Apologies, but we’re sticking with Australia and Australian politics today because, well, it’s such a rich seam to mine.
As we’ve discussed previously, the scandal surrounding the Deputy Prime Minister is, like herpes, the gift that keeps on giving. Nobody, with perhaps the exception of his estranged wife and daughters, are coming out of this situation with the ability to hold their heads high.
A quick recap;
- Deputy PM has a history of pontificating on moral matters, especially “family values”.
- He has an affair with a member of staff.
- She falls pregnant, he’s kicked out the family home.
- He finds a new job for her on the taxpayer’s coin.
- They accept a gift of a rent-free apartment.
- The scandal breaks, he refuses to resign.
- The PM refuses to fire him but introduces a new code of conduct which would mean the next minister caught shagging a staff member would be fired.
Since then the Deputy PM has made a few public statements. This one, for example;
Subsequently, there has been a very tame interview with the new couple in their “very ‘umble” apartment where the general theme is that, somehow, they are the victims in all of this.
Bill’s Opinion
What follows is not a moral judgement on the Australian Deputy PM’s sexual dalliance but an assessment of how he has since responded to its publicity.
Barnarby Joyce’s unborn child is a boy. Barnarby clearly needs to quickly gain some experience in raising sons.
Here’s a few lessons that may be useful;
- Take ownership of decisions you make and their consequences. Flying on airplanes doesn’t generally result in people cheating on their spouses by playing “hide the snag” with junior members of staff. You chose to do that and the quicker you accept and own the consequences the sooner everyone can move out of crisis mode.
- Rushing to claim victim status is never the correct behaviour for men. It’s not a particularly good idea for women either but it’s especially castrating for the male of the species. Barnaby Joyce is not the victim here and, even if he were, the correct approach is to quietly accept the misfortune and move on.
- In the words of Jordan Peterson, one of the best pieces of advice you can give a son is to “tell the truth and carry a heavy load“. The first step is to tell the truth to oneself and expand from there.
- The worst example you can show a son is to tell lies and claim victimhood. Barnaby needs to fix this problem as soon as possible before his son learns by example.
Lastly, given the reputations of Boris “come upstairs and let me read Ovid’s Art of Love to you in the original Latin” Johnson and Julie “#PolliePedal” Bishop, this seems like a photo in need of a caption;
