Speaking of calling people on their bullshit, this is epic:
If you can’t watch the video, Here’s Prime Minister Julia Gillard most salient charge in brief:
“I will not be lectured about sexism and misogyny by this man, I will not. And the government will not be lectured about sexism and misogyny by this man. Not now, not ever. The leader of the opposition says that people who hold sexist views and who are misogynists are not appropriate for high office. Well, I hope the leader of the opposition has got a piece of paper and he is writing out his resignation. Because if he wants to know what misogyny looks like in modern Australia, he doesn’t need a motion in the house of representatives, he needs a mirror.”
Chloe goes further in analysis of Gillard’s uncharacteristic speech on gender dynamics in Australian politics. Nonetheless, it is impressive to watch women in power call out men who try to diminish it.
8 Comments
Hear, hear! I don’t follow Australian politics that closely but I had seen some articles about Prime Minister Gillard having to put up with . . . well, the things that women in politics generally have to (but should NOT have to) put up with. It feels good to see/hear her speaking out like this.
At least the two of them can agree that same sex marriage is wrong though.
It’s an awesome speech, maybe she’ll start looking at things she has said and her own policies as well!
I want to be more like her.
This is seriously the best thing I’ve seen this week so far.
Great video.
Everything the Prime Minister said is true. However, as Chloe points out at the end of her article (and Ian in a comment above) we shouldn’t delude ourselves and forget that Gillard is a phobe of various other kinds. She doesn’t want couples of the same sex to have the same rights as heterosexual couples and she pretty much just generally hates people who have immigrated to Australia (excluding her own family). Gillard may be the lesser of two evils but that doesn’t make her a saint.
Whilst I don’t agree with all of Gillard’s policies, it is pretty rousing to see a female politician taking zero shit. Our own saintly PM here in the UK once told a female member (of his own party no less) to ‘Calm down dear’ during PMQ’s. Id love to see more women in power biting back like Julia – these throw away remarks might start to become a thing of the past.
And with that, I think I’ll just watch it again…
A case of pot calls kettle. The sexists and womenhaters are only in the opposing party never in the own. At least that way they wont have to talk about things like Australias declining mining sector.