The heading of an article I found from September 2012, just after Barnardi was sacked from the Shadow Cabinet for likening gay marriage to bestiality.
The article adds a bit to my description of Bernardi, calling him "the homophobic, Islamophobic, climate-change-denying, free-market Christian fundamentalist".
I may have erred in saying he's Catholic; I assumed because his father was an Italian immigrant that he would be Catholic, but he's very cagey about revealing just what his religion is, and I think perhaps he's not.
From the article: "... Bernardi is perhaps the Australian politician best connected to manifold manifestations of the far right of politics, not only in this country but internationally. And he is not just a networker — he's an ideological entrepreneur, setting up franchise organisations as he goes. Bernardi's most important connections are with the Tea Party movement in the US.
"He has assiduously fostered links with the same right-wing think tanks, funders, vested interests and propagandists who underpin that movement in America. He has absorbed their techniques and is in turn training others in their ways."
http://www.theglobalmail.org/feature/if-you-like-sarah-palin-youll-absolutely-love-cory-bernardi/390/
And he is now gunning for the ABC. He obviously has Murdoch's backing - it's hardly a coincidence that attacks came on the same day from both the LNP party room and the Murdoch press. And it would be a mistake to underestimate Bernardi's influence - he was twice sacked from the LNP Shadow Cabinet. yet here he is back again, large as life, stirring up more trouble.
And he's Tony Abbott's man; his idealogical soulmate – just a bit more open about it.
The Twitter hashtag #HandsOffMyABC started running today, and I think it will become much more active in the weeks ahead, as the Left and moderates organise to fight back against Bernardi and Friends.
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