Labor’s double standard on misogyny

Image: 'misogynist' Tony Abbott seen here 'having difficulty coping with a strong woman', Chief of Staff Peta Credlin. Picture: Ray Strange Source: The Sunday Telegraph

After Allan Jones made his tasteless reference about Gillard’s father dying of shame over her lying at a Young Liberal function, Labor slammed the Opposition around the head over the fact that a number of Liberal MPs were present who did not walk out in protest.  This is a fair point, although whether a walkout was needed is a matter of conjecture.  Certainly, it would have been better had one or more of them protested.

Last night though, a number of Labor front benchers stayed put when a comedian made what is described as an ‘offensive and tasteless’ joke.  One of them, Prime Minister Julia Gillard has maintained she was not present when it occurred, however her functionary and Treasurer Wayne Swan was not only present, but made a speech afterwards.  None walked out, and none protested until the news broke this morning: 

TREASURER Wayne Swan was still present when a joke was made about Opposition Leader Tony Abbott's female Chief of Staff Peta Credlin and made a speech after the comedian's performance.     

A distasteful and offensive joke about Ms Credlin was made at a Labor union dinner last night attended by Julia Gillard and senior Cabinet Ministers. 

"The comedian’s comments were clearly very inappropriate and offensive.  There’s no place for those kinds of comments and I made that clear to the union this morning," Mr Swan said. The PM this morning called the union and expressed her anger at the joke.

Gillard’s statement can probably be taken at face value despite her well known credibility problems, but Swan has no excuse.  He was in a position to make any discomfort he may have felt over this matter known at the time it occurred, and could have done so during his speech. 

Given that Labor are making a great song and dance over their claim that Abbott is a misogynist who has trouble dealing with strong women’, it would seem to be the obvious course to take.  It is reasonable to assume that Swan was either too stupid to grasp the problem, or was too gutless to object to what his union buddies were laughing at, or was too busy laughing himself.