Aussie PM pitches into Carmen ban
main‘Political correctness gone crazy’ is what Australia’s prime minister Tony Abbott thinks of the Western Australia health-kick ban on Carmen.
Mr Abbott, no fan of the arts, went on to say in a Melbourne radio interview that opera is ‘an exaggeration and if we are running around looking to take offence or looking to spread some politically correct message, just about every opera would be forbidden.’
Quite right, but the ban still stands in Western Australia and the state opera company’s manager, Carolyn Chard, sounds quite proud of it. Her statement says: ‘We are about the health and wellbeing of our staff, stage performers and all the opera lovers throughout Western Australia, which means promoting health messages and not portraying any activities that could be seen to promote unhealthy behaviour.’
Chard, haven’t you had your 15 minutes of infamy yet?
Who’s doing the most for Australia’s standing in the world today?
Is it Tony Abbott – or Rolf Harris?
What an unpleasant little sod you can be at times with your comments. What the hell has Rolf Harris got to do with any of this?
Tony Abbott seems to be expressing a non PC view that many will sympathise with.
Neither, by the looks of things 🙁
…which means promoting health messages and not portraying any activities that could be seen to promote unhealthy behaviour.’
So, no Ring, no Tosca, no Turandot, no Otello…the list goes on.
The woman’s an idiot.
The opera is not about smoking, Ms. Chard. It’s about people who in some instances work in a factory that manufactures the product.
Is Now, Voyager never to be shown again on Australian TV? No, with a rare thank God for Tony Abbott, who makes it clear this is not government heavy-handedness — just some eccentro in the arts biz. And one with no artistic knowledge of what she undoubtedly thinks of as her “product.”
Theo, you forgot Elektra, Wozzeck, Lulu, Die Soldaten, Lady Macbeth from Mzensk, Jenufa…………..Ach Ja, the immorality of opera versus the ignorance/idiocy of the “political correctness”!
You’re sort of right, Nova; I was just afraid if I got into it I’d never stop! I hope this incident ends up backfiring on this idiotic creature.
Chard has achieved the impossible — causing me to agree with Tony Abbott on something.