Parnell Palme McGuinness must have had memory loss while writing her opinion piece (“Time’s up: misogyny must end”, February 20). She rightly opines about leaders on the left not calling out misogyny, but totally fails to address the disgraceful and disgusting attacks on Julia Gillard by Tony Abbott and his fellow right-wing conservatives. These attacks were inexcusable and continued unabated during her tenure. I don’t recall McGuinness, or her fellow conservatives, giving any support to Gillard. In fact, it was quite the opposite.
As for “crumb maidens”, does she not recall what happened to Julie Bishop? She did everything her fellow MPs asked of her, always toeing the party line. When the biggest crumb fell her way her fellow party members refused to vote for her as PM and instead installed a Prime Minister who appears to be presiding over one of the most incompetent governments Australia has ever had.
Poor behaviour needs to be called out but both sides of politics are guilty. It is not a left or right issue. It is an issue created by men who are enabled, in many instances, by women who want the “crumbs” powerful men have to offer. Jill Phillips, Newstead (QLD)
Few of us would admit to misogyny, but most of us condone it in one form or other, and all suffer from its effects in a society that deems one half of its population less worthy than the other. The sad reality is that we are conditioned from birth to regard femininity as weaker and less desirable than masculinity.
Culture, religion, politics, education and economics all perpetuate misogyny to a degree. But seldom are our choices and actions the result of one factor alone. What McGuinness describes is an obnoxious mix of misogyny, tribalism, ambition, insecurity and plain foul behaviour. It’s easy to assign labels, appropriate trends and mimic vocabulary; much harder to conduct oneself with decency and respect for others. Meredith Williams, Northmead
Unhealthy equation
The states want $20 billion to bolster the country’s health system after the devastation that the COVID-19 experience has wrought (“Coalition hits $20b brick wall on health”, February 20). The federal government is not amused. But this is the exact sum unnecessarily spent on support of major companies under the JobKeeper scheme. First things first, apparently. John Hinde, Millers Point
Common ground
I liked reading of Ray Martin’s appreciation of his Gamilleroi ancestry as well his predominantly Irish forbears (“In two words, Martin reveals his political view: it’s time”, February 20).
In our tragic colonial history of land stealing, massacre and exploitation, it is not so surprising that partnerships sprang up between Indigenous people, suddenly made strangers in their own land, and the Irish, fleeing famine and persecution. Stephen Langford, Paddington
Misogyny diatribe ignores Gillard onslaught
Source: Philippines Alive
