The electoral division in which I currently domicile is New England. A majestic mountain range oversees this land of the Kamilaroi people. Guess what we've also got? Barnaby Joyce. Oh, happy day; how lucky we are! *Cough* - sarcasm! - *cough*.
I don't know whether to feel pity (drinking problems are serious and should be treated accordingly), amusement, or contempt. But knowing me, I will run with contempt.
Barnaby is a boorish boofheaded bosthoon who can count amongst his ignominious achievements:
1. Pushing back on making available a potentially life-saving cervical cancer vaccine on his flawed reasoning it would encourage promiscuity (Barnaby, that's not how vaccines work and if someone DID become promiscuous, so bloody what?).
2. Pushing back on allowing same-sex marriage on the grounds it would detrimentally impact his daughters' chances of marriage (Barnaby, who do you think gay men are marrying? It's not straight women, okay? This narrative makes no sense whatsoever).
In case you haven't heard, which is a distinct possibility because the Murdoch press fawns all over the Libs and their ilk, Barnaby Joyce was filmed lying pig-drunk on the side of the road swearing into his mobile phone. I don't recall seeing any headlines demanding his resignation, whereas if this were a Labor or Teal pollie, especially a WOMAN, I'm certain there would be demands, capitalised and in the boldest font possible, for that person to leave the country, never mind the office.
Oscar Wilde has a quote wherein he alludes we're all in the gutter, but some are looking at the stars. Barnaby was just slurring swears into his phone.
Do I think this (literal!) guttersnipe should resign for his drunkenness? No, I don't. Do I think he should seek help? I don't know because I'm not qualified to diagnose him with alcoholism. However, he does come across as a gauche pisshead with no social ideas whatsoever, so maybe speak to his spin doctors about THAT. Also, if he is habitually drinking himself to this state, and I said 'if', then he should do something about it. 'Do something' means get dried out, not drink more.
I do think the man should resign because his policies hurt the female and LGBTQI community. Also, there's that little matter of his totally dogshit performance as drought envoy.
His wife has complained about people filming and not helping. I see her point. But maybe passers-by recognised the slurring sloshed slob as Barnaby and didn't want to go near him.
I've never thought of Canberra as being a rough place, but I would like to know that if I did visit again, I could walk the streets at night without fear of tripping over some drunken prone politician.
