Coalition MP tells voters to stop budget complaints and visit Asia

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/22/tough-love-tweets-coalition-mp-stop-whingeing

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With the prime minister and the treasurer preoccupied battling gaffes, missteps and multiple post-budget political bushfires – Coalition backbencher George Christensen has taken to Twitter to try and help sell the government’s tough love message.

Christensen, who has a reputation for plain-speaking, told his followers on Thursday afternoon that the budget’s various austerity measures were, essentially, a first world problem.

The north Queensland MP’s message to the public was, essentially, drop the entitlement mentality, and stop whingeing.

“Aussies should do tour of Asia & live like locals to put these 1st world complaints re budget in perspective,” Christensen observed on Thursday.

The blunt message was accompanied by a photograph of a child in slum like conditions.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the recent budget broke key election commitments, and will leave a number of people worse off – Christensen’s tough love message attracted a significant level of online rebuttal.

When one follower pointed out that most of Asia was not exactly as he’d depicted it, the MP offered this riposte: “Try getting any serious form of welfare in Thailand or other SE Asian nations.”

When another described Christensen as a “pointless relic”, the MP relied: “Poor rebuttal from another left wing entitlement minded leaner.”

The exchange developed into a fight between Christensen and a local cricket club, the Mackay Hurricanes, which observed it might be time to bring back the previous Labor member for Dawson, James Bidgood.

The MP questioned whether the cricket club should have political views. The club said political views were legitimate “when funding through the Active After School Care program is slashed in your parties budget”.

Both sides persisted. Christensen: “Maybe a better approach would have been to contact me about it to see what can be done than tweeting angry tweets.”

The Mackay Hurricanes: “By the way would love to help those in your pic but understand your budget has slashed foreign aid also.”