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Politics and Knitting

Generally speaking the words politics and knitting don't show up in very many sentences together.  It is like peanut butter and high wire walking or cars and bungee jumping; the noun and verb are incongruous.  So why am I talking about politics and knitting you ask.  Because they came together this week and brought down a Prime Minister.

You may remember Julia Gillard's debut on the world stage when in October 2012 she made a passionate speech about sexism.  It was described then as:

. . . one of the most scathing takedowns in parliamentary history. Earlier this week, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard stood up in the House of Representatives to attack opposition leader Tony Abbott for misogyny and sexism in a video that has since gone viral. (Click on the link to the video for her entire speech.)

So when Ms. Gillard's popularity was plummeting this spring too close to a September election, someone on her team thought it would be appropriate to characterize this first female Australian Prime Minister (PM) as having something in common with her constituency.  It was decided the topic in the July issue of Women's Weekly (the country's biggest-selling magazine) would be that of Ms. Gillard knitting a toy kangaroo for the new Royal baby.  Presumably this topic and the accompanying photos would resonate with female voters.  Somehow the irony of showing the PM as a knitter (add your own stereotypes here) after her very well known attack on sexism was not detected by this staffer or anyone else involved in the whole thing, even the PM herself.


You can imagine what the opposition had to say about the photos of the PM, who by all accounts is decidedly not a domestic type of woman.  Think Margaret Thatcher in demeanor and political persuasion.  Fiona Nash of the rival National Party said, "I think it just really shows … the lack of connection the Prime Minister has with the people. They want her to talk about policy. They want the Prime Minister to run the country. They want the Prime Minister to be competent in the job she is doing, and what do we see? A story about the Prime Minister knitting."

So began a short lived Knitting-Gate scenario that within days caused Julia Gillard to lose the leadership of her party and allowed the individual she toppled three years ago, Kevin Rudd, to step up as leader and thus PM.

That's how knitting and politics came together this week and sent a party off to lick it wounds and attempt to get its act together for an election in three months.  Who knew knitting could create such drama.  I thought it's meant to create a soothing and calming environment.  Perhaps I should take this whole thing more seriously, it might have more strength and legs than I had imagined.



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