a noisy, nasty irrelevance ....

from politicoz ….

ONCE MORE INTO THE FRAY

It's Day 4 of the latest Alan Jones saga and the backlash has begun. His supporters are now calling for boycotts of boycotting advertisers, Coalition MPs are attacking Jones' accusers for their hypocrisy, and Alan Jones, back on the air for the first time since the news broke, has miraculously transformed himself into the victim of the whole affair.

"I have been astounded at the hatred and anger and, of course, jealousy that has been dished out towards me,” Jones said. "A lot of this stuff about me is an attempt to silence and destroy Alan Jones. Well I've got news for these people. I don't back off."

Coalition MPs Abetz, Bishop, Mirabella, Joyce, Hunt, Downer and now Tony Abbott have (lightly) reproached Jones for his original comments, but their counter-attacks on the ALP threaten to make this into a partisan issue, with them on Jones' side. The danger is that the battle-line they are defending, as it follows Jones further to the right, may soon become indefensible.

Nick Feik, EDITOR

Jones Back On Air, Saying Attacks Against Him Are An Attempt To Destroy Him

Rick Morton, The Australian

"Besieged radio broadcaster Alan Jones has opened his first breakfast show since his incendiary comments about Julia Gillard's father became public by renewing an apology to the Prime Minister before saying attacks against him were an attempt to 'destroy' him… Mr Jones said there was a double-standard from those now attacking him for his remark that Ms Gillard's father 'died of shame' because of her 'lies' and challenged anyone who wanted to take him on."

Kingdom Crumbling As Jones Loses Fear Factor

David Penberthy, The Daily Telegraph

"It has now dawned on politicians of the centre and the left that they should no longer worry about their Jones strategy. It has taken a long time for this penny to drop. The reality has always been that Jones' audience does not comprise many swinging voters.

He is preaching to the angry and the converted, many of whom keep listening to 2GB because they are too frail to get off the sofa to change the dial."

Shock For The Shock Jock

National Times, Sally Young

"Alan Jones' comments about the Prime Minister's father dying of 'shame' have set off a chain of events. Condemned by politicians and commentators from across the political spectrum, an online petition calling for Jones to be sacked had received more than 20,000 signatures yesterday. Social media buzzed with calls for advertisers to boycott the 2GB host's program and several major advertisers pulled ads, including Woolworths, Mercedes-Benz, Challenger and Freedom Furniture. But why now?"

from the chaff bag ....

from Crikey ….

Alan Jones' greatest hits: your handy A to Z guide

SALLY WHYTE

ALAN JONES, DEFAMATION, JULIA GILLARD

Ah, Alan Jones. So many memories, so many gaffes. Crikey cracks open the vault to bring you Jones' finest moments ...

A: the Apology. Jones' apology to Julia Gillard on Sunday went for 45 minutes, after he said this recently of the death of her father: "The old man recently died a few weeks ago of shame. To think that he has a daughter who told lies every time she stood for Parliament."

B: "Brain dead". "What about this brain dead Sarah Hanson-Young, from the Greens?" Jones said in 2011.

C: the Chaff bag. "It is absolutely laughable. The woman's off her tree and quite frankly they should shove her and Bob Brown in a chaff bag and take them as far out to sea as they can and tell them to swim home," Jones said of Gillard on air in July last year. Since then, the list of people in the chaff bag has grown to include Bob Brown, Clover Moore, Kevin Rudd, NSW Resources Minister Chris Hartcher, and Barack Obama.

D: "Destroying the joint". Commenting on Gillard's funding of projects to help women in the Pacific region, Jones said in August this year, "She (the Prime Minister) said that we know societies only reach their full potential if women are politically participating … Women are destroying the joint -- Christine Nixon in Melbourne, Clover Moore here. Honestly there is no chaff bag big enough for these people."

E: Emissions. Carbon emissions more specifically; Jones was found to have breached broadcasting regulations by ACMA for saying on air that ''human beings produce 0.001 per cent of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere." Not correct. He did the "research" himself.

F: Forty. The number of people who showed up to Jones' anti-Clover Moore rally this year.

