Disgraceful

October 1st, 2012 at 3:00 pm by David Farrar

There are calls for a boycott of radio station 2GB over remarks by Sydney broadcaster Alan Jones that the Prime Minister’s father, John Gillard, had “died of shame”.

The talkback host told a packed room of Liberal Party members: “Every person in the caucus of the Labor Party knows that Julia Gillard is a liar, everybody. I will come to that in a moment. The old man recently died a few weeks ago of shame. To think that he has a daughter who told lies every time she stood for Parliament.”

That’s appalling behaviour by Jones, and frankly if he is unable to talk about Gillard without such nasty references to her deceased father, then he shouldn’t be on air.

Hat Tip: Keeping Stock

Tags: Alan Jones, Julia Gillard

This entry was posted on Monday, October 1st, 2012 at 3:00 pm and is filed under International Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

39 Responses to “Disgraceful”

Alan Johnstone (408) Says:
October 1st, 2012 at 3:22 pm
Once was bad enough, but he repeated it the next day
Vote: 0 0 You need to be logged in to vote
Pete George (17,916) Says:
October 1st, 2012 at 3:27 pm
Jones has ‘apologised’ but it looks like it’s a bit late:

Sponsors dump Jones

Investment management firm Challenger has confirmed it has cancelled its advertising relationship with Jones’ program on Sydney radio station 2GB.

Another advertiser, Freedom Furniture, has also pulled its advertising from Jones’ program.
Advertisement

“You spoke, we listened,” Freedom said via its Twitter account. “We do not support the comments made by Alan Jones. We have pulled our advertising off air.”

Mercedes-Benz Australia has also joined the list of companies to withdraw all advertising and marketing associated with Jones.

The German luxury car maker and its network of NSW dealers is believed to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars each year advertising with 2GB, which is part-owned by Jones.

Mercedes-Benz Australia spokesman David McCarthy said the decision to withdraw all advertising was ”made with immediate effect due to the inappropriate remarks made by Alan Jones”.

No doubt because it could see the approaching storm, 2GB removed a list of the station’s advertisers from its website.

But the apology wasn’t seen as enough:

A Challenger spokesman said the company, which manages more than $33 billion in assets, had been considering the move from the moment it became aware of Jones’ remarks about Ms Gillard’s father but it had delayed its decision in order to hear Jones’ response.

More on the apology and the growing list of Jones indiscretions: Jones eats pie – but without much humility

Jones’s apology was undermined when he used the opportunity to continue his attacks on Labor policies, including the carbon tax. He likened the anger about Labor’s policies to the anxiety suffered by troops at Gallipoli.

”In the trenches of Gallipoli people made black-humoured comments about facing death,” he said. ”A lot of people today feel they have got their backs to the door.”

Jones seems to have got a lot of backs up and now he’s the one with his back to the broadcasting door.
Vote: 0 0 You need to be logged in to vote
Nookin (2,520) Says:
October 1st, 2012 at 3:28 pm
“Once was bad enough, but he repeated it the next day”

I listened to his apology. His apology was not for the comments in the 1st place but for repeating them. although it was not broadcast, apparently he made the comment that on the 2nd occasion, he thought he was at a private function.

Not long ago, Murray Deaker interviewed Peter Fitzsimons. This was around the time that Jones was having a crack at Robbie Deans. Fitzsimons says that Jones never makes a comment unless in the has a clear agenda which usually involves some element of self gratification or enhancement. We can probably accept that Jones is not the slightest bit sorry.

I expect DPF to ban him permanently from Kiwiblog.
Vote: 0 0 You need to be logged in to vote
redeye (598) Says:
October 1st, 2012 at 3:43 pm
That’d be Alan “Cottaging” Jones? The lying little rodent gave him Queens Birthday Award for supporting him on radio.
Vote: 0 0 You need to be logged in to vote
Piob (13) Says:
October 1st, 2012 at 3:47 pm
Are Alan Jones and Paul Henry the same person?
Vote: 0 0 You need to be logged in to vote
Ross12 (463) Says:
October 1st, 2012 at 3:53 pm
It looks like Jones is not the only one with disgraceful comments. This from Bob Carr’s speech writer

http://www.ellistabletalk.com/2012/09/12/the-real-julia-stripped-bare/

H/t Andrew Bolt
Vote: 0 0 You need to be logged in to vote
Mark (1,136) Says:
October 1st, 2012 at 4:15 pm
An insincere apology from Jones to a despicable comment. It does not matter what political persuasion you may be this is the very worst type of media and hopefully the sponsorship cancellations keep rolling. 2GB should pull the twat from the airwaves and do everyone a favour.
Vote: 0 0 You need to be logged in to vote
BlairM (2,052) Says:
October 1st, 2012 at 5:18 pm
The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is fair game. She is a Labor Prime Minister, which makes her a liar by default. I see nothing wrong with wondering what her father would think of such behaviour.

