Of Riots and Chinese Whispers

The Coalition, via Senator Yes-I-know-my-suits-are-too-loud-but-I-have-to-get-attention-somehow Brandis, would have us believe that now ex-PM staffer Tony Hodges set out to incite a riot when he told a little porky to someone, who spoke to someone else, who went out and wound up a crowd.

George, mate, didn’t you ever hear that story at school about the front line officer who sent a verbal message back to headquarters, via a series of runners, saying, “Send reinforcements, we’re going to advance.” The message eventually received was “Send three and fourpence we’re going to a dance.”

Fact is, spoken communication just ain’t that reliable.

At best Hodges was hoping for a demo on the back of a bit of disinformation, to embarrass Abbott.

Okay, first of all, Tony Abbott doesn’t need any help from the PM’s office on the embarrassment front; he can handle that all by himself. (Apparently, that and a pushbike are about the only two things he can handle by himself).

And second, so the Coalition has never tried to get a huge public reaction by pumping out a bit of disinformation? Really?

Now, who was it said, “Global Warming is crap”? I know that made me want to go throw a rock through a window. No prizes for guessing who’s window, by the way.

And of course the ever popular, and to be said in a nasally, whining voice, “They’re throwing children overboard.” Not a shred of truth, but it wound up enough folk to turn an election.

These kinds of statements do indeed arouse passions. I vividly remember hearing the utterly confabulated assertion that Saddam had WMD. (Now who was it said that?) I immediately went in search of an unoccupied bus that I might set fire to.

Unfortunately all the buses were full at the time, so I settled for lighting a sparkler and waving it about a bit. Light in the darkness stuff. You know…

My point is that the entire modus operandi of modern politics is for politicians to say outrageous stuff hoping that nobody will think too hard about it and will get cranky with the other side.

Meanwhile, modern media’s modus operandi is to take politicians’ oratory rushes of blood and to then double down on the emotion. And on the usually nonsensical content if they can get away with it.

So, George, forego the stench of hypocracy and get off this ex-staffer’s case. If you feel the need to beat up on the government, there’s plenty of good stuff to be going on with without resorting to picking on some poor schmuck who’s already fallen on his sword.