How Australia’s winking Tony Abbott became one of the world’s most unpopular prime ministers

In politics it is often the simple things that have the most influence on voters. And so we are seeing this week as university students contemplate paying higher fees while knowing the PM’s daughter avoided the millstone of a HELP* debt because one of her daddy’s Liberal Party friends helped her get a scholarship. The politics of this part of the Coalition budget could hardly be worse. There the story was again tonight at the top of the list of most talked about items on 9 News, just like yesterday.
22-05-2014 ninenewsStill near the top of the list as well – tonight just behind the bull – is what the Washington Post on its website has called, surprise, surprise, Winkgate, under the headline How Australia’s winking Tony Abbott became one of the world’s most unpopular prime ministers
(YouTube)
Finally, the madness has taken its name: Winkgate. The gate opened when Australia’s prime minister, who has recently bungled his way from one scandal to the next, took a call from a listener on a radio show that was filmed.
The caller was worried about money. She was a grandmother. And a sex hotline worker. “I am a 67-year-old pensioner, three chronic incurable medical conditions — two life-threatening,” the caller, named Gloria, said. “I just survive on about $400 a fortnight after I pay my rent. And I work on an adult sex line to make ends meet.”
Abbott, who took office last September, then smirked for the briefest of moments and winked — unleashing a tidal wave of criticism, tweets and headlines.
This, of course, is nothing new for Tony Abbott, who’s quickly becoming one of the world’s most hated prime ministers. He just unveiled a draconian austerity budget that analysts call the most extreme and least popular of the past four decades in Australia. His approval rating has plunged to 30 percent. And then there’s the irreverent hashtag #MorePopularThanAbbott, which suggests that both toilet paper and flat tires are more popular than the prime minister.
Back on the home front, 7 News also had the winking as its top of the pops.
22-05-2014 7news
Over at the ABC, Sex line grandmother labels Abbott’s wink ‘sleazy’ and ‘slimy’ (video)was the most popular item for the last 24 hours.
And to think that yesterday I wrote that it would be Hard to think of a worse day for Abbott and Hockey as political salesmen. Just mark that down as another one of my mistakes.

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