Andrew Bolt: Albo pimping himself out at Kyle Sandilands’ wedding is a disgrace

Anthony Albanese is the prime minister of all Australians - not the tame poodle or halftime entertainment for the wedding of nouveau-rich bogan Kyle Sandilands.

Surely I’m not the only Australian disgusted to see Prime Minister Anthony Albanese pimp himself out at the wedding on Saturday of professional ratbag Kyle Sandilands.

But where’s the media outrage at this trashing of our highest office?

For God’s sake, look at the company our prime minister was keeping – and giving status with his presence.

Among the guests of honour were a convicted drug smuggler and former brothel manager, and an underworld kingpin. Plus your prime minister.

Even before that, it was cringe-making to hear Albanese go on Sandilands’ top-rating radio show and accept an invitation to be the entertainment for Sandilands’ louche mates – to perform at the wedding as “DJ Albo”.

Has the man no pride? No class?

Where’s the media outrage over Anthony Albanese’s attendance at the wedding?

Albanese is the prime minister of all Australians, and not the tame poodle or half-time entertainment for the wedding of a nouveau-riche bogan whose career highlights include giving a lie-detector test to a distressed 14-year-old revealing she’d been raped, or jeering that the mother of Jesus was a “liar who got knocked up behind a camel shed”.

True, Albanese at the very last minute announced he wouldn’t perform for the guests, after all. In fact, he now seemed so aware that crawling to Sandilands wasn’t going down well on Twitter that he slunk into the wedding so the press couldn’t snap him.

Of the only three pictures I’ve seen of him there, two show Albanese holding or admiring Sandilands’ nine-month-old son as cover. Look, I’m cuddling a child; not cosying with crooks!

Yes, crooks. How could Albanese let himself be guest of honour alongside former Kings Cross nightclub boss John Ibrahim, promoted as “Australia’s most notorious underworld figure” by the publisher of his autobiography?

Anthony Albanese didn’t go to the wedding to witness love, but to kiss the backside of power. Picture: Instagram/ kiis1065

A teeth-whitened man, who doesn’t have any criminal convictions, but has one brother jailed for drug smuggling, another jailed for illegally selling guns, and a third who pleaded guilty to receiving stolen property?

Then there was the best man, Simon Main, who served jail for smuggling ecstasy, before running hookers and becoming a Sandilands business partner.

These were prize members of the Sandilands rat-pack, posing with him ahead of the wedding for pictures then released to Sandilands’ audience on social media during the live-streaming of the wedding.

Albanese in that company? And ... why, hello, NSW Premier Chris Minns! You here, too?

Albanese last week tried to defend going to this flashy $1m wedding of Sandilands and Tegan Kynaston, saying it was all about “witnessing their expression of love”. Besides, he wasn’t “in charge of the guest list”.

Hang on. Albanese wasn’t there to witness love, but to kiss the backside of power.

Albanese isn’t a close mate of Sandilands, sharing cosy evenings nattering about politics, love and life over a beer.

Kyle Sandilands has a huge radio and online audience. Picture: Jack Henry

No, he was there because of just one thing: Sandilands has a huge radio and online audience of young nihilist amoralists that politicians struggle to reach.

Keeping sweet with Sandilands’ listeners – who must vote in our elections – is just Albanese’s way of staying in power. If Sandilands didn’t have a 15.9 per cent share of Sydney’s radio audience but 1.5, Albanese would have stayed home.

As for Main and Ibrahim, they weren’t incidental to this wedding. They show exactly the world Sandilands inhabits, excuses and rubs in the face of his audience on live-stream.

So what kind of gutter is Albanese joining? Is that really where we should find our prime minister?

But just as amazing is how relaxed so much of the media is with Albanese being with that crowd.

Anthony Albanese decided not to perform as DJ Albo at Kyle Sandilands’ wedding.

I remember journalists six years ago launching a pack-attack on Victorian Liberal leader Matthew Guy for going to a “secret” lunch organised by one of his MPs at a lobster restaurant to meet an Italian businessman who – uh oh – brought along a relative just like Ibrahim. Yes, accused of mob connections. Yes, but never charged. Innocent, he says.

“Lobster with a mobster,” screamed the media. “Lobster with a mobster,” screamed Labor. And Guy’s political career was destroyed.

But now? Our prime minister goes to a wedding of a lout where a gangland figure and jailed drug smuggler were front and centre, and it’s like it’s no big deal.

In fact, he’s excused. How clever of Albanese to crawl to Sandilands and his voters! He’s no snob.

Yet I wonder: if Albanese will sell the dignity of his office to be the decoration on Sandilands’ wedding cake, what else might he sell to stay in power?

And what example is he setting to our young?

Originally published as Andrew Bolt: Albo pimping himself out at Kyle Sandilands’ wedding is a disgrace