“…To all of those smugly congratulating themselves on the demise of the same-sex marriage plebiscite, labouring under the delusion that its now almost-certain failure is somehow a step closer to achieving marriage equality in Australia, allow me break it to you: you have been played for fools.
Every single one of you.
If former PM and avowed monarchist John Howard proved to be the evil genius of federal politics in obstructing constitutional reform in 1999, then Bill Shorte…n has proven to be the evil genius of Australian politics in obstructing marriage reform in 2016.
In what might just be the biggest own goal in recent history, any serious prospect of same-sex marriage being legalised has been indefinitely delayed. Only this time it’s not the handiwork of the usual suspects — timid MPs and religious conservatives — but courtesy of marriage equality lobbyists and so-called progressive politicians.
So why are champions of marriage equality so happy over the plebiscite’s inevitable defeat? Because they have been duped by a bafflingly successful scare campaign.
Key to the Opposition Leader’s propaganda war has been the claim that a plebiscite would subject vulnerable young gay people to new levels of hate and legitimise bullying against them…” Shorten played us for fools. And we let him