Friday, June 10

I've been trying to fill the extra leisure time generated by the bad weather to catch up on some of the political books written over the past few years so I picked up The Stalking of Julia Gillard from the library.  I took it to bed last night hoping to read a chapter of two before I turned out the light.

To my surprise, I had to close if after just a few pages; I just couldn't cope with the subject matter and it's gone back to the library this morning.

It was such a low point in our political history, when the bullies took over the playground and the rest of the children gave in to their worst instincts to join in the nastiness.  How was it OK for shock jocks to suggest the PM should be shoved in a chaff bag and taken out to be dropped in the ocean?  How was it OK for an Opposition Leader to take part in a rally with placards saying 'Ditch the Witch??

We're supposed to be a civilised society where our values include respect for each other and tolerance and mate ship, yet all these were set aside to allow us to put in the boot to a hapless victim.  

I suppose I've managed to push the memories and the helpless frustration I felt at the time into a hidden space in the back of my memory and reading about it again was just too painful.  Luckily, I had a back-up book so I've started reading John Cleese's autobiography. Much easier.