None of Andrew Bolt's former lovers and colleagues who have gone on the record, seem to believe he really is the "foaming at the mouth" rightie-denier that he chooses to portray himself as --- in public ---- for fame & money.
They think he saw a way to move up from being a relatively unknown Labour-Party-supporting hackette to become Australia's FOX NEWS' Bill 'Oh Really?' --- if he moved quickly, before some genuine Aussie right-winger did so.
So it was a pure free enterprise move - the traditional nimble jump-in to fill a hole in the market, before something bigger and richer does it for you.
I am in Canada miles away and what can I make of these claims?
Only this in support of their views: in my experience, most righties have at least one unpredictable leftie flag to wave --- say opposition to the death penalty in an otherwise down the line old cold warrior.
Andrew Bolt's (public) positions ( I mean who knows what he really thinks in the privacy of his bank vault?) are always so predictably popular with his intended audience one would think his minders test-market them before he emits them like so much leaking radiation.
Like most of Australia's Dutch, and thus rather different than many Dutch in Canada (perhaps because of the spillover effect of the Canadian liberation of the Netherlands) his family upon arriving in the Australia of the 1950s dropped their Dutchness and their Dutch names,to 'fit in'.
Instantly, they re-birthed themselves as typical Aussie/Brits, with typical Aussie/Brit names.
So re-invention is in the very bath and drinking water of the average Dutch Australian---- so perhaps what Bolt has done seems like nothing particularly new for his Dutch kinfolk.
Though it may be noteworthy to point out his bro is a leading climate change advocate.
Perhaps even among the Dutch of Australia, petty sibling rivalry
can never be ruled out for a motivating force among supposedly grown up adults.
Psychologists , more than political scientists or theologians, might have more to say about this particular Saul's conversion on the road to TV stardom.
Canada's DUTCH DISEASE, caused by the Oily Tar Sands, is thus not unique: excessive oiliness can cause problems anywhere.
At least in Australia the solution is probably quite simple: offer Bolt the GG's job, in exchange for spouting views in public, while GG, that are well within the bounds of traditional Aussie right wing cant.
' Tone it down , a little, Andrew and we will throw in this nice uniform with a lot of gold trim and a good bit of kit to retire on '.
I know he's up for it ----- he's an employee-controversalist for Christ's sake ! Only as controversial as his employers think profitable.
If Bolt, by contrast, was a self employed/self funded controversalist, like myself, I would definitely believe that his public stances matched his private beliefs.
But right now, 'employee Bolt the free-thinking, free-speaking controversalist' (??!!)
Give me a break - he's nothing more than a trained seal : throw him a fish and watch him snap.
But at least the real trained seal is in a Twelve Step Program and now admits he's for sale, to the highest bidder, with the biggest and fattest fish ----in all cases, admitting you have a problem is a good first step ....
I'm glad you posted your income tax return for 2011 showing that you are not a wealthy and you fund your blog all by yourself.
ReplyDeleteI hope Andrew Bolt reads your post about him.....