Frightfully close field in Frightbat contest
Three
years ago, to universal acclaim, I launched the Frightbat Awards. This visionary annual celebration of Australia’s delightful and not at all irrational leftists has since become established as the nation’s primary prize for political commentary.
Originally, in a spirit of addressing the malecentric sexism endemic throughout our blighted nation, the Frightbat Awards were only open to female contestants. Subsequently, in line with modern community expectations, Frightbat Awards nominees are now determined by strict gender rules.
There must, for example, be an equal number of nominees who chose to identify as male and female. Religious diversity is another requirement, as is a wide variety of ages. The Frightbat Awards proudly reject shallow adherence to media obsessions with youth and Western attractiveness concepts.
As a result, this year’s field was a festival of multicultural enlightenment.
The traditional ten- person field included former winners David Morrison, Gillian Triggs and Guardian columnist Vanessa Badham, who faced off against Fairfax’s Clementine Ford and Peter FitzSimons, Mamamia cult leader Mia Freedman, Muslim activist Yassmin AbdelMagied, Independent Australia Marxist Martin Hirst, The Project’s Waleed Aly and ABC- presenting fox- hunter Jonathan Green.
This year’s poll went live on June 24. I’d anticipated a strong early run from 2015 champion Gillian Triggs, but I was mistaken.
Instead, Yassmin Adbel- Magied immediately established a significant lead — then was overhauled by Waleed Aly, whose 400- plus advantage might have set him dreaming of shoving aside that rubbish Logie to make space on his mantle. Unlike lesser awards, however, Frightbat voting is open for 12 months, meaning contenders can campaign while polls are open.
Needing a way to counter Waleed’s omnipresence, Yassmin came up with a spectacular pity strategy. She went straight for the victim vote.
First, Yassmin claimed to be “traumatised” by “deeply racist” reactions to her Anzac Day Facebook comments. Then she railed against being “the most publicly hated Muslim in Australia”. Yassmin also announced a daring allor- nothing vote- grabbing gambit. She will leave Australia! Over the weekend Abdel- Magied briefly regained a 113- vote lead but again found herself pegged back by Aly, whose supporters are alert to developments. Every vote surge generated by Yassmin is matched by Aly’s army.
With around 23,600 votes counted, Aly was hanging on by a slender 110- click margin. He shouldn’t feel comfortable. Yassmin isn’t about to miss the chance of becoming the first- ever Sunni Muslim Frightbat just because Waleed wants another prize.
Please visit my News Corp blog for coverage, or drop by the ABC to see how Antony Green is calling things.