‘Perhaps he’s utterly and completely lost the plot’: Swan unloads on Abbott

FORMER treasurer Wayne Swan, the PM and social media have joined the pile-on after Tony Abbott admitted once being too drunk to vote.

FORMER Labor treasurer Wayne Swan has unloaded on Tony Abbott for missing a 2009 parliamentary vote on global financial crisis stimulus measures after passing out drunk.

Mr Swan had publicly accused Mr Abbott of lying about the reason for his absence for years — and was once forced to withdraw the accusation in parliament.

This morning he questioned why he had now finally admitted it.

“Perhaps he’s just utterly and completely lost the plot, it’s hard to know,” Mr Swan said.

Was so drunk I asked for more Aussie Flags at pressers #DrunkExcuses #auspol #Abbott

— Darrell Morrison (@Dazr) August 25, 2017

After long denying the incident, Mr Abbott will say in an upcoming episode of the ABC television series The House with Annabel Crabb that he passed out drunk in his office and was unable to be woken. He missed crucial votes in the House of Representatives relating to the Labor government’s global financial crisis spending bills.

Mr Swan said it showed Mr Abbott was focused on himself and not the Australian people.

“When the jobs of Australians were on the line, Tony Abbott didn’t care,” he said.

“His recklessness knows no bounds.”

Mr Swan said the fact he was drunk showed how “self-indulgent” he was on that night.

“It says a lot about his negativity and it says a lot about his obsession with himself but it says a lot more about the modern Liberal Party of Australia,” he said.

I much prefer Tony Abbott passed out drunk to sober and in Parliament.#auspol

— Bruce Campbell (@nvisionthing_au) August 25, 2017

Mr Swan, now a backbencher, also took a swipe at Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who was then the opposition leader.

“He should’ve told the Australian public about this a long time ago,” he said.

Mr Turnbull slammed Mr Abbott this morning, saying his drunk voting miss was “not acceptable or admirable in any way”. He said he had known why Mr Abbott had missed bells in Parliament.

“There was nothing we could do,” he told 3AW radio host Neil Mitchell.

“The Whips tried to rouse him to get him down into the chamber to vote, but they were unable to move him.”

“GO HOME TONY, YOU’RE DRUNK”

Meanwhile, social media gleefully joined the pile-on.

Some suggested the drunk revelation explained many of the former PM’s decisions and actions.

Others suggested it made him appear more “normal”.

Tony Abbott being drunk eight years ago is by a GARGANTUAN margin the most normal thing about him.

— John Johnsonson (@JohnJohnsonson) August 25, 2017

Some were plain disgusted.

No @SkyNewsAust ! Not OK for #Abbott to be too drunk to attend to his Parliamentary duty. Other job & he'd be sacked. Disgraceful! #auspol

— HARPERHP (@WhistonChris) August 25, 2017

Others suggested it might be a blessing. But in the end, cynical humour won the day.

Abbott: When I become PM, I'm going to give Prince Philip a knighthood and make Bronwyn the Speaker.

Abetz: Go home Tony, you're drunk.

— Doc Evatt (@DocEvatt) August 25, 2017