The Adventures of QueerPenguin

Peter Costoward

What's up with Costello? I thought he was meant to be the Great White Progressive Hope for the Liberal Party and all those Liberal bridesmaids still deluded that John will still one day altruistically hand over the reigns of leadership as part of their dignified gentlemen's agreement?

You know - Peter Costello, the man who distances himself from condemning "confused, mushy, misguided multiculturalism" and doesn't resort to cheap populist attacks on Islamic Australians.

Oh, wait a minute...

Well, Peter Costello then, the man whose federal seats is one of the queerest in Australia, he'd be aware of the discrimination at hand against same-sex couples and understands we've come a long, long way since homosexuality was decriminalised between 15-30 years ago. He certainly wouldn't be stupid enough to suggest, as his much more conservative superior might, that the Liberal Party is not homophobic merely because it doesn't believe in jailing queer people anymore, would he?

Oh, he would...

Surely, then, Peter Costello, the man who wouldn't support an extreme, corrupt evangelical scam just to score votes and fully recognises the importance of separation of Church and State in a truly liberal democracy?

Hrm, guess again, you say? Wrong Treasurer?

His Islamic and gay marriage comments should be kept in context - he was, after all, speaking at the Sydney Institute, the most right-wing think tank ever to deny it's a right-wing think tank (its director Gerard Henderson was Howard's former Chief of Staff, no less), so ultimately he would have just been telling an interest group what they wanted to hear - but seriously, what's going on? Why start parroting Howard? That's what Kym Beazley's been doing as ALP Leader Mark 2 and look how well it's working out for him.

The Herald suggests that Costello's "criticism of Muslims who do not respect Australian values appears designed to present a conservative social image to repair his damaged leadership campaign" post-Robert Gerard.

But as Tina Turner once (sort of) said: "We don't need another Howard." One (two if you count Tony Abbott) is far too many.

Howard loyalists in the party aren't suddenly going to warm to Costello as a Howard Mini-Me when the original Dr Evil still wields so much power and electability - and in the meantime he'll shoot himself in the foot alienating the aforementioned bridesmaids.

Another fine example of the malevolent Howard magic at work: if you can't beat him - and let's face it, who can - out-do him. Howard must be loving every second of this.

posted by Sam @ Friday, February 24, 2006