Today in Awesome

Watch Australian Prime Minsiter Julia Gillard’s Epic Verbal Takedown of a Misogynist Politician [VIDEO]

by Rebecca Pahle | 5:45 pm, October 10th, 2012

For fifteen minutes well-spent, check out this video of Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard laying a a verbal beatdown on the sexism and misogyny of opposition leader Tony Abbott. The backstory is that Abbott demanded that the Speaker of the House be fired for sending a series of sexist text messages. Gillard didn’t take too kindly to the hypocrisy of Abbott jumping on someone else’s sexism for his own political gain, and boy did she let him know it, calling him on his own attitude toward abortion, women in government, and more for a good quarter-hour while he sat frozen in the crosshairs.

It’s a thing of beauty. Can we get her to come and talk to some of our politicians in the U.S., please?

(via: Jezebel)

Are you following The Mary Sue on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, & Google +?

TAGS: Australia | Julia Gillard | Tony Abbott

Kifre

This is so why we need to import question time….
http://twitter.com/Merito_CD Not Prince Charles

I do have a bit of a niggle with this video. While polarizing Gillard isn’t exactly a politician you can support too much. Later that same day she voted to cut budgets of programs for single parents, not to mention her horrendous positions on LGBTQ issues.
OdinsEye

That was just awesome.
Jared Campbell

Soooo we’re in favour of her standing up for a Speaker who called female politicians c!nts with genitals that look like pickled mussels, and is in court for sexually harassing a staffer?
Actions speaking louder than words, and Abott looks cleaner than Gillard on this one. (Not that I’ll be voting for either of the bastards)
Anonymous

s
http://lnk.co/KPYKT
Danielle Warby

You clearly didn’t listed to her speech. She did not defend Slipper.
Danielle Warby

You don’t have to agree with her politics to recognise just how amazing this was. She had me cheering all day yesterday and I’m still going.
Alice

Don’t agree with all of her views but her speech in this video is outstanding. Kinda wish she was my Prime Minister, but then, anyone’s better than Cameron…
http://twitter.com/nellydreadful Nelly Dreadful

I’m ambivalent about the bit where she said they were waiting on the result of the ongoing court case, but the thrust of her speech wasn’t defending the speaker, it was calling out the leader of the opposition for hypocrisy, goddamn gall, and opportunism, as he only seems to care about misogyny when it is politically advantageous. Basically, “I’m offended by what Slipper said and did, but I am ALWAYS offended by stuff like that, whereas YOU are only offended by it when it’s USEFUL, and here are the MANY MANY EXAMPLES of all the times when you did not give a SHIT.”
Jared Campbell

No, she just attacks, those who are attacking him, pure coincidence I’m sure…

In the end her position is basically the same as Abott’s; Misogyny is only a problem when the other guys do it.
http://www.facebook.com/irishgodfatherchris Chris Kelly

you clearly haven’t been paying attention to the last 2 years have you? because if you did you’d notice that Tony Abbott and Christopher Pyne have attacked the Prime Minister personally since the 43rd Parliament was convened and I find it rich when they both feign indignation when their own motives, actions and policies or lack thereof are questioned.
Life Lessons

You took him down, my Lady.
http://www.facebook.com/Seth.Chesedsussim Seth Phillips

some people hate their own sex – by hating the whole reality of gender
http://www.facebook.com/Seth.Chesedsussim Seth Phillips

Almost all of her remarks were misleading and impossible to prove logically correct, if she had to answer questions instead of depending on triggered pavlovian responses of a propoganda trained public, she would have been seen as a emperor without clothes – which I’d like to see by the way – her giving that speech naked without the man suit
noobie

Problem for Gillard polls showing approx 80% were not impressed with Gillards smear attack
Anonymous

At the same time, she doesn’t pretend to be a Yes politician. She is calling him out on his hypocrisy in using women and sexism when it suits him.
Anonymous

That’s a pretty damn impressive speech!