Tuesday, December 16, 2014

RETURN OF FABULA TO CANBERRA

Drastic  action required  to  remove barnacles and  boofheads  from  the  body  politic  ?
In the  reign of  Prime Minister  Jolly  John  Gorton, during which it was claimed  somebody  chundered  in the swimming pool at The Lodge in Canberra,  his Principal Private Secretary  was the  highly  efficient  Ainsley  Gotto, railed against  by  some members of the Conservatives.  She was too close to the PM , wielded  too much power , they complained . When former Minister for Air, Dudley Erwin, was dropped  in a cabinet reshuffle, he explained his removal thus...."It wiggles, its shapely and its name is Ainsley Gotto  ."  This  clearly indicated  there  was  a strong  streak of   misogyny in  the fractious  Coalition at  the  time . 

Sheilas  with   brains  running the  nation - what next!!! They  should be  at home emulating  Queen Victoria,  making  sure not  to entertain sly  Mr Brown, the man who  delivers  the  farm  fresh  lactose  to  the doorstep. 

Knowing  more  than  what the butler saw  and heard  in Canberra,  journalist Pete Steedman , editor  of  the  then  new  publication    Broadside , in 1969 launched the raunchy  comic  strip, Fabula , drawn by Gerald Carr.  The  said  skimpily  clad  Fabula  wielded  a  whip and  ran the office  of   a   leader in  a great  southern   land in which there were many sheep  that   Asians and others  wanted to snaffle .   Fabula  even confronted  Tricky  Dicky  in a country which was a  great and  powerful  ally .  Thinly  disguised   leading politicians  appeared  in  the  strip.  Not  long  after it was launched  out came the  bitching  about  poor Ainsley  Gotto .  Gotto went  on to carve out a   successful  career  in  international  business.  She  married a lawyer and in 2008 returned to parliament as chief of  staff to Shadow Finance Minister, Senator Helen  Coonan. Coincidently, Coonan's former chief  of  staff  had been  one  Peta Credlin .

Now the same situation has surfaced  over  the performance of  Tony Abbott’s  head of  the  Prime Minister’s Office , Peta Credlin. If any bunch of politicians needs  whipping  by  a   Madam Lash  type  it  is surely  the present bumbling  Coalition . Speaker  Bronwyn  Bishop  is doing  her  bit on  the  rowdy  Opposition.  Going on  the squeaky voices of  some  anxious born to rule types , Ms. Purick's  painful  green  round  rubber ring   is  also being  applied.   

Pete  Steedman ,  still unpacking  boxes of  books and  files  after moving from his bushy retreat  to  suburbia , has  made  some typically  pungent  comments  about  Fabula  and  the   situation  in  which  Peta  is  placed.  He firmly believes the time is ripe for  a modern day  Fabula  comic  strip.  Any takers out  there in media  land ?