Is it ever okay to heckle the Prime Minister?
Of course it is.
In a country like Australia, we have the right to make our voices heard in the democratic process and we are free to say when our leaders make decisions we disagree with.
But is it okay to heckle the Prime Minister as he walks into a memorial?
Well, mourners who gathered outside of Sydney’s Town Hall yesterday for Gough Whitlam’s memorial service certainly think so.
Yesterday’s state memorial made headlines for a lot of wonderful reasons.
Noel Pearson’s speech was immediately lauded for being one of the greatest of our times; Whitlam’s son Tony joked as he fondly recalled campaigning with his father and actress Cate Blanchett said she would remain forever grateful for the free education she received as a result of changes spearheaded by the Whitlam government.
But one detail from the Sydney Town Hall memorial service drew attention for less favourable reasons: the moment when Prime Minister Tony Abbott entered the service and received a frosty reception.
Top Comments
Err. Crowds are by nature uninhibited. The booing was pure pantomime and lasted a few seconds. In this case more than 5000 were denied entry even though they were told they had registered successfully; stood for 3+ hours good naturedly. But hey, one section of the media had to ignore that this event (a memorial, very much not a funeral or service) was about Whitlam and political history. Not about Mssrs Abbott and Howard, who like all pollies in Australia have egos large enough to handle the irreverent raspberries of a crowd.
I missed the service as I'm living out of Australia, so I haven't seen the booing but no matter what the circumstances its pretty rude to do that at a memorial service, they are meant to be sombre affairs to reflect on a life with respect.
.....To be honest, I am the the kind of person who wont even boo at an AFL match so maybe that's the just way I am.
That was my comparative thought at the time too - I cringe at the sounds of boo's at the football. But after reading more about it, I reckon at this event, the lines were drawn, so with that, its in a competitive context. I just thought the 'sounds of silence' would've been more powerful & respectful.