"They can't even grow potatoes!..."

bear1

Nice to see racism in Australia alive and well:

http://www.independent.ie/world-news/asia-pacific/australian-commentator-slams-irish-as-a-people-who-cant-grow-potatoes-during-samesex-marriage-debate-31271623.html

The guy was quizzed about allowing same-sex marriages in Oz and as a reaction this guy comes out with some beautiful ways to describe the Irish.
The guy should be ashamed that if us "potato people" can decide to be more tolerant/equal to all members of the public then maybe a country the size of Australia in the arse end of nowhere can follow suit.
I for one am proud of what we have achieved and that it was the public that decided our own fate and not 10 ministers in a locked room like in the other countries which approved SSM.
Idiot.

Tabnabs

Australian's, they be Irish too if their grandparents weren't convicts...

fizzypish

In a slagging match between an Oz and a Paddy, its be a great line. Bit ridiculous as a point against SSM via the Irish. Dam good line though....

SEPT 23 1989

coming from a man who can't spell his name properly

pablomakaveli

"they can’t verbalise the difference between tree and the number three".

Ya because the Australians are masters of the English language apparently.

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

walkingshadow

Ya call that a knife... THIS is a knife!

MonkeyTennis

I dont think he knows what verbalise means

William F

I'd say most Australians haven't been to Ireland. They get their Irish perspective from second generation 'POMs'.

SpaceTime

Well that's my mind made up on an Aussi vacation!

Seriously does he even realise how that's seen abroad and not just by Irish people either! It's just nasty xenophobia!

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

The_Valeyard

Bigots will be bigots.

Buona Fortuna

“I love the Irish… but these are people who can’t grow potatoes,” he said while discussing the issue on Sky News.

Someone once said disregard everything someone said before the word "but".

Fcuk him anyway.

SpaceTime

it's not just the Irish who get it. A few years ago group of French tourists were told to "speak English or die" on a bus in Australia and literally bullied off and threatened.

The result was incredibly bad PR for Australia in France as the whole thing was caught on a smartphone camera

This was what went out on all the French news channels and got a nearly full day of debate!

http://youtu.be/9oxVlP4pYc0

Skrynesaver

Patient: "Was I prought to the hospital to die?"
Oz Doc: "No mate, you were brought in yesterdie"

Heroditas

This is the same guy who said that Julia Hillard should be kicked to death a while back.

kneemos

Planted a row of potaetoes last year...disaster.

Sky King

Anyone else see the irony in a thread full of negative comments generalising about the xenophobia / bigotry of Australians?

Buona Fortuna

SpaceTime wrote: »

Well that's my mind made up on an Aussi vacation!

Seriously does he even realise how that's seen abroad and not just by Irish people either! It's just nasty xenophobia!

Mine too.

I'm amazed though that he's a "former advisor to the LIBERAL party.

, Grahame Morris, a former advisor to the ruling Liberal party

What sort of Liberal party is that? The Facist Liberals?

Dyr

SpaceTime wrote: »

nasty xenophobia!

Xenophobia is the closest australia comes to having a culture, they must cherish and protect it

irishmover

If you're going to base your reasoning for not going on a trip of a lifetime to Australia on this man's view of our country you're a bigger idiot than they are.

the groutch

walkingshadow wrote: »

Ya call that a knife... THIS is a knife!

that's not a knife, it's a spoon

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

SpaceTime

Buona Fortuna wrote: »

Mine too.

I'm amazed though that he's a "former advisor to the LIBERAL party. What sort of Liberal party is that? The Facist Liberals?

The liberal about xenophobia party obviously!

Samaris

I gotta admit, I just found that funny. If his argument against SSM is that the way was paved for their potential referendum by people who etc etc, then his argument is pretty thin!

alchemist33

He's right about the tree/three thing, though. Does my head in.

5starpool

Bullfrogs? That's a silly name. I'd have called them chazzwazzers.

Links234

Ah, it's Australia, racism is a national passtime for that lot

Here, laugh at some Australians:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gx4Q7nQV0fY

irishmover

Fred Swanson wrote: »

The sad thing is many Australians share his opinion.

And where are you basing this from? Have experienced this minimally in the four years I've been here, having travelled a large amount of the country meeting a variety of Australians.

The only real consistent thing I've found here is the 'my great great grandparent was from Ireland' story.

SpaceTime

Ireland take a bit of pride in the fact that we're pissing off all the right people. The Westboro Baptist Chruch, Right wing Aussis, the Vatican, probably Putin etc etc

I'm off to stick some tricolours and pride flags in a shamrock garnished spud and I'll be mispronouncing Three with a bit of gusto!

