Taiwanese animators working for TomoNews – a US internet based channel which takes mainstream news stories and animates them for younger audiences, has weighed into Australia’s leadership spill.
And the result is glorious.
If you haven’t been able to watch the coverage of Tony Abbott’s very public crucifixion, then this is a relatively gentle way in.
And while you might think TomoNews sacrifices accuracy for animation, the short video is surprisingly informative, and covers all the essential points in the leadership spill… ie. it’s a fairly big departure from Australian news.
“The revolving door of Australia’s Prime Ministership has spun into action again,” TomoNews report.
“With the unpopular Liberal Party leader Tony Abbott dropped before he could even stand for reelection, Malcolm Turnbull becomes the country’s fifth PM in just over five years.
“A former journalist, then barrister, then entrepreneur who made his fortune during Australia’s dotcom boom, Turnbull’s know for his ego and his reputation as a renaissance man.”
That last line is delivered as Turnbull dives in a ‘vault-pool’ full of gold. He then splashes around laughing maniacally and throwing his money in the air. So, you know, they pretty much nailed that part.
Taiwanese animators have weighed into the Australian leadership spill. This is Malcolm Turnbull, diving into his pool of gold.
They also articulate better than most Abbott’s contribution to Australian political life. It’s summed up in a single line, thusly: “Abbot (sic) is a deeply unpopular archconservative and political attack dog derided by critics as visionless.”
It includes a picture of Tony Abbott sitting on the ground in front of a revolving door, weeping uncontrollably.
Joe Hockey gets a shout out too, by dint of his role of treasurer. He’s not named in the video, but appears as a morbidly obese man sitting out on the wing of a yellow ‘conservative’ plane, flown by a blindfolded Abbott, which is then hijacked by Turnbull.
Abbott is pushed to his death, and takes Hockey with him. Metaphorically speaking, they nailed it again.
Julie Bishop also gets a run – she’s straddled, rather indelicately, across the rear tail of the plane… and wearing a Bishop’s mitre (hat). Of course.
“By ditching a PM who’d presided over farcical budgets, poorly received policies, troubling debt, and who has no answer to the end of the commodities boom, the Liberal Party is pinning its hopes on Turnbull to claw back trust before the next election, a rare classical liberal in a party overrun with conservatives and idealogues.”
That’s true.
It then detours briefly and inexplicably – “And the Liberals say they dislike “red tape” – which is also trues – before returning to a point that will resonate with many Australians.
“Unlike some other democracies with marathon election cycles, Australia’s system allows it (sic) change leaders in a day! What’s more efficient than that?”
Indeed.
As you might expected, the video ends with a shirtless man sitting at a bar drinking a can of beer alongside a kangaroo, an emu and a crocodile.
He is then eaten by a Great White Shark.