It’s a bit of a silly season in Australian politics, right now. Spring marks when the nation’s rival football codes, Australian Rules and Rugby League (oh, come on: the only time anyone even pretends to be interested in soccer is when the World Cup is on) both have their Grand Finals. For many years, both were on the same weekend: AFL on Saturday, NRL on Sunday. This year, they’re a week apart, meaning that for two whole weeks, the only thing the media-political class worries about is how to scarf the best free tickets.
The AFL Grand Final, especially, is a Mecca for politicians who never pass up a chance for a freebie — and a golden opportunity to get their mugs on a cutaway shot in the stands.
But one notable absentee was the guy who decided everyone in the state should get a day off the day before the Grand Final (which manages the impressive feat of being both one of the world’s dumbest public holidays and somehow only the second dumbest observed exclusively in Victoria).
It’s also the same guy who made such a song and dance for the last couple of years about bringing the Grand Final home to the MCG — whence, of course, it was only banished because of his own World’s Longest Lockdowns.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews was not among the politicians attending, unlike out-of-towners like acting Queensland Premier Steven Miles, Tasmania’s Jeremy Rockliff and South Australia’s frighteningly ripped Premier Peter Malinauskas.
Crikey
It’s not like Dictator Dan to ever pass up an opportunity to get on the telly. Of course, that’s only when he can hand-pick the audience to be as obsequiously subservient as possible (hence, security goons monstering Avi Yemini out of a presser). Some publicity is very much bad publicity. No dictator since Ceausescu has relished the prospect of a hundred thousand people booing and jeering in unison.
Contrary to the likely reaction of a stadium full of people sighting Dictator Dan, there was a universal chorus of cooing and swooning in response to a man whose criminal history includes family violence orders, other intervention orders, and current charges for drugs and stalking, showing up at the Brownlow Medal count in a dress.
“Dani Laidley’s Cinderella moment steals the show at the Brownlow”, gushed the Age. “Stunning,” and “a touch of old Hollywood glamour,” swooned the Daily Mail.
The only problem is that “Dani” is “Dean”, a former AFL coach who has more lately been making a name for itself, with a string of drug and stalking arrests.
Dani Laidley is a biological man – who pleaded guilty to stalking a woman – who has now appropriated womanhood.
The football media would have you believe Dani Laidely is Cinderella.
And no, I’m not exaggerating. That was literally how The Age newspaper described Laidley’s appearance in a long white dress at the Brownlow Medal ceremony on Monday night.
As I’ve written before, there is something deeply creepy about a great many late-onset male-to-female trannies. These are men who spend almost their entire lives as blokier-than-thou men, often relentlessly misogynist and/or abusive towards actual women. Actually appropriating womanhood seems to form some sort of final act to a life of oily abusiveness. The phenomenon is well documented amongst some of the most famous late-onset transgender “women”.
Women’s rights campaigner Sally Grover wrote:
‘To be honest, I can’t imagine a man getting a “Cinderella moment” after drug, stalking and DV charges unless he claimed he was a woman, and therefore is “stunning & brave”.’
Many other people are daring to push against the media’s “stunning and brave” narrative.
Many people questioned Laidley’s invitation to the Brownlow Medal ceremony considering Laidley had never won the award and was not a current player or a coach. Invitations to the black tie event are strictly limited […]
But for the AFL, the Seven Network, and major news outlets to pretend Laidely is a glamorous woman, bringing style and glamour to the event as if Laidley were some kind of later-day Grace Kelly is just silly.
Spectator Australia
At least Grace Kelly never had to worry about forgetting to tuck her cock in properly.