Don Burke’s top tactics to outsmart Tracy Grimshaw in outrageous interview

OPINION: The deflection tactics Don Burke used to outsmart Tracy Grimshaw were an outrageous display of blame minimisation.

OPINION

OUTRAGED by Don Burke’s interview with Tracy Grimshaw on A Current Affair?

You should be.

The former Nine Network gardening superstar engaged in classic blame reduction tactics to bat back accusations levelled at him by his accusers.

In a classic self-harm minimisation exercise, Don Burke — the backyard man — cut master interviewer Tracy Grimshaw’s grass.

I watched it with a growing sense of outrage and frustration.

Burke, 70, used every excuse, barring “the dog ate my homework”.

Oh hang on, he did use that excuse, except it was the dog of time — 30 years since some of the allegations against him had occurred — that swallowed up his memory.

And if he couldn’t remember, he was sick, or people just didn’t get him, or didn’t like him, or should feel sorry for him, or it was just the times we live in.

People “exaggerate and build a better story”, says former Nine Network TV star Don Burke in his Tracy Grimshaw interview. Picture: ACA.

“That’s just not me.”

“Weinstein reinforces victim mentality.”

Yep, blame it on social media and Harvey Weinstein for tipping the world upside down and allowing women to portray themselves as victims.

Here are the ways in which Burke skilfully deflected everything thrown at him by Grimshaw.

As Burke mentioned more than once, his wife has been ill.

He’s also ill.

His “illness” — undiagnosed Asperger’s — means he doesn’t know when to “back off”.

And this means he can’t interpret body language of others.

He conceded he has faults, mostly quirky personality faults.

If they were big faults, then they were virtuous and ennobling such as being “ a perfectionist”.

These faults might make him enemies.

The allegations are therefore the revenge of his enemies, who are “punishing me for my mistakes”.

And some people “have carried a grudge”.

But “we all exaggerate and build a better story” and that’s what these people have done.

He is also the subject of “a witch hunt”.

But this is because he a victim of the times.

Former Nine TV celebrity gardener Don Burke claims that accusations against him have resulted from “grudges”.

Burke told Grimshaw allegations of sexual comments were just his “ribald sense of humour”. Picture: ACA.

These times include social media, such as Twitter on which people can say anything.

And then there’s the “Weinstein thing [which] reinforces their victim mentality”.

But he’s too good a person to pursue individual allegations made against him, he’s “not that sort of guy”.

He won’t address each claim, but for altruistic reasons and “my ethics”.

He doesn’t want to “hurt” women who might be fragile. “I don’t want to go into anymore of it than that, because it’s damaging. I don’t want to damage people,” Burke said.

“I don’t want to go in and pick them out one by one, because I think that’s an evil in itself.”

He also can’t recall.

Some allegations stem from 30 years ago: “Whose memory’s that good? I can’t remember”.

And even when he can’t remember, he’s denying the allegations because “that’s just not me”.

But don’t get him wrong, he has done some bad things.

MEA CULPA

Burke has “looked in the mirror [and] there’s a lot I don’t like”.

He's “had affairs”, “I’m not saying I’m innocent, I’ve done a lot of things I’m ashamed of, but obviously since Marea’s got ill ...”

He’s “ashamed for the family”, but since his wife has become ill all that behaviour has stopped.

Burke told Channel 9 he cheated on his wife Marea (above, with him in 2014) but said that had ceased since she became ill. Picture: Don Arnold.

But regarding those accusations, the ones of sexual remarks, Burke is just misunderstood.

He never made sexual accusations, it’s just his “ribald sense of humour”.

Yes he is guilty, of having that quirky humour that makes you say suggestive things that other people misconstrue.

But he denied that “we” paid anyone off: “There was no suggestion people were ever paid off by us,” Burke said.

Well there was that one person, but “she’s a very tough lady, that one”.

And there may have been something about her, because when “she parted ways ... we did have issues with her”.

Burke continually used “we” to refer to his team of supporters.

But wait, there’s more, there’s the wider love of the Australian public, and the public will judge him, and that’s what really counts.

And there’s no contest really, because he’s not returning to TV.

But he’s in a really good time in his life

And, well Tracy, he says, point straight at her, the old cut throat TV industry is full of rumours isn’t it?