Agile is a synonym of nimble

Still on the subject of political word usage, one of Malcolm Turnbull's favourite terms is "agile". He loves saying it as much as exhorting us all to embrace "innovation" and remember that this is such "an exciting time to be an Australian".

Given his huge and pervasive profile as the nation's leader, and his obvious ruthlessness and cynicism, the meaning of the word agile has changed radically for me. Whenever I hear it I think of the man himself, deftly sidestepping Abbott as he walks by so he can knife him in the back.

I hope that if and when Turnbull does have the favour returned to him -- either by Abbott himself or another of the party's more genuinely conservative members -- the word regains it's traditional, more positive meaning.

I suspect that agile's synonym nimble has soured for many Aussies as well, albeit for different reasons.

Turnbull and Cruz are life imitating satire

Politics is a bloody sport, even in stable established democracies like Australia and the USA. Politicians are forever saying the most outrageous things to gain power or keep it. Quite often it's like watching a dark satirical comedy playing out before your very eyes.

Malcolm Turnbull, for example, is proving to be even more Machiavellian than most people thought. Comparisons with Frank Underwood in House of Cards are becoming increasingly frequent.

Though Turnbull himself joked that the only thing he had in common with the Kevin Spacey character was the fact that he's used a rowing machine, the show's writers clearly don't think so. When our PM changed the game radically recently with this double dissolution dare, the show's official Twitter account had this to say:

.@TurnbullMalcolm I admire your methodology, Prime Minister. If you don't like how the table is set, turn over the table.

— House of Cards (@HouseofCards) March 21, 2016

Then there's Turnbull's use of the slogan "continuity and change". This was a line used by the protagonist of the HBO show Veep. Highly unlikely that Turnbull used the line knowingly, of course. But that just makes it even more absurd.

And now Ted Cruz has now been caught lifting a line from a political comedy, possibly knowingly this time.

I'm sure there'll be several more cases of life imitating satirical comedy before the year's out.

Josephine Georgiou doesn't condemn Madonna for sexual harassment

You may have heard about how Madonna exposed a young audience member's breast onstage in front of thousands in the Brisbane crowd and ultimately millions via the web. Immediately afterward she joked that it was an act of sexual harassment.

Well, yeah, actually it was. If a bloke did that to a female employee at an office function he wouldn't just lose his job and reputation. He could well end up in jail.

Shows how flippant lefty slebs are about the issue. This is the same woman who is now accusing those criticizing her shows of misogyny. Any sane adult can tell that's got absolutely nothing to do with it. She's just been outrageously unprofessional.

It's pretty clear she doesn't give a rat's arse about anything much anymore, and is treating her Australian fans -- many of whom have waited decades to see her live -- with contempt. And in a tawdry display of her own grotesque self obsession, she's also been blathering about her custody battle with Guy Ritchie in her shows. Too much information, Madge! TMI.

But back to the Brisbane incident in particular: Interestingly the young woman suffering the megastar-assisted wardrobe malfunction -- Josephine Georgiou -- has no regrets about it. On the contrary, she reckons it was a buzz.

I'm sure this has something to do with the comparative feminist silence on the issue. But female porn stars, models and the like often say they don't feel oppressed in their professions. Yet that never seems to stop hatchet faced harpies claiming that the nubile nymphs are "participating in their own oppression" does it? 

Nope ... They're mostly holding fire because they see Madge as an ally in their fight against the patriarchy. It's a bit like their silence on Islam, really. 

Though this is a less extreme double standard it reflects poorly on them nonetheless. Like all lefties they are very selective when invoking their purported principles.

Stephen Conroy quotes Van Badham in Senate filibuster

Didn't witness that epic tsunami of political piss and wind from Labor senators desperately trying to stop the Government's reforms being passed. Had better things to do -- sleeping, for instance.

But checking Twitter late last night I did notice that Senator Stephen Conroy quoted a Vanessa "Van" Badham article while playing his puerile part in the failed filibuster. Sounds like he just needed something vaguely supportive and fairly lengthy to read out loud in the chamber rather than blather on extempore. Her Guardian gargle -- let's call it a "guardle" for short -- gave his brain a rest, if not his jaws.

As this tweep remarked, a pollie citing such a notorious airhead was surely a sign of peak stupidity. It seems pretty clear to me that Ms Badham's only true expertise lies in how to use leftie-feminist crybullying to lift her profile and advance her career.

Though such a skill is undeniably loathsome and toxic you gotta give credit where credit is due. And her ability to claim precious-petal victimhood while she abuses others in a viciously verbaling manner is truly jaw-dropping. Hell, if crybullying were Ecky Thump, she could easily pummel Grand Master Bill Oddie to death before he even got hold of his black pudding! She really is that good at it.

But back to Conroy and his little act of political theatre using Badham's script: I didn't witness it. But I truly hope he wore red underpants on his head during the performance. She is an avowed communist, after all. That really would have been the icing on the cake, so to speak.

