Saturday 15 March 2008

Memo to Malcolm Turnbull, Coalition Shadow Treasurer

Dear Malcolm,
Did your father never explain the problems with telling tall stories, whoppers, pork pies? Or the dangers of uttering fibs, stretching the truth, gilding the lily, colouring the facts - in other words, lying.
I'm sure he must have. Pity that paternal lesson appears to be forgotten.
This week you displayed a monumental lapse in both common sense and political acumen when you insisted that Treasury had given specific advice to the Rudd Government to recommend a dollar amount in any submission concerning the minimum wage case currently before the Fair Pay Commission.
You were exposed as misleading the Australian people on this issue, yet you still went on to give a number of interviews in which you continued to spread the canard and cast aspersions on the Treasury Secretary when he publicly denied your claims.
Your argument became so feeble with repetition that you expanded the fibbing with this.
"He said his proof was that Prime Minister Kevin Rudd had not denied it when he put it to him in question time this week.
"He declined to contradict me. He did not correct me. If I was so wrong, why didn't he correct me on Wednesday? You have to ask yourself,'' Mr Turnbull said."
Now Mal, that wasn't just untruthful it was downright dumb. A great many people heard Question Time last Wednesday, including yours truly, and we all can check the exact wording online.
Mate, it's time your enlistment papers were stamped snarler and you were sent back from the political trenches.
Hooroo,
Pete

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