Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Abbott Royal Crawl creates National Unity !

The Sydney Morning Herald

"It was a cringe-worthy decision to reward Prince Philip with the recently created Australian knighthood ... because it sends an disturbing signal about modern Australia."

The Australian

A "decision lacking leadership", "high-handed" and "tone-deaf", saying that another captain's pick like this "might be mutiny".

"It's a decision that reeks of an outsider cocking a snook rather than a prime minister seeking to unite a nation."

The Australian Financial Review

While the thrust of the editorial was on the government's failure to sell its budget repair measures, editors left space to call the move an "indulgent captain's choice" as well as an "unfortunate" start to the year for the government.

The Courier Mail

"On the day we should be celebrating Australia's national identity ... we were instead dragged by our elected leader into a cultural cringe so remarkable that it is almost beyond comprehension."

"Mr Abbott must decide whether he wants to be a monarchist, first and foremost, or the Prime Minister of Australia."

The Daily Telegraph

"The knighthood itself was a very poor decision. It gains no ground and only invites ridicule," the editorial read.

Adelaide Advertiser

"There are several reasons it is in fact an extremely bad idea – the Prince has, in the past, been accused of racism; his appointment stole all the oxygen from Australians being honoured yesterday; the move is sure to further enrage a grumpy backbench and skittish frontbench and ramp up leadership rumblings; and it seems plain old-fashioned."

The Age

Our southern neighbours also found the move puzzling, calling Mr Abbott "tin-eared".

"It is almost impossible to fathom Prime Minister Tony Abbott's justification for naming Prince Philip."

"The Age takes issue with the representation of Prince Philip's service as being either extraordinary or pre-eminent; it is considerable, but no more than would be expected."

The West Australian

"The Duke of Edinburgh decision is a similar example of Mr Abbott making his own call and another sign of his poor judgement on such matters."

The Canberra Times

"Most Australians are wary of class and elitism, which may go some way to explaining why the decision to reintroduce an order of Australian knights and dames drew so much derision when it was announced last March. But to use that system, which sits above the Australian of the Year Awards, to honour a foreigner over all the inspiring and impressive Australians named just hours earlier seems wrong on many levels."

End Note

Media mogul and News Corp chairman Rupert Murdoch even got in there on Wednesday, tweeting that the knighthood was "a joke and embarrassment."

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