G: Greek dancing. After winning Liberal pre-selection for the NSW seat of Earlwood in 1978, Jones appeared at an event in Greek national dress, and performed Greek dance moves. He lost.

H: "Holy Nellie!" An exclamation that Jones enjoys and uses frequently. It can be found in his apology (see A for Apology) and his regular discourses on Gillard.

I: I. Just about every sentence seems to start with an "I" for Alan Belford Jones. Example: on today’s comeback program he said "I have been astounded at the hatred and anger and, of course, jealousy that has been dished out towards me." And there were plenty more examples today.

J: "Ju-liar". Jones’ favourite name for the PM.

K: Killen, John. The trial of the ex-policeman was aborted in 1992 after an interview Jones did with Paul Kenny, a former Drug Enforcement Squad Officer. Jones and 2UE were found guilty of contempt of court.

L: Lawyers. Jones has used a lawyer on more than one occasion, including over contempt of court charges and defamation payouts. He also made use of the legal profession when he was found by the Australian Broadcasting Authority to have taken payments for comments on his program. Jones said it was only a coincidence that in 1999, he signed a deal with the Walsh Bay Finance Corporation and called one of their developments "magnificent" on air the next day.

M: Maley, Jacqueline. The Sydney Morning Herald journo had the gall to ask Jones at the Rally of No Confidence if he had been paid a fee to appear; he then had a go at her at the rally, inviting opprobrium.

N: Name-calling. Jones says name-calling is "the province of those who can't sustain an intellectual argument". Here’s a few of his favourites: Ju-liar, fool, brain dead, dope, unadulterated grub.

O: Objectivity. Jones said at a Liberal party fundraiser in 1996, "the interests of the nation are more important than the objectivity of Alan Jones".

P: Punctuality. Jones was unimpressed with Julia Gillard being 10 minutes late for an interview with him on 2GB last year, and ranted on air and at her for some time.

Q: Qualification. Jones said his apology to Gillard on Sunday was without qualification, but went on to give many reasons excusing himself, including that he didn’t know the speech was being recorded.

R: Rallies. Jones is a big fan of organising rallies to protest against the carbon tax, Clover Moore, etc. But he lost a gig after his comments about the late John Gillard; the anti coal seam gas rally in Murwillumbah, NSW, has booted him off the speakers' list.

S: Sydney University Liberal Club. The location of Jones’ speech in which he commented on John Gillard's death.

T: Trucks. "Someone has instructed the federal police from stopping them going where they want to go. This is shameful. Here are the people in their trucks, this is the most disgraceful thing that has ever been done to democracy" -- Jones said this in a Canberra rally of the Convoy of No Confidence. Jones claimed the federal police were stopping the trucks from attending. But organisers had agreed with police the trucks wouldn’t be allowed onto Parliament Drive for safety reasons.

U: 2UE. This was Jones’ first foray into talkback, where he worked from 1985 to 2002 before moving to 2GB. It was at 2UE that Jones first flirted with the law; 10 defamation suits were brought against him in 17 years at the station.

V: Victory. Jones won this year’s Gold Ernie award for s-xist comments.

W: Woolworths. The supermarket chain has pulled advertising from Jones’ breakfast program after the latest comments.

X: Xenophobia. ACMA found Jones guilty of broadcasting material encouraging violence and vilification of Middle-Eastern Australians after he read out this listener's letter: "My suggestion is to invite one of the biker gangs to be present in numbers at Cronulla railway station when these Lebanese thugs arrive, it would be worth the price of admission to watch these cowards scurry back onto the train for the return trip to their lairs."

Y: Yupingu, Mandawuy. In 1993, Jones described Mandawuy Yupingu’s Australian of the Year win as an insult. Later that year he said Australians were "getting no say when you [Aboriginal people] say this is your nation, it’s not, it’s Australia’s nation ... They [average Australians] are being asked to pay taxes to fund people who are seeking title to productive land to which they’ve made no contribution to its productivity".

Z: Zealand, New. The homeland of Jonathan Marshall, The Daily Telegraph reporter who recorded Jones’ speech at the Sydney University Liberal Club's dinner.