Respecting the office of Prime Minister

Why are we allowing the office of Prime Minister to be denigrated.

I have been following politics very closely since the sacking of Whitlam in 1975 and I have say I don't think any PM has copped as much disrespect as Julia Gillard has in her term as PM.

As a gentleman on face book put it so perfectly last night 

"After everything Julia Gillard has been through - the personal attacks and vilification from Abbott and his LNP stooges as well as the MSM - not once has she resorted to the same personal attacks on any other person. And she has been subjected to more personal attacks than any other Prime Minister of this country! "Ditch the Witch", "Bob Brown's Bitch", "Her father died of shame", "A dodgy lawyer at best", "Slit her throat", "back stabber", "make an honest woman of herself", and others! Yet she remains a strong, dignified and respectful person. Julia Gillard has treated her position as Prime Minister of Australia as a privilege and an honour and deserves the same respect in return for the position she holds!"

I just had to have a laugh when I heard the best that Hockey could come up with was that Julia called him "Fat " and that because he was referred to as a man wearing a white shirt and blue tie she must be calling him a misogynist. To then say he had no knowledge of the Menu at a small party gathering of Liberal supporters at a restaurant of a paid up member of the party - Please give me a break there would have been the usual nudge and a wink and a laugh over a glass of red. 

Don't worry it goes on for both sides of politics the joking and the poking of fun it just doesn't degenerate into sexism is most cases, if you look at the menu there was some actual humour about Swan and it probably wouldn't have got a airing but rightly it has as it crossed the line and displays the Liberal Party's total disregard and lack of respect for women and the Office of Prime Minister.

For Julia to call Abbott a misogynist is actually a intelligent and articulate way to have a level of debate that is mature and actually shows that there is no need to get down to the gutter of name calling to actually describe the political cut of ones Jib.

In 1971 Fraser ran a campaign against Gorton and forced him into a position where he would be rolled and supported the insertion of McMahon as the Prime Minister did he get denigrated for that no. McMahon was shown the respect of the office and then ran as leader.

After the Whitlam sacking people where baying for Frasers blood and calling him all sorts of denigrating and actually very unfortunate descriptions  but once he was duly elected the Media and the public gave him the respect that comes with being the Prime Minister.

I have to say that regardless of your opinion as to the method on how she came to be leader she was elected via the process that is determined by the parliamentary system and she was the leader of choice for Labor during the last election.  I will remind people that they do not elect the prime minister they elect their parliamentary representative and from them a leader is chosen based on a majority process. 

The government is made up of  the 72 members of the Labor Party (The largest party) and the 3 Independents and one Green the Coalition is made up of 5 parties (not one) Liberals, LNP, Nationals, Nationals WA and CLP with Katter supporting the Coalition. this is 76-74 with the speaker coming from the Government there is a democratic government. Abbott would have accepted power if he was able to convince the independents to come across but he failed, since then all he has done is try to disable the government and run a negative campaign despite this the Gillard Government has continued to implement major reforms and affect change.

The coalition is not a single party they are as fragmented as ever and are only holding it together to get them selves back into power. Once power is achieved there will be the usual jockeying for certain promises to be fulfilled and the minor parties will try to get as much of their agenda through as possible. 

I can assure you that if they get a majority in both the House of representatives and the Senate we will have the opportunity to call Abbott on his "promises"that are broken but I would like to think that we would still give him the respect that comes with being the PM of Australia.

The alternative of cause is to make sure that he doesn't get the majority and to ensure we keep him out of government.