In what is probably the most pathetic and desperate piece of attempted-journalism this month, Simon Bensen of the Daily Telegraph decided to accuse Tony Abbott of plagiarism:
OPPOSITION Leader Tony Abbott has been swept up in his own embarrassing claim of political plagiarism, appearing to have borrowed from speeches of two American Presidents and a US shock jock in his address to the National Press Club on Tuesday.
Scandalous stuff - if true. So let's have a look at what exactly Tony Abbott was supposed to have plagiarised:
In outlining his vision of small government and greater individual freedoms as being principles of the Liberal Party, Mr Abbott said: "At the heart of Labor's failure is the assumption that bigger government and higher taxes are the answer to every problem".
On February 2, 1973, Richard Nixon said: "At home, we must reject the mistaken notion ... that even bigger government is the answer to every problem".
Mr Abbott then went on to channel conservative US radio shock jock Rush Limbaugh: "The Government has completely failed to appreciate the iron law of economics that no country has ever taxed its way to prosperity."
Mr Limbaugh, February 18, 1994: "No nation has ever taxed itself into prosperity."
So let me get this straight. Tony Abbott says what every small government advocate believes ... and because there is some similarity this is plagiarism???
This is a total and utter joke.
Tim Andrews
Managing Editor
Update: corrected for spelling error - oops!