Anti-Safe Schools MPs called "knuckle-draggers"

Two favourite tactics of the cultural Left are stealth and intimidation. They've always -- always -- got some hidden agenda they're running. It's usually to do with destroying some foundation of Western civilization or other. If they can do that they can own the issue and be the authorities on it. They then get to boss people around "for their own good" and ultimately make their lives miserable. Which is their whole reason for living, let's face it.

So they can never be taken at face value. They're forever trying to sneak through radical changes in ways that no-one notices. If that doesn't work and there's resistance to them then they'll happily resort to bullying.

This is definitely happening with this Safe Schools program. It's clearly not just about encouraging tolerance of sexually diverse lifestyles. It's about introducing these adult concepts to children and actively endorsing them.

Let's face it, if you heard that a Catholic priest lobbed at your kids' school and said he wanted to talk to the students about cross dressing you'd have the plods round in a nanosecond, wouldn't you?

That said, I think the grooming argument against Safe Schools is a bit OTT. But only a bit. Any sane adult would have to be alarmed at the previous quotes of one of the program's architects:

Liberal Nationals MP George Christensen said Professor Gary Dowsett from La Trobe University helped establish the anti-bullying campaign.

Mr Christensen, who has called for the Safe Schools program to be scrapped, quoted a report containing "controversial views" which he said was published by Professor Dowsett in 1982.

The Member for Dawson told Parliament Professor Dowsett was a "longtime advocate of intergenerational sex, otherwise known as paedophilia".

"He says: 'How different then is the gentle, tentative sexuality between parent and child from the love of a paedophile and his or her lover. That kind of love, warmth and nurture is an important part of the paedophilic relationship'," Mr Christensen told Parliament.

Good on Mr Christensen for doing this. It was a sensible and justifiable use of parliamentary privilege in my opinion.

Rather than rationally addressing the points made by Christensen and others and refuting them, the social engineers simply resort to bullying in the form of abuse. True to form, if the stealth doesn't work they'll try intimidation.

Well, if it's okay to call those against Safe Schools "knuckle-draggers" then surely it's fine to call the pro-camp "kiddie fiddlers" right?

Not only that, why not let both groups really take the gloves off. Make it a rule-free, no holds barred, last man standing cage match:

Roll up, roll up, to the Safe Schools Square-Off. Round One: "The Knuckle Draggers vs The Kiddie Fiddlers."

Usually I abhor violence. But I'd definitely pay to see that.

Malcolm Turnbull's smug smile is creeping me out big time

I'm sure I'm not alone in saying that I find Malcolm Turnbull's self-satisfied smile quite disturbing. Now, a lot of people would describe it as a "Cheshire cat grin". But I don't know that this is quite right. That describes a wholly sinister smile, one that hides malevolent mischief.

Now, while Turnbull is utterly ruthless, his grin isn't always a sign that he's about to do something diabolical (although he probably will). It's just his default setting; a projection of his self-image.

And that's been remarkably constant these last several years -- through all the gruesome betrayals and cowardly compromises he's committed to get where he is now. Basically, he's on emotional high beam the whole time.

Idiots are impressed and even energized by this, of course. But anyone with any sense will get the shivers from it. And the longer they have to witness it, the more disturbing it becomes. Its creepiness is cumulative.

It is another facet of his character that confirms he's a classic narcissist, IMHO. This is because that kind of character is always presenting an image that he's defined himself. He's like a projector, and his psyche is the film inside it. He makes the people around him the collective screen on which his glorious sense of self is displayed.

The personalities of normal folk, on the other hand, are in a constant state of flux. They're the result of empathic communication with others. They're two-way; ever-evolving.

But with Turnbull there's no real conversation. He only pretends to listen to and care about others. It's always all about him, you see. He's more than happy to do whatever's needed to stay on top. And he'll just keep smiling the whole time.

ASRC toxic culture claims don't surprise me at all

One of the key differences between lefties and conservatives is that the former are motivated mostly by their emotions, the latter by their thoughts. Lefties seek out emotive issues and deal with them, er, emotionally.

And the issue of how best to deal with asylum seekers is even more emotive than most. That's why this story about claims of bullying by Asylum Seeker Resource Centre CEO Kon Karapanagiotidis is hardly surprising.

The article linked above has some pretty shocking allegations. If they are true, there's one line in it that goes a long way to explaining why such a toxic culture has resulted under his rule. That is that Mr Karapanagiotidis is "described by many as a charismatic leader".

Dunno about you. But whenever I hear or read that term, I'm thinking "cult". And they never seem to turn out well, now do they?

Of course it's possible that complaints made against him are completely unfounded; all part of some sinister conspiracy to topple him. But that would be an even worse reflection on the organization, wouldn't it?

Either way, the whole sorry saga makes you wonder why journos are so often happy to report what these activists say as the unvarnished truth.