Sam “Yobbo” Ward has put in a blatantly self-serving bid to win this week’s Blog Bile Award by republishing substantial extracts from his previous anti-West Coast Eagles rant under the guise of a new rant against just retired Weagles player Glen Jakovich.
Despite the arguably confected quality of Yobbo’s outrage, it’s a strong entry. However, so too is Steve Edwards’ rant against “left-liberalism“:
The inspiration for this comes from a constant, burning rage at the slow motion destruction of this beautiful country by a cabal of unpatriotic, hate-filled neo-Jacobins who are determined to wipe out all traces of Australia’s unique origins and (relatively) successful culture and economy that have made this country a shining example to the teeming billions of the world.
The only reservation I have about Steve’s entry is that it might conceivably be adjudged to run foul of a just-written rule that I mentioned yesterday in a comment on Chris Sheil’s blog:
A good piece of bile can’t, however, descend into complete gibbering paranoid lunacy, which tends to disqualify many of the RWDB blogs and a few on the left as well.
However, my current feeling is that Steve’s piece retains just enough of a grip on observable reality to remain a candidate.
Gee do rants on sport count? I’d better get cracking then…
YES. So much more fun than politics.
As paranoid lunacy goes, Steve’s post is closer than anything I’ve seen him write before (but then, haven’t visited for a while), but not too bad on the “Australian ‘blogger” scale of things. If we were to take into account the screeds of the Americans as well, he appears to be a little way away from the line and accelerating fast…
His post, while bafflingly senseless (and I mean that in a good way), is shocking not because of its content — it’s a slightly hysterical re-working of some famous right-wing ideas — but because, hey, this is *Steve Edwards* apparently believing all that.
“Paranoid lunacy”?
Sounds alright to me.
Whoops.
Before I hit the “post” button I meant to add Charles Bukowski’s dictum “A paranoid is a man with all the facts”.
Well, John Ray seems to have nominated me for this post, which he described as “hate-filled”.
Tim, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I can’t possibly enter you in this week’s contest with a post as cool and rational as that. You’ll have to do much better. John Ray, on the other hand, would be likely to enter the lists quite frequently if it weren’t for the paranoid lunacy rule mentioned above.
nothing to do with this thread, but you will see why I am putting it up: (thank Robert Corrs)
MP `drunk, disorderly’ on flight
By LUKE McILVEEN
25may04
FEDERAL Liberal MP Dave Tollner has been accused of getting drunk and slapping colleagues around the head while on a Qantas flight from Adelaide to Canberra on Sunday night.
Parliamentary colleagues aboard flight QF708 said the Northern Territory MP refused to sit down on approach to Canberra and demanded more alcohol as the plane was about to land.
“He was standing up when the seat belt sign was on coming into Canberra,” South Australian Labor MP Rod Sawford said yesterday.
Another witness said Mr Tollner asked for more alcohol just before landing, but he was refused by cabin crew.
Mr Sawford said Mr Tollner also slapped Liberal colleague Christopher Pyne across the back of the head. Mr Pyne declined to comment yesterday. Also in the business class cabin with Mr Tollner, Mr Sawford and Mr Pyne were Labor Senator Nick Bolkus and Liberal MPs Chris Gallus and Patrick Secker.
Mr Tollner last night denied he was drunk, saying he had two beers in the Adelaide flight lounge and one glass of Baileys liqueur on the flight to Canberra.
“I don’t think I got out of my seat,” he said.
From The Advertiser. Typical southern sensationalism
Two beers? Sounds like he can’t hold his drink…
While I don’t necessarily condone Tollner’s behavior, before I condemn it I would need to satisfy myself that this was not a manifestation of Qantas-rage.
QR is a phenomenum where passengers who have tolerated the service of that particular airline over many flights finally snap over a minor issue and go what appears to be over the top. It may be very easy to dismiss Tollner as someone who can’t handle his drink but he may also just be one of the many who can’t handle Qantas.
When you read about me being dragged off a 767 into the awaiting truncheons of the Federal Police, after you finish cheering; please pay me the courtesy of acknowledging that it was not just about the 8 gins & tonic and an alledgedly broken jatz in the cheese pack; it was about nearly every flight I ever took.
That might be the real cause of deep vein thrombosis, you know…
James,
Your comment reminds me to mention a vintage Yobbo rant against Qantas from last December. It’d certainly merit a Blog Bile Award had I been awarding them back then. In fact it’s a classic splenetic blog rant that’s well worth re-reading IMO. I can’t say I’ve personally found that Qantas service on average is any worse than other airlines, but there certainly seem to be quite a few travellers who’ve found otherwise. Maybe it’s because I’m a fairly undemanding traveller who accepts that airline food is going to be shithouse, and who’s perfectly happy to drink a couple of small bottles of vin ordinaire on a 6 hour flight and then curl up in the tiny cattle-class seat with a good book.
Ken,
out of curiosity, have you ever flown Air Sri Lanka?
Mark,
No. Why do you ask? Do they throw pillows down the aisles instead of bowling them or something?
I’ve flown on Air Lanka from KL to Columbo. It was the oldest DC10 I’ve ever seen and made all sorts of groaning noises when taking off. Fortunately I was sitting next to a group of Air Lanka employees (including two maintenance men) on their way back from a cricket carnival in Malaysia who ensured me that, although old, the aeroplane was in good repair and would get us to and from without any problems. It did.
Yes Ken, you remind me of me when flying solo on business and you are absolutely correct. The service is fine if you have no intention of doing anything other than sitting down shutting up and behaving like good obedient cattle. On these occasions all you have to deal with are the delays in take off.
Try travelling with friends and appear to be having a pleasant chat, a push of the call button for an extra drink or two and you see another side altogether.
Deregulation – don’t you just love it!
Funny you should mention it, Chris, I’ve never flown Aeroflot but I feel like I have. Aeroflot without the crashes that is.
More blog, jam, etc
Reporting from Nauru, and again helping the Yobbo come to grips with the fact that most people these days are to the left of Attilla the Hun, Lord Sedgwick has posted everyperson’s guide to the week’s best reading in the…
More blog, jam, etc
Reporting from Nauru, and again helping the Yobbo come to grips with the fact that most people these days are to the left of Attilla the Hun, Lord Sedgwick has posted everyperson’s guide to the week’s best reading in the…