People need to get over themselves – this is politics and it is a hard business. HTFU.
Vote: 0 0 You need to be logged in to vote
Viking2 (9,612) Says:
October 1st, 2012 at 5:35 pm
So some advertisers are pulling their money. Bet there will be more waiting for the slot. Advertisers want listeners not bleeding heart doogooders who don’t pat the bills or make the sales.

Best advertiser for most comp[anies in Nz is Fair Go.

And it amuzes me becuase Rudd and Julia have dished it out to plenty to others in their snide ways. In true labour fashion they are now whinging.
A bag of cement each please.
Vote: 0 0 You need to be logged in to vote
RF (784) Says:
October 1st, 2012 at 5:35 pm
Play the ball… Not the man. Not good form old chap. Time to consider how we would feel if someone slagged off at our deceased parents… If applicable.
Vote: 0 0 You need to be logged in to vote
tvb (3,357) Says:
October 1st, 2012 at 5:44 pm
Jones is a highly experienced broadcaster as well as a person of a lot of experience generally. He knew what he was saying was in very poor taster BEFORE he made the remarks, but he thought he could wash it all away with some sort of apology. He knows better a lot better but deliberately did otherwise. I do not know where this will end up but there is a cold calculation in Jones’s remarks and he should pay for it.
Vote: 0 0 You need to be logged in to vote
Pauleastbay (3,874) Says:
October 1st, 2012 at 6:54 pm
Whats the problem?

Its a figure of speech, no one has ever died of shame and then look at the audience Liberal Party, so he was playing to an audience.

And 2GB are loving it, mercedes are getting publicity and advertising – the winner A Jones and 2gb owners

Nookin

And as for Peter Fitzsimmons pointing the finger at Alan Jones , pot, kettle, ebony there mate.
Vote: 0 0 You need to be logged in to vote
bereal (2,628) Says:
October 1st, 2012 at 6:55 pm
Some people need to get a life.

Hey, Pete George, have you ever considered it ?
tvb is almost on to it @ 5.44 but not quite.

What do you think this will this have done for Jones’ ratings ?

Like i say, ‘get a life’

If there ever was someone who neeeded one it’s poor old Pete George.

Lose a sponsor, gain 8 more.
Vote: 0 0 You need to be logged in to vote
my 2 cents (1,085) Says:
October 1st, 2012 at 7:06 pm
She’s a bare faced liar.

Pity her Dad died as we all love our Dads and they love us.

She’s still a liar.
Vote: 0 0 You need to be logged in to vote
nasska (6,690) Says:
October 1st, 2012 at 7:15 pm
my 2 cents

Well said…..the timing was poor but Jones stated the truth.
Vote: 0 0 You need to be logged in to vote
Pete George (17,916) Says:
October 1st, 2012 at 7:24 pm
Hey bereal, get stuffed with your petty attacks. As usual you have little to contribute to the discussion, instead you resort to hissy little niggles and then slink away when asked to say something of substance.

My family has just lost a life. It has quite an impact in the real world. There’s a lot that happens beyond the blogosphere.

And Jones has lost respect he may have had left, big time. There’s a lot more to life than “the ratings’. And more than attempts to score gutless points here.
Vote: 0 0 You need to be logged in to vote
MH (229) Says:
October 1st, 2012 at 7:31 pm
Obvious ploy by Jones to get out of his contract,come to NZ and take over the Closed Up vacuum spot or TV1′s morning doodle. Paul Henry thinks he may have been given a reprieve or is it a cunning plan to oust Graham Henry from the Blues?
Vote: 0 0 You need to be logged in to vote
Pete George (17,916) Says:
October 1st, 2012 at 7:52 pm
What Jones said (on this occasion and others) was bad enough.

This is the same man whose broadcasting track record includes suggesting the Prime Minister should be thrown in a chaff bag and dumped at sea and declaring it was a disgrace for the government to provide financial aid for Pacific nations to empower women into leadership roles, because women were ”destroying the joint”. Jones is not known for reasoned, compassionate intelligence. Why we continue to be outraged by the rank buffoonery that comes out of his mouth is perplexing beyond belief.

But there’s more to this than Alan Jones. He’s an old white sexist shock jock on the wane.

He originally made the remark at Sydney University Liberal Club.

…here we have a university club made up of Young Liberals (many of whom will no doubt have aspirations to enter politics one day) reflecting through their choice of guest speaker exactly where their current politics and values lie.

Not just reflecting.

It’s evident that the SULC – who deleted a next day tweet praising Jones for his ”brilliant speech” – are still firmly tethered to the kind of close-minded, misogynist politics of a man like Alan Jones. The Liberal Party is struggling to discredit their current image of an unprogressive party led by a moralistic misogynist.

