Abbott: Malcolm Turnbull invented the Australian Internet
Remember that urban myth that Al Gore once claimed to have invented the internet?
Well, Tony Abbott has just shanked his colleague and (ahem) potential leadership challenger Malcolm Tunbull by making a similar claim on his behalf.
In a speech to the party room – and yes, it is a speech, as in prepared remarks now sitting on Abbot’s website, not something off the cuff, he today had the following to say:
“We have a strong and credible broadband policy because the man who has devised it, the man who will implement it virtually invented the Internet in this country. Thank you so much, Malcolm Turnbull.”
Remember in the pre-social media days when hyperbole was just… hyperbole..? Move on people.
And George Brandis invented the wheel.
@Journo, remember when holding politicians to account for what they said prior to being elected to the highest office in the land was a thing the media was meant to do? No?
Admittedly Abbott needs a better joke writer but it was clearly meant as satire and if somebody couldn’t see that then I think the problem’s with them, really.
I can also remember when Prime Minister Gillard pronounced it “hyperbowl”.
Ah….memories!
Terribly cheap shot. Your red blinkers are showing.
It’s hard to tell if it was meant as satire or not, as Abbott’s boxox filled features render him incapable of providing facial expression to help with the interpretation . . .
Abbot truly has foot in mouth disease.
Sooner tunrbull replaces him the better
It is not meant as satire, and Abbott has used the line before. He genuinely believes it is a selling point for his 2nd rate broadband policy
I actually think this is a clever play by Mr Abbott – plant the seed properly and the new ‘fact’ eventually creeps into the consciousness of middle Australia, but if he gets called out on it he can say “but I was obviously joking…”
Anyone reading a transcript of the speech will read it as fact, not a joke.
Abbott is fast becoming the conspiracy theorists favourite poster boy…
Don’t forget, Abbott was a journalist. He knows if you repeat something long enough people start to believe there is truth to it.
@ Stephen… I believe if you repeat something long enough people start to believe there is truth to it. And I believe if you repeat something long enough people start to believe there is truth to it