It is a truth universally acknowledged that every woman has experienced at least once in her lifetime, a man talking to himself in her inbox. Granted, that man probably wasn’t an Australian MP Andrew Broad.
If you’re unfamiliar with the latest political scandal unfolding across the pond, here is everything you need to know: on Tuesday the (married) Assistant Deputy Prime Minister for Australia resigned from politics, following a public scandal involving a woman that he met on a website that connects young women to wealthy older men.
According to the anonymous woman (who goes by the name Amy), during their date at Hong Kong Aqua the MP referred to himself as “James Bond” and repeatedly placed her hand on his leg before she made excuses to leave.
The Whatsapp exchanges between the two have since been leaked online and let’s just say that they make for…err. Interesting reading.
Unsurprisingly Australia is now experiencing a crises of nationalism over the misuse use of the phrase “G’day mate” (“I pull you close, run my strong hands down your back, softly kiss your neck and whisper “G’day mate” – what woman could resist?)
However, arguably one of the most toe-curlingly cringy particulars of the exchange is when the MP get’s..well..ghosted. After the sext was left unanswered, Broad messages at 7.42am “good morning, how are you”. He then messages again at 6.08pm that evening “Hey, I just got a big promotion at work”.
To put that in perspective, at the time, Broad was on business in Hong Kong during a fruit exhibition.
It’s one thing having your sexts published online for the world to see, but another entirely to be publicly ghosted in the same forum.
Still if you’re going to spend tax dollars conducting extra-marital affairs during an international fruit show (we're confused too) after calling for the resignation of other politicians for conducting affairs with former staff, perhaps it's not entirely undeserved?