Today we have masters of hypocrisy running our country.

Yes I know, members of the Coalition like to refer to it as a government, but if it is a government then it is consistently failing by its own standards.

The Coalition in opposition demanded that the former government be condemned for some of its unpopular decisions, however in government the Coalition have hardly put a foot right. So far they have become known for broken promises and a budget that is so devastating it is almost an assault on families doing it tough.

Some of the Coalitions actions defy both logic and belief.

George Brandis has been pushing for even tighter laws and more sacrificing of freedoms to halt the scourge of terrorism that may one day reach our shores. Giving up our freedoms in order to protect our freedoms, or something like that.

Those who support terrorism in should be locked up, of that there is no doubt. However when it comes to national security legislation we need to remember there are also grey areas.

For example when the Australian military dropped a pallet load of weapons straight into the hands of ISIL fighters, I do not recall seeing Defence Minister David Johnston or Tony Abbott being marched off to jail for supplying terrorists with weapons.

There are also grey areas around people’s privacy highlighted by the meta-data debate and while some talk about increasing protection for whistle-blowers, George Brandis wants to see them locked up.

Another thing that may reach our shores well before ISIL is Ebola. However we aren’t so happy to do anything about that it would seem.

Until now the Coalition have refused to allow medical teams to travel to Africa to deal with the crisis despite requests from the UK, the US, and the UN, as they claim to not be able to guarantee medical assistance from another nation for Australian medical workers. Despite this there are hospitals with specialist wards available in Europe and the UK that will take Australian patients. However I believe that the Coalition were seeking an absolute guarantee that Australians will be treated, this is something we are unlikely to receive as if there is a large breakout then nations will always give their citizens preference. However, if the Ebola crisis reaches that level we will have a lot more to worry about than a few medical workers.

When it comes to the crunch we are happy to act at a moment’s notice to put Australians in harm’s way to go over and kill Arabs knowing full well there will be civilians killed in the process, but when it comes to saving the lives of some poor black people in Africa the best Abbott has been able to do is wish them luck.

However, what I really wanted to talk about today is the hypocrisy and sheer arrogance of the Coalition now that they are in power.

It is hard to forget the campaign that Team Abbott waged when they were in opposition. The broken carbon tax promise, Juliar, illegitimate government, Ditch The Witch, Bob Brown’s bitch and so forth.

This was all on the back of the perceived lie regarding the introduction of a carbon tax by Julia Gillard in the 2010 Federal Election.

The video clip below was in the final hours of campaigning in the 2013 election and shows Abbott telling us all what he promises he won’t be doing.

Of course every single one of those things he’s done now despite saying he wouldn’t, all except for one of them, the changes to the GST.

But that seems set to change soon with Abbott saying he now wishes for a “mature debate” on the GST despite the fact that any changes at all would represent a broken promise.

A mature debate on taxation can only really be had by grown-ups so now the “grown-ups are back in charge” we should have taxation debate the way they did from the opposition bench. Mature ways such as rallies with sexist slogans, insults involving family members recent deaths, slogans for bogans, bumper stickers, talk of towns being wiped off the map, economies being decimated, the dead shall rise up from their graves and attack the living… that sort of mature debate.

So why do we need this debate suddenly when we apparently didn’t need it pre-election?

It’s quite simple really.

We have ourselves a sad excuse for a government that is about as popular a coughing fit in a crowded elevator.

Abbott was elected because he wasn’t Julia Gillard or Kevin Rudd, not because anyone actually liked him.

With the polls not improving for him at all we are already seeing the Coalition breaking the glass and reaching for the emergency button.

The Coalition know all too well that Abbott is going to be hard to get over the line next federal election as his popularity seems to be suffering from the effects of gravity rather than improving. In order to achieve a second term in government they need to pull off a miracle as even with Murdoch Media Machine behind them pushing shit uphill is never an easy mission, and fanning the flames of fear of terrorism isn’t going to do it for them.

What the Coalition really need is a miracle surplus or a means to get to one fast. Their misguided reputation as the better party regarding financial affairs has suffered quite considerably at the hands of Joe Hockey and given that the financial state of our nation is considerably worse than when the Coalition came to power something drastic would need to be done.

The budget handed down by Hockey, Corman and Abbott was perhaps the harshest budget the country has ever seen. The budget was squarely aimed at those doing it the toughest, and in a desperate bid to try to make the budget fair there were also smaller measures that were targeting the wealthy among us, although these were temporary while the measures designed to further cripple the poor were permanent.

However, even if these had all passed through senate, something that the Coalition have failed to do in spectacular fashion, it still would not see Abbott out of the financial hot water and electable.

This is why we now face a mature debate on the GST with arguably the most immature government this country has ever witnessed. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Abbott knows that raising the GST will be hugely unpopular, however he is banking on the hope that if he announces it early enough we will have become used to it by next election and they can hopefully show us a path to surplus that we will be “on track” to see and promised soon after the election. A promise that they can break like most of their others after the election and one they can try to blame on terms of trade, currency rates, or the need to kill Muslims overseas.

However a raise in GST or changes to what it applies to will not be like the Carbon Tax which few noticed when it was implemented and even fewer noticed a saving when it was removed. Any changes to the GST will further hurt working families at the supermarket, the petrol pump, the bills, in every aspect of their lives. These are families already feeling the crippling burden of a higher cost of living since Abbott became PM.

Before the last election when Labor warned the public that the Liberals had the GST on the agenda the warnings were met with harsh denials. Labor was accused of running a fear campaign, of being desperate, and of being highly irresponsible by Tony Abbott and his motley crew of members.

Any mature debate or discussion with the public on the GST should start with an address to the country from Tony Abbott that starts with these words.

“I would like to apologise to the people of Australia for lying and misleading them regarding my party’s position on the GST during the last election campaign…”

From there he can put his case forward. To not address his and his party’s prior deception can only mean an immature discussion as he is not mature enough to admit his own shortcomings.

One thing you can be sure of, Tony Abbott does not seek mature debate. Abbott seeks catchy sound-bites and punchy News Ltd headlines.

If you want mature my advice is, forget Abbott and get a block of cheese.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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