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Do you think Tony Abbott's St Patrick's Day message is offensive?

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    #62
    The Diabolical Monocle
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 2,618 ✭✭✭The Diabolical Monocle


    Bambi wrote: »
    He's an Australian so its odds on that whatever he's saying is crass and offensive.

    Here's his first unedited take of the speech

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOZp1nJDbFE


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    #63
    jank
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 13,018 ✭✭✭✭jank


    We reap what we sow. If we have successfully branded ourselves as a fun loving, singing and drinking Irish people to the world, then we can't be offended when that is what we are cast as by the world.

    Ireland has a a love/hate relationship with drink but its going to take generations to change it, that's of course if we want to change it. Not many really do, so meh. So, Yeah for paddywhackery, it brings to tourists to town.

    On an aside note, the only reason this has made the news in the SMH is because of domestic politics. SMH is owned by Fairfax media which is waging a bit of a war against the Liberals and Tony Abbott (google Joe Hockey and defamation and Fairfax for the reasons why). Tony Abbot of course is quite unpopular at the moment and looks to be dumped soon by his own party, thus its easy to kick a man while he is down and of course another headline of "Tony Abott says something wrong" is pure clickbait at the moment in Australia. Hence why you have over 54% saying its offensive. They find the messeger offensive not the message. How do I know this. Well he made almost the exact same speech last year and no one much batted an eyelid...

    http://www.irishecho.com.au/2014/03/19/video-tony-abbotts-st-patricks-day-message/31146


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    #64
    porsche959
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,499 ✭✭✭porsche959


    Abbott is a weird, downright creepy individual with some odd connections. He makes the neo-con GWB arselicker John Howard look sensible, put it that way.

    But this message he put out isn't offensive per se, it's just faintly odd, like everything he does.


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    #65
    creolebelle
    Registered Users Posts: 440 ✭✭creolebelle


    He looks like frank Sinatra


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    #66
    IrishTrajan
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,703 ✭✭✭IrishTrajan


    stunmer wrote: »
    In the Sydney Morning Herald it has a poll to ask whether the message is offensive. 54% say yes so far. The youtube title describes it as 'patronising'.

    I don't know much about Tony Abbott but I have seen the odd video clip and seen him appear in various headlines for allegedly being misogynistic and racist but I don't have any issue with him in this video.

    When have we become so sensitive that we get offended when someone connects St Patrick's Day to alcohol? Obviously it's not the image we would like to convey but we can't blame other countries for making that connection.

    We need to clean up our image and not be offended when other people 'say it like it (often) is'.


    Ah for feck sake, it's a bit of light-hearted humour. We are a nation of drinkers. We have the fifth highest alcohol consumption per head in Europe, behind Germany/Austria (who drink beer like we drink tea), France (who drink wine with every meal) and Estonia (what they're doing on the list, i have no idea).

    Tony Abbot is pro-Irish, and the Irish are the second largest ethnic group in Australia.

    If we can't have a laugh and a joke about ourselves, what's the point in even having St. Patrick's Day be celebrated around the world?


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    #67
    colossus-x
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,202 ✭✭✭colossus-x


    I tried desperate hard to be offended but couldn't find anything. Actually I quite liked it lol


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    #68
    IrishTrajan
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,703 ✭✭✭IrishTrajan


    colossus-x wrote: »
    I tried desperate hard to be offended but couldn't find anything. Actually I quite liked it lol

    We passed up some prime banter though. I kinda wish Enda had the wit to reply with a video of him sitting in a prison cell, dipping plastic cups into the toilet, and saying "Guinness? I always took Australians to be prison-wine type of guys".

    A shame, really.


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    #69
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 50,630 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    bb1234567 wrote: »
    He joked about having a guinness ..or two..or even three to celebrate the day. Apparently reinforcing drinking stereotypes. Utter BS, but yeah thats where the 'offence' was found

    Oh right.

    I'm going to stop talking to my mates wot are out foreign now so. They're always going on about how they'd love to be here having a pint with me.

    The racist bastards.


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    #70
    jimgoose
    Registered Users Posts: 20,176 ✭✭✭✭jimgoose


    Kermit.de.frog wrote: »
    ...Surely the powers that be must realise that this is not the best image for Ireland to be sending? Can they not avoid handing heads of state a pint?

    It works reasonably well for Bavaria. That tweet shows three grown men enjoying a pint of stout-ale.


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    #71
    jimgoose
    Registered Users Posts: 20,176 ✭✭✭✭jimgoose


    Abbot is a bit of a plank. That isn't offensive either, any more than his message is. :D


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    #72
    gandalf
    Registered Users Posts: 26,458 ✭✭✭✭gandalf


    I'd be far more offended if I was an Australian knowing he was representing the country abroad :)


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