Brogden: The Morning After

There's a poor former NSW Opposition Leader waking up somewhere in the vicinity of Pittwater today, a little fuzzy in the head, a little worse for wear, wondering - how did it happen? ... oh, GOD ... what are they saying about me ... ... GEEZ ...

(and according to the Sydney Morning Herald's Spike, it's not even the first time ...)

Broggers reckons he downed six beers over a few hours at the now infamous knees-up, and this was enough to put him in a trusting mood. He should have known much better, because J-Bro has form when it comes to getting on the turps and making an idiot of himself in front of reporters.

In 2002 Spike reported on his drunken antics at the Liberals' Christmas Party, where a sozzled Broggers challenged a roomful of hacks to a drinking contest. After taking on, then losing to, the National Party MP George Souris, Broggers sculled cocktail after cocktail in a macho attempt to prove his worth. No one was impressed, and the then Opposition leader tried to shrug it off as innocent hi-jinks next day.

Matt Price has a priceless assessment in The Oz:

During his over-long, faintly excruciating resignation press conference, John Brogden reflected on his indiscretions and blurted: "If anything, I suffer from being a warm and friendly person."

Actually, Brogden suffered from being a prize knucklehead.

With a beginning like that, you know you want to read on ...

I should not leave Grahame Morris' comments on the issue to 2UE's Steve Price yesterday afternoon unmentioned. Morris - still determinedly describing himself as a `former' advisor to the Howard Government - told Pricey that Brogden was the victim of a hideous campaign of `journalistic and political hypocrisy', that Alex Hawke was merely `a bit player', and that Brogden should have just hung on til Christmas until the whole thing blew over. After all, Alexander Downer managed to stick around after making that hilarious `Things That Batter' crack, didn't he?

Yes, Grahame. Racism and sexism - they're just `jokes that backfired'. So, hopefully, are you.