Why you shouldn’t feel sorry for Gladys Berejiklian

Gladys Berejiklian is in the news again because of her relationship with a disgraced MP, but there’s a crucial detail we’ve all missed.

OPINION

Pretending that Gladys Berejiklian is just a nice lady that happened to date the wrong bloke is a disservice to women.

The Independent Commission Against Corruption found former NSW Premier Berejiklian engaged in “serious corrupt conduct” via her secret romantic relationship with disgraced ex-MP Daryl Maguire.

In secret phone taps that she fought to keep private, Maguire told her, “I am the boss even when you’re the Premier.”

Yes, she risked it all for a man that was so insecure he had to tell her who the boss was in the relationship.

Tony Danza’s character didn’t even dare pull that kind of power stunt on the sitcom Who’s The Boss.

Gladys Berejiklian with disgraced MP Daryl Maguire.

Interestingly, largely, the response online to the findings is: “Poor Gladys.”

Haven’t we all dated a bad boyfriend? Haven’t we all been with an insecure guy that has clouded our judgment? Haven’t we all done silly things for love?

Even Liberal leader Peter Dutton has boarded that sympathy train. Who knew he was such a love softie?

“I think she should hold her head high. She had a bad relationship, as everybody does, and I hope that that’s not the defining moment for her because she’s a much better person and we all know that,” he said on the Today Show.

Karl Stefanovic joined in and called Maguire an “ugly bum”.

You’d think they were talking about Brad Pitt cheating on Jennifer Aniston and not Australian politics. I get it though.

As a woman there’s a sense of sisterhood in knowing that Gladys has made a romantic mistake that plenty of women have also made. She chose the wrong guy, and the results of their relationship are embarrassing.

We get it, girl! We’ve all been there too! No harm, no foul. Lets have a girls night, burn his clothes, listen to Lizzo and watch Beaches.

Gladys is very smart. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Monique Harmer

She helped NSW get through the pandemic. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jeremy Piper

Gladys is just a victim of picking the wrong man and who are we to judge? We’ve all bet on the wrong horse before.

It is a tempting line of thinking to follow, especially if you’re from NSW. That woman was our symbol of hope during the pandemic.

When we were all in lockdowns her 10am press conferences were comforting. She remained dignified, and calm, and plenty of people think she handled the pandemic really well.

The general consensus across political aisles is that she reacted without overacting.

Her daily presence meant that she started to feel like our friend or at the very least an authority figure that we found comforting. So when she had to step down because of corruption claims over some guy, it was easy to react how we would with a close mate going through a break-up. “Don’t worry, babe; we’ve all dated a loser; you’ve got this.”

Her daily pressers became iconic. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Bianca De Marchi

Except pretending that Gladys is just a gal pal that made the wrong swipe on Tinder is condescending.

She’s an accomplished, intelligent, calculated politician. Let’s not treat her like some silly woman. My instincts are to be on Gladys’s side.

I’ve dated a bunch of men that didn’t bring down my political career but filled me with embarrassment. Including a guy that thought sunscreen was only for people that didn’t want to tan.

So her picking a dud and having to pay the ultimate price, well, that sucks. We don’t have enough respected female politicians around. It is a shame to think she’s had to step away over a guy named Daryl! He doesn’t even have a hot name.

So why aren’t I on that train?

Well, because it would be a disservice to her and all women.

Gladys deserves respect. Picture: NCA Newswire /Gaye Gerard

When Gladys was in power, I didn’t want people to underestimate her or think less of her because of her gender.

I didn’t want her written off as an emotional silly woman. I didn’t want people to assume that her vision could be clouded by men just because she’s a woman.

So, now she’s in the wrong. I can’t swallow that misogyny just because it is convenient for once!

I want to be on her side and make excuses for her, and it is very annoying that her relationship hardly seems worth being late to brunch over – let alone losing your political career over.

Still, I can’t use sexism in reverse.

Gladys is an intelligent, capable, savvy woman who should be treated as such even when she messes up.

I’m sorry she made the mistake she did but I’m refusing to pretend it’s because she’s some silly, emotional, vulnerable woman.