A Liberal politician entering a University at the moment might as well be John Cena walking into Chicago to face CM Punk. As ludicrous as that comparison may be, the pure, vitriolic hatred that Government MPs are currently attracting from students and crowds alike is the kind of stuff that pro-wrestling’s biggest, meanest, nastiest heel could only ever dream of getting. Overnight, Education Minister Christopher Pyne actually had to be smuggled in to the University of Sydney in order to avoid any confrontations with the 50 or so student protesters that had gathered to firmly state their objections to the deregulation of University fees set forth in the recent Federal Budget.
Pyne was at the campus to adjudicate the John Howard Debating Cup, an annual event hosted by the Sydney University Liberal Club. What could possibly have gone wrong there? The event had been taken down from the Club’s website following nationwide student protests railing against the cuts to higher education, but still went ahead regardless.
The Howard cup is held annually and is contested between four rival Liberal clubs who meet to debate public policy and Liberal ideology, and is an event that apparently avoids being a giant annual circle jerk.
Police were on hand to deal with the waiting protesters who attempted to gain access to the hall where the debate was being held; in some cases protesters were allegedly thrown onto the ground. University of Sydney Union Vice President Tom Raue stated of the scene, “There are many, many riot police blocking each entry to the college. It’s pretty rough. They’re stopping people getting in. We are making our point.“
Pyne was smuggled into the building an hour later, presumably via a secret underground tunnel, or in a laundry trolley, or maybe even as the lower half of the old “Extremely Tall Man” trick.
The grand Pyne smuggling follows incidents involving Julie Bishop and Sophie Mirabella where they were confronted by students speaking loudly at them. And we can’t have that, can we.
Photo: Lisa Maree Williams via Getty Images.
