After a week that provoked as many knightmare puns as hackneyed Taylor Swift op-eds, one that ultimately resulted in a considerable blow to his approval ratings and ego alike, Prime Minister Tony Abbott has decided to finish the working week on a high note and has declared himself to be “a good captain, a very good captain” no more time for follow up questions, I think we’ve had a good thrash of this one, gotta run, thanks.
In a press conference – an excerpt from which you can watch below [via The ABC] – at a dairy business in Colac, Victoria, this afternoon Abbott told assembled media that he isn’t worried about insurgency within his party and stands by every member of his “very strong team.”
Okay. “I’m really thrilled I’ve got strong colleagues,” continued Abbott when repeatedly pressed by reporters to answer the questions regarding the messages publicly broadcast from head office earlier this week demanding that he sack his chief of staff Peta Credlin, his widely-condemned decision to confer on Prince Philip his umpteenth title, and the resulting speculation that places either Foreign Minister Julie Bishop or Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull at the forefront of preferred PM polls.
And why are his colleagues so strong? Is it because of independent merit? No, it’s because of TGIF Tony:
“One of the reasons why so many members of the team are able to perform so well is because they’ve got a very good captain.It takes a good captain to help all the players of a team to excel.”
You’ll remember, no doubt, that on Monday this week Abbott acknowledged that the Duke of Edinburgh’s Order of Australia knighthood was the result of “a captain’s pick” and that Abbott did so without consulting anyone other than the Governor General. This would appear to be another one of those unilateral calls; that, or an unabashed humblebrag that’s frankly impressive for how lacking in self-awareness it is.
Meanwhile, somewhere in Queensland and on hearing the unmissable opportunity to drop another one of his patented zingers, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten put aside any plans to present himself as a viable leadership alternative for the time being and responded thusly:
“Frankly, the captain of the Titanic would look good standing next to Tony Abbott.”
Sick burn. I guess those plans will have to wait. In the interim, this seems appropriate for both leaders.
via The Guardian, ABC
Photo by Stefan Postles/Getty Images