Joeseph Balls

the groutch wrote: »

that's not a knife, it's a spoon

Ah, I see you've played knifey spoony before...

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

c_man

What a bs rant, the guy's obviously got deeper issues.

blinding

An acquaintance once told me that a nickname that some aussies have for the Irish is :

Potato N*gg*rs (I mean no offence to anyone with this)

I wonder if others can corroborate if this is true or not ?

irishmover

Fred Swanson wrote: »

When you have spent time there and then having to deal with their diaspora that has settled in the motherland it becomes clear.

I am sure they are not all like that, but sadly the majority I have dealt with via my line of work are.

Well that's a bit different. I thought we were discussing the generalisation that the majority of Australians agree with this mans comments about Ireland and the Irish. Not about the indigoneous population.

blinding

Links234 wrote: »

Ah, it's Australia, racism is a national passtime for that lot

Here, laugh at some Australians:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gx4Q7nQV0fY

Fook it that was funny !

irishmover

blinding wrote: »

An acquaintance once told me that a nickname that some aussies have for the Irish is :

Potato N*gg*rs (I mean no offence to anyone with this)

I wonder if others can corroborate if this is true or not ?

Wow have never heard that one before but I'm sure someone has said it. Even the roughest rednecks I've worked with have never said anything remotely close to that.

snubbleste

“..these are people who can’t grow potatoes,
they’ve got a mutant lawn weed as their national symbol
they can’t verbalise the difference between tree and the number three..."

He has a point though

sheesh

“I love the Irish… but these are people who can’t grow potatoes,” he said while discussing the issue on Sky News.

Jesus IT WAS JUST THAT ONE TIME!

sjb25

Hey Grahame Morris,

c_man

Wasn't there an Aussie government advisor on the news recently saying that climate change was a UN hoax designed to establish a new world order... Yeah, let's just let them off. Not the full shilling like.

Reiver

These bloody things are everywhere. They're in the lift, in the lorry, in the bond wizard, and all over the malonga gilderchuck.

namloc1980

Sky King wrote: »

Anyone else see the irony in a thread full of negative comments generalising about the xenophobia / bigotry of Australians?

Relax and stick another shrimp on the barbie.

Egginacup

This guy's just an idiot.

I doubt he speaks for all Australians....just the low-iq ones.

namloc1980

they’ve got a mutant lawn weed as their national symbol

Never knew the Harp was a lawn weed. Of course the Aussies are famous for their botanical knowledge.

Reiver

Egginacup wrote: »

This guy's just an idiot.

I doubt he speaks for all Australians....just the low-iq ones.

Mr. Simpson, shush! Disparaging the boot is a bootable offense!

Samaris

blinding wrote: »

An acquaintance once told me that a nickname that some aussies have for the Irish is :

Potato N*gg*rs (I mean no offence to anyone with this)

I wonder if others can corroborate if this is true or not ?

Dunno if it's an Aussie insult or not, but yeah, I've heard of potato n*ggers and white n*ggers relating to Irish people.

blinding

Samaris wrote: »

Dunno if it's an Aussie insult or not, but yeah, I've heard of potato n*ggers and white n*ggers relating to Irish people.

Kinda of forgot about the "white n*ggers" one myself. I am getting "careless" as I get older.

Does Elvis Costello have something about that in a song?

SpaceTime

It was quite amusing how the French incident went down on some French media outlets though.
If there's one country that can analyse something to death and academically critique, it's France!

There were debates about whether French culture was becoming similar to this horrific Australian incident and what France could do to avoid becoming an uncultured place like Australia and the odd in depth analysis of how Australian xenophobia may have come about ... Perhaps a sense of inadequacy due to their colonial past as a penal colony and so on...

If you were Aussi and understood French .. Ouch!

France is *far* from perfect itself but they will openly admit that. It was very much used as an illustration of how minorities in France itself might feel under pressure from racism.

What annoys me about the attitude coming across from Australian media is that there's a sort of glorification of ignorance going on.

If someone said something like that on Sky News UK they'd be shredded alive by the British press this morning. That's unlikely in Australia.

If there are any Aussis or Irish in oz reading this maybe they might link where this has been critiqued by other Australian media? I'd like to see both sides.

MajorMax

He's right, I haven't a clue how to grow potatoes

5starpool

Samaris wrote: »

Dunno if it's an Aussie insult or not, but yeah, I've heard of potato n*ggers and white n*ggers relating to Irish people.

Damn naggers. I hate them too.