The Chronicles of Lidia

[David]

“It’s sad people are utilising whatever they can to drag me down when we’re trying to discuss important issues in this country,” she said.

Delusional much?


“We’re sick of asking the Government, we’re sick of standing like poor people saying, ‘Can you give us some money? Can you help us?’ We’re sick of it.”

Sick of it? My word.... and we the taxpayers, pay this lunatic 100's of 1000's a year. Wow.

To be fair, it seems pretty clear in the second quote that she's talking about Indigenous people more broadly, not herself.

It's also true that the focus on her and her behaviour, rather than the issues at stake around the referendum, is a distraction. Unfortunately, she has to take responsibility for that, because nobody else put her in that position.

[stui magpie]

Apparently her Dad was on Sky News during the week, I read an extract of the interview somewhere.

Her Dad is white, English and Irish Convict ancestry, he's dissapointed that she refuses to acknowledge that part of her heritage and outright called her a racist against white people.

he also debunked any notion of mental health issues and said she was just a strong person. She may be sharper than I/we give her credit for and is working on the theory that any publicity is good publicity, but personally I think she's an attention seeking idiot.

[David]

[watt price tully]

Most of what Thorpe says is on the money. However, her judgement needs to be queried. Placing herself in situations where she does draw negative attention to herself as she seems to do a fair bit doesn’t instill confidence.

Enough with the shouty persona.

On the other hand if the extremist nutters on Sky News and other Murdoch rags are “outraged” then she’s likely doing something right.

[think positive]

Apparently her Dad was on Sky News during the week, I read an extract of the interview somewhere.

Her Dad is white, English and Irish Convict ancestry, he's dissapointed that she refuses to acknowledge that part of her heritage and outright called her a racist against white people.

he also debunked any notion of mental health issues and said she was just a strong person. She may be sharper than I/we give her credit for and is working on the theory that any publicity is good publicity, but personally I think she's an attention seeking idiot.

Are well there’s a fiery mix!

[stui magpie]

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-06-15/ ... /102481814

She's back. Makes allegations against a Senator Van under Parliamentary Privilege, then withdraws them, then makes generalised accusations against unnamed men in the corridors of power.

My impression of her is that she's more likely to physically rip the balls off any bloke who made unwanted advances to her than cower in a corner, but I don't know her personally.

Interesting timing. Is it legit? Is it bandwagon jumping? She's a hard book to read.

[David]

Hard to know what's going on here, but all I can say is I doubt that Peter Dutton would have removed this guy from the party room if he had reason to think that Thorpe was making completely baseless allegations.

The ABC article also suggests that she only withdrew the comments because of rules around casting aspersions on other senators' character.

[watt price tully]

Larissa Waters of the Greens has disclosed to the Senate that Lidia Thorpe told her 2 years ago that the Liberal Senator did what Lidia said he did. Thorpe chose then not to go public with it because it would have detracted in her view from Brittany Higgins.

The Liberal Van is a “dead man walking” .

[David]

Even more so now that a former Liberal Party senator has come out with testimony about him doing something similar to her:

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal ... 5dgz6.html

[watt price tully]

Even more so now that a former Liberal Party senator has come out with testimony about him doing something similar to her:

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal ... 5dgz6.html

While her manner at times can be grating and divisive I gotta give her her dues; she’s courageous. Loved her parting shot at the increasingly irrelevant Pauline Hanson when away from the parliamentary microphone Hanson kept on saying bullshit and referred to Thorpe’s brave and distressing disclosure as crocodile tears told Hanson to “F*ck off Pauline” as she was leaving.

[David]

Thorpe tilting at windmills again:

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/202 ... -australia

Thorpe had shouted at Charles: “You committed genocide against our people. Give us our land back. Give us what you stole from us – our bones, our skulls, our babies, our people.

“You destroyed our land. Give us a treaty. We want a treaty in this country. You are a ‘genocidalist’.”

As Thorpe was ushered out from the hall, she added: “Give us a treaty – we want a treaty with this country … This is not your land, this is not your land, you are not my king, you are not our king.”

This protest is kind of the $2 store knock-off of Bob Brown and Kerry Nettle heckling George W Bush, an actual world leader with power, in the midst of him perpetrating an illegal war. Here, you're yelling at someone who literally can't do any of the things you're asking of him. King Charles could in theory be the most progressive guy on the planet and say all the right things about colonisation and his country's past, and what would it change?

I'm all for disrupting public events and not showing deference to authority – God knows the royal family shouldn't exist – but this is just cringeworthy.

[stui magpie]

^
Particularly cringeworthy for a Senator

[David]

For the sake of fairness, here's a defence of Thorpe's actions that makes some good points:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... en-a-shock

The vehemence and hypocrisy of the right-wing backlash to stuff like this does make it more tempting to stand up for her. I certainly don't think any First Nations person should feel obligated to pay respect to the Crown, given what it represents.

I just wish she was smarter about interventions like this, because they are going to be alienating to the vast majority of people, who will find it hard to understand why a politician is yelling impossible demands at a ceremonial figurehead (whereas silent dissent, such as staying in your seat or turning your back – as Thorpe apparently initially did – might be much more effective). If you can't pick your battles or wage them with some temperance and tactical intelligence, you're essentially doing counter-PR for the many reasonable causes you might support.

For a long time, police have infiltrated activist groups, often trying to spur them into more extreme action in order to discredit them. I'm sure Lidia Thorpe isn't an op, but intentions become less important than outcome when you act like one.

[SLORT]

No idea how or when a Republic is ever going to happen if everyone continues to behave in the ways we always have. And until we cut the apron strings I don't know how we can ever say that we are an independent nation. The bigger issue though is that we have two liege lords. Remove the one and the other will just get a bigger share of the Aussie pie.

https://www.dfat.gov.au/trade/trade-and ... -australia

[David]

Seems like King Charles got off lightly:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/ ... d-hit-town