Mr. Angry from Gilmore comments ...

Failed politician and former Chief of Staff. Pic: Mick Tsikas/AAP

Down here in Australia there has been a flurry of journalistic activity arising from the anticipation of the publication today and extracts from a book about the downfall of Tony Abbott, former Prime Minister of Australia.  Much of the current excitement revolves around the fall out last September from perceptions (which means tittle-tattle and gossip) within the parliamentary Coalition group that Mr. Abbott might have been having an affair with his Chief of Staff, the reputedly fearsome Peta Credlin.

I neither know nor care about the depth or otherwise or the precise nature of the pair's personal relationship. It's simply none of my business.

Tony Abbott has, justifiably in my view, refused to comment on or respond to questions about whether or not he and Ms. Credlin have indeed been inside each others underpants. But if I understand correctly what Nicki Savva, the journalist and author at the centre of row, has asserted or reported in her book it's this. She doesn't allege or comment on claims our former PM and his Chief of Staff were at it. She does, however, quote from named sources in the former PM's own political party (who have subsequently gone public) who confirm that Coalition gossip about unfounded, firmly-denied and unprovable claims of an affair were what finally tipped Abbott Government supporters over the edge to unseat their leader.

But the whole 'did they / didn't they?' business of salacious tittle-tattle misses the point. And even the defensive Mr. Abbott sought to turn the gossip to self-serving advantage. In having a go at the (presumably) false and almost entirely irrelevant question of sex (unless you're Mr. and Mrs. Abbott or Mrs. and Mr. Credlin) Tony Abbott sought to reclaim his tarnished reputation by defending his own and his Government's political records and so-called achievements.

It was at this point of reading an article in today's Guardian that Mr. Angry from Gilmore added to the frenzy by submitting a comment below the line of my favourite journal.

Abbott said in a statement on Monday the best response to the book was “the objective record of the Abbott government”, 

It's none of my business and I truly could not care less about Tony Abbott's sex life. 

NOT - INTERESTED - IN - ANY - WAY - SHAPE - SIZE - OR - FORM. 

But it is disturbing how demonstrably delusional Mr. Abbott seems to be. The 'objective record' of the Government he led - and of which the current PM was a member - was so astonishingly bad, so inept that not even his Tory mates could do anything but dump Mr. Abbott - unambiguously the worst, most incompetent, failed Government leader in Australia's history.

My saving grace is that 16 fellow readers recommended my comment. One reader, however, contradicted my assessment, suggesting that 'stopping the boats' was part of the good 'objective record'. A Guardian reader? Please.