At an Australia Day function in Canberra, Abbott was forced to defend his decision and dismissed the reaction on Twitter as “electronic graffiti.”
“I think that in the media, you make a big mistake to pay too much attention to social media. You wouldn’t report what’s sprayed up on the walls of buildings,” Abbott was quoted as saying in the Sydney Morning Herald.
Of Prince Philip, Abbott said: “He’s the patron of hundreds of organizations. He’s the inspiration and wellspring of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards which have provided leadership training for tens if not hundreds of thousands of Australians over the years.”
The 93-year-old duke is the only son of Prince Andrew of Greece, whose ancestors hail from Danish royalty. He married in Queen Elizabeth II in 1947, who is head of the Commonwealth and is required to sign off on Abbott’s decision, an irony not lost on Australia’s comedians.
Giving a Knighthood to Prince Philip is like giving a Beyoncé CD to Jay-Z. Surely he could just pick one up at home.
After knighting Prince Phillip, Abbott buys Santa a present.
–
Abbott didn’t take to Twitter to try to stifle the spray of e-graffiti.
His contribution to the great wall of outrage was a simple.
Happy Australia Day! http://t.co/j6LeBNy16s