Brandis calls anti-plebiscite people "fools" at meeting - Canberra

Sign the petition here

Brandis calls us "fools"

In a sign that the pressure is telling on Brandis, in a meeting with LGBT representatives about the plebiscite he called those who opposed it "fools". I think he's losing the plot. Albeit he has never really had the plot.

Arrogantly, he thought the meeting was going to be about procedures involved in the plebiscite and details of it, however everyone used their allocated speaking time to roundly oppose the plebiscite even happening. 

This prompted Brandis to do a dummy spit, telling those at the meeting that they were fools if they thought marriage equality was inevitable in Australia. Or to paraphrase, that the only way to achieve marriage equality is to have this plebiscite designed to fail, put together by the lunar right extremists in the Lieberal party. Because Brandis said so. 

Typical. Yet another time when "the only way" is their way or nothing.

Greens petition

The elephant in the room of course is a parliamentary free vote. It could be done and dusted in just days if Turnbull stopped worrying about party unity and started worrying about us LGBT. Why should we LGBT have to help Turnbull lead his party?

The meeting, between Brandis and approximately 20 representatives from various LGBTI groups, was held via teleconference on Thursday afternoon, ahead of Labor’s expected announcement next week that it will block the plebiscite. 

Representatives at the meeting each had a minute to talk about their position, and all elected to use the time to express opposition to the plebiscite. 

A source who attended the meeting told BuzzFeed News Brandis appeared “angry and frustrated” by the ongoing opposition to a plebiscite, saying it squandered chances of marriage equality in this term of parliament. 

“He was surprised by the form the meeting took… he expected discussions on the plebiscite framework and amendments to the Marriage Act,” the source said. 

Two sources told BuzzFeed News that at one point, Brandis told the room, “You are fools if you think marriage equality is inevitable.” Buzzfeed