Australians' disgust with their elected representatives has never been higher, or better deserved. The last ten days have exposed the worst public behaviour of self-described 'leaders' to the rest of the world. My cup runneth over.
First I was amazed that two wonderful feminists, who didn't find the PM's speech (or the bits that the TV cameras chose to show) to her women-for-Gillard support group convincing, chose to criticise it, and criticise Gillard for it.
One told me Fairfax asked her and she had to tell the truth. Really? As a destructively-truth-addicted person myself I can still act on the advice that my dear old mum used to give that, 'If you can't find anything nice to say, say nothing.' And when I remonstrated gently with the other, she only said, 'Et tu, Brute?'
It also gave the go-ahead to a couple of ALP backbenchers and even senators for more personal criticism of Gillard over not only her speech and the 'feminist card' she supposedly played, but also over men's secret hurt that women have a special point of view, which such men bizarrely viewed as privilege.
And Rudd's head has been popping up for grabs, its occupant clearly relishing the prospect of another last-minute leadership change that might give him back his squandered status, and humiliate his many enemies.
Online trolls have been blaming the victim for 'provoking' her own abuse, or not being entitled to be offended, when a man who has been a Perth shock-jock for nearly 30 years sexually harassed the current Australian PM about her sexual relationship with her partner.
The bottom has been scraped.
Just so it's clear, 'sexual harassment' is unlawful throughout Australia. It has been since 1984. This includes in employment, delivery of goods and services and access to places. And even the Prime Minister is entitled not to be subjected to it in a radio interview or in public discourse.
Sexual 'harassment' is not sexIST but sexUAL if a person is subjected to unwanted sexual conduct, including questions, images, jokes and comments 'unintentionally' sexual, which makes that person feel threatened, intimidated, humiliated or embarrassed.
No reasonable person would claim that Gillard was unembarrassed by the Sattler questions, or the insinuations of Piers Akerman, that unpleasant guest on last Sunday's Insiders. To ask a person about their sexuality or that of their acknowledged partner falls right into the 30-year-old law.
Gillard is the most prominent woman in our country. She has been repeatedly humiliated, disparaged and ridiculed for that very reason. Of course we may criticise her decisions, but always aware of the context, which is dangerously toxic. She has become a target and if I were her security staff I would be very worried.
Her courage under pressure is astonishing. I have and will continue to be critical about some of her policy choices but at this time I can only despair at her party which is willing itself into annihilation by adding more poison.
Senator Trish Crossin was, in 2012, a co-convenor of Emily's List, a non-ALP group which provides support and mentoring to endorsed ALP women candidates. She was dreadfully angry and hurt when Gillard favoured the preselection of an Aboriginal woman, Nova Peris, to the seat she has occupied since 1998.
Trish not only gave Gillard a massive serve in her farewell speech in the Senate last Tuesday, and was visibly hurting, but evoked an extraordinary dance of elephantine wrath from Senator Kim Carr who used the pretext of sympathy for Trish's deprivation of sinecure to attack Emily's List as 'involving itself in pre-selections'.
No, it doesn't. But it is a voice for women in a men-dominated political environment. How can these self-righteous men publicly rail against the injustice of the leader of their own party backing a fresh new face to the Senate team, with an election in the wings? Only by putting their personal feelings and preferences ahead of their party's.
I was disgusted. I am sure many women and men are disgusted with the whole mess.
I confidently predict that when invited to add a third tier of elected officials from local government to the rank of constitutional recognition, most of us are going to say, 'No thanks.'
The bloody wounds that have opened through these 'gender wars' have been self-harm, which as any psychologist knows, is a sign of a frustrated wish for power. But what I saw last Tuesday night in the Senate was the first throat-slitting of a modern-day Masada-like self slaughter.
Moira Rayner is a barrister and writer. This article was originally published on 19 June 2013.
Protest image from Shutterstock