Actively participating:

It looks especially bad to see that the SULC’s idea of a good jape is to auction off a jacket made out of chaff bags, both signed and successfully bid on by Jones himself.

And some of the old sexist/young liberal sympathies are being expressed here. Young heads full of themselves, and full of old crap.

http://www.dailylife.com.au/news-and-views/dl-opinion/why-arent-we-beyond-being-offended-by-alan-jones-20121001-26u7m.html
Vote: 0 0 You need to be logged in to vote
Ed Snack (980) Says:
October 1st, 2012 at 8:25 pm
I just don’t get the outrage, it is, to my view, all faked, and that means you DPF as well. We see in Australia an extremely vicious and very personal campaign of vilification being run by Gillard and the Labor party via their new Scottish git, and where’s the outrage. Abbott punches a wall ( not remarked at the time and not witnessed by anybody) and it’s run in half the MSM, Abbott hates woman, Abbott this, Abbott that. Then someone cracks a bit of funny about the crookedest and most dishonest PM Australia’s ever had , and a firestorm erupts.

Even Catherine Deveny in Aus is up in arms, she of the widely expressed wish that her opponents die of “arse cancer” after one of them suffered from Colon cancer, any outrage then ?

Get over it, Gillard is a rotten example of a human being running an extremely unpleasant highly personally hate campaign against an opposing politician, and you get upset by an undoubtedly accurate remark about her recently deceased father.

Get over yourselves, hypocrisy has a certain stench, and boy is it strong today.
Vote: 0 0 You need to be logged in to vote
Michael (717) Says:
October 1st, 2012 at 8:27 pm
From my one dealing with Jones – he’s a cock who can’t get his head around the idea he may be wrong.
Vote: 0 0 You need to be logged in to vote
flipper (1,751) Says:
October 1st, 2012 at 8:58 pm
This comment this evening from a buddy – a former Editor in Chief of the Age, Melbourne, and not at all a poussy cat:

” It’s a new low in political commentary. He is a pig of a man with a vast, populist, following and
He supports the conservative side of politics. There is uproar, just about everywhere, at remarks which
no decent human being would make about a colleague’s dead dad [ the died of shame remark was not
Only appalling, it was also quite untrue. Mr G loved and admired his daughter and she him] . I
Imagine it will blow over until his next outburst.

Free speech: sometimes we pay a high price for it.
Vote: 0 0 You need to be logged in to vote
Dean Papa (403) Says:
October 1st, 2012 at 9:02 pm
Jones has become a grotesque, bloated caricature. How fitting then that the self-loathing homosexual is the voice of he wacky right in Oz.
Vote: 0 0 You need to be logged in to vote
barry (1,317) Says:
October 1st, 2012 at 9:05 pm
Appalling my arse.

Ive heard many similar comments from many Ausy politicians – and even Muldon would fit into the same group.

Its tree – Gillard told and tells lies. Its also true that her father (and mother) should feel ashamed of a daughter who tells such lies.
All jones was doing was telling a story which might be a lot closer to the truth than many might suspect.

What a bunch of PC todding idiots all you who have complained are. We need more direct talking in this world – not less.
Vote: 0 0 You need to be logged in to vote
Pauleastbay (3,874) Says:
October 1st, 2012 at 9:12 pm
Baz

agree with your comment, but the swyping needs abit of a polish up
Vote: 0 0 You need to be logged in to vote
Viking2 (9,612) Says:
October 1st, 2012 at 9:19 pm
And look as the freasy slimy hand bag carrying Labour louts are in to now.Trying to lay the blame on Abbott.

http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/sponsors-drop-alan-jones-after-attack-on-pm-20121001-26ugl.html

Abanese the sleaze and his hand bag Maidens.
Vote: 0 0 You need to be logged in to vote
bereal (2,628) Says:
October 1st, 2012 at 10:00 pm
Pete George @ 7.24

i’m truly sorry to hear that your family has recently lost a life.

But to use that as an excuse to try to bolster your ‘superior than thou.’ position is disgusting.

And the most pathetic thing about your post is that after remarking on your personal loss to help
you try to score a point you have the gall to accuse me of being gutless.

You are a disgrace mate.
Vote: 0 0 You need to be logged in to vote
Tauhei Notts (1,296) Says:
October 1st, 2012 at 10:07 pm
I remember when Alan Jones coached the Wallabies.
They were always brilliant in the first half, because, if they weren’t the coach would come on at half time and pull them off.
Vote: 0 0 You need to be logged in to vote
Dazzaman (1,013) Says:
October 1st, 2012 at 10:37 pm
It’s Alan Jones. He can be tasteless, crass & correct all in one go….
Vote: 0 0 You need to be logged in to vote
Lee C (4,499) Says:
October 2nd, 2012 at 7:42 am
We see vitriol and bile of a similar type everyday on KB. Why is this guy held to a different set of moral standards?
By this I mean why should he consider himself any different to the countless bloggers who engage in warped rants?

Perhaps this Jones guy merely represents the effect that blogging has had on our tendency to be rude – it’s become a new norm, and we are all in part, culpable.
Vote: 0 0 You need to be logged in to vote
Pete George (17,916) Says:
October 2nd, 2012 at 8:27 am
bereal, you should be more concerned about your own behaviour. You seem to think it’s cool to niggle at others here. I think you are gutless, for example on Saturday (on GD) when pushed to actually say what you thought of something instead of being a petty critical you disappeared making excuses.
Vote: 0 0 You need to be logged in to vote
ChardonnayGuy (597) Says:
October 2nd, 2012 at 9:55 am
Incidentally, Winston’s little friend, Michael Laws, has been similarly reprimanded for analogous shockjockery by our own Broadcasting Standards Authority. As for Australia, its geriatric motley assemblage of squawkback hacks is only matched here by CanWest bottom feeder radio, fortunately, and I am not surprised at Alan Jones latest anencephalic rant about Gillard, even if I have little time for most of the ALP myself. She is mourning the death of a parent and that grief must be must be respected.
Vote: 0 0 You need to be logged in to vote
boredboy (237) Says:
October 2nd, 2012 at 11:46 am
Paul East Bay:

You are quite correct that Mercedes-Benz Australia, Freedom, Telstra, Coles, Bing Lee (chain of electronic goods superstores), Challenger (financial services), ING Direct and the Australian International Motor Show are all receiving publicity over the incident. They are receiving publicity for pulling their advertising on 2GB.

How could this possibly benefit the station?

How could this possibly benefit Jones? Considering many of the advertisers have pulled sponsorship for his show only?
Vote: 0 0 You need to be logged in to vote
redeye (598) Says:
October 2nd, 2012 at 12:45 pm
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/backlash-over-comments-about-julia-gillards-late-father-hits-alan-jones-hard/story-e6frf7jo-1226486151934

The fallout for the broadcaster over his controversial comment that Julia Gillard’s father “died of shame” has intensified, with more sponsors pulling ads, his top-rating radio show being axed by several regional radio stations and the talkback host dumped from speaking at an anti-coal seam gas rally.

Honda Australia and Hyundai this morning announced they would be withdrawing their advertisements, following a similar overnight move by Bing Lee.
Vote: 0 0 You need to be logged in to vote
Pete George (17,916) Says:
October 2nd, 2012 at 12:56 pm
bereal at 6:55 pm

Some people need to get a life.

Hey, Pete George, have you ever considered it ?
tvb is almost on to it @ 5.44 but not quite.

What do you think this will this have done for Jones’ ratings ?

Like i say, ‘get a life’

If there ever was someone who neeeded one it’s poor old Pete George.

Lose a sponsor, gain 8 more.

Lose 9 sponsors, so how many of the 72 more have been gained?

Ratings are used to attract sponsors, but they aren’t much use if sponsors are more intent on deserting the shit.
Vote: 0 0 You need to be logged in to vote
boredboy (237) Says:
October 2nd, 2012 at 2:35 pm
Now 15 companies have jumped ship.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-10-02/embattled-jones-returns-to-the-airwaves/4290218

nt gd
Vote: 0 0 You need to be logged in to vote
TM (65) Says:
October 2nd, 2012 at 7:58 pm
I love the double standards of some people. Attacking Cameron Slater over the loss of his mother is a hanging offense but saying something similar about a politician is fair enough. People who lack such basic human empathy are the reason why society is in such a mess. You are on the same level as the crims who don’t give a shit about what other people go through. And deserve the same treatment.
Vote: 0 0 You need to be logged in to vote
RF (784) Says:
October 2nd, 2012 at 8:02 pm
TM. Agree with you 100%.
Vote: 0 0 You need to be logged in to vote
ChardonnayGuy (597) Says:
October 3rd, 2012 at 10:32 am
And I also agree with TM. We should respect people’s right to grieve, regardless of political affiliation. And I’ve got numbers of centre-right friends, so ideology is no problem for me. Even if Gillard isn’t my favourite person either, exactly the same applies.
Vote: 0 0 You need to be logged in to vote
V (584) Says:
October 4th, 2012 at 1:31 am
Look at everyone trip over themselves to prove how PC they are.
Vote: 0 0 You need to be logged in to vote

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Kiwiblog

Disgraceful

Share this:

Related posts:

39 Responses to “Disgraceful”

Leave a Reply