It’s a weird quirk of Australian politics that the Australian Labor Party uses the American spelling of the word ‘labour’. It’s been that way since 1912 (when the American-born King O’Malley successfully changed the spelling to “modernise” the party), and tbqh is a handy way to distinguish between upper-case ‘Labor’ and lower-case ‘labour’. No harm, no foul.
Unless, of course, you’re One Nation Senator Malcolm Roberts.
“If those rude left wing extremists won’t respect our heritage and love for our country on Australia Day, why should we respect their need for Labour Day?” he wrote, with all the sentient thought of a man who was elected to the Senate with 77 votes.
“Does not Labour day bring back painful memories for most of us? I toss and turn on Labour day thinking of Whitlam‘s debt, Gillard‘s carbon tax, Hawkie sculling beer, Keating‘s tacky and unpatriotic Zegnas [???], and Rudd, well just how much of a twerp he is. Don’t I have a cultural right to be protected from Labour? No, no I don’t, and I wouldn’t ask for it because I’m not a sook.”
Amazing, senator Roberts thinks labour day is about the labor party pic.twitter.com/Ae6pCdqIBr
— Change the date, m8 (@fakeedbutler) January 26, 2017
First of all, Bob Hawke sculling a beer at sporting events is a national pastime that unites the left, right, middle, up, down, whatever.
Second of all, does Roberts really think that Labour Day, a celebration of the eight-hour working day that was a crucial win for workers in the 19th century, is about the ALP?
In all probability: yes.
Despite several (and extremely dire) comments yesterday declaring this to be an “obvious joke”, the post has disappeared as of this morning.
For the man who continues to be wrong on just about everything, you don’t delete an “obvious joke” unless you were very obviously not joking.
