Tuesday, November 06, 2007

The magic of Alex continues

Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer has admonished Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd for “showing off” with his foreign language skills.

Kevin Rudd this morning gave an interview in Mandarin to a Chinese television station.

Oh, the little show-off...! ...talking in Mandarin, to a Chinese television audience, no less. Needless to say...

... Mr Downer is far from impressed.

“Well, I think he should focus on speaking to the Australian people not trying to show off that he can speak a foreign language,” he said.

Yep, and Alex would be quite within his mandate to point out that Kevni is just a little girlie swot who eats his own earwax.

So there... nyah.

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5 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I noted over at Harry's place that Kev was also dabbling in French:

When a journalist asked if he could ask a national question, Mr Rudd responded with: "Zob zob zob."

"Zob zob zob" is apparently French vernacular for a man's genitalia, and is also the name of a French hardcore movie from 1977.

Whether Mr Rudd, who conducted an interview in Mandarin for a Chinese television news channel, is fluent in French is unknown.


I'm not sure how many Australian PM candidates have referenced pornographic films in their campaigns in the past - could Rudd be setting a record here, too?

6/11/07 2:23 AM  
Blogger Jacob A. Stam said...

There's a perfectly viable explanation for Kevin's zob-zob-zob remark. He probably picked it up while clubbing in New York way back when.

Either that, or it means "See you later" in Mandarin. One of those unfortunate coincidences?

6/11/07 11:13 AM  
Blogger Caz said...

Thing is, the Mandarin trick is one that he can only roll out once or twice a year, at best, if he's lucky.

It's pitifully irrelevant to governing Oz, and just as irrelevant for a relationship with China.

Run it past me again: how often in a week does the PM of Oz chat to leaders in China, or is interviewed by the Chinese media?

Ahh, that would be roughly, zero and zero, right?

Rudd isn't the first Caucasian in the world to learn Mandarin, he just thinks he is.

The man never even held an OS post when he was with Foreign Affairs, he was only ever a bureaucrat. His fluency in Mandarin obviously didn't bring him the kudos as a PS that he felt be deserved, so he's giving it another burl.

Bit like a primary school kid handing in the same assignment over and over again, expecting a better mark.

6/11/07 2:00 PM  
Blogger Jacob A. Stam said...

Aw, c'mon guys... this is a take-the-piss-out-of-Alex post, not a take-the-piss-out-of-Kev post.

There are numerous fora which specialise in the latter, and at least two that we're all familiar with.

Then again, both are deserving of derision, I suppose it's only a matter of opinion which is the more so.

Aw, forget I said anything...

7/11/07 3:21 PM  
Blogger Caz said...

Oh, picky, picky, picky!

Take your derision where you find it buddy-boy.

Besides, watching Rudd talk Mandarin is excruciating. He looks such a total twat. Never mind how he sounds.

7/11/07 3:41 PM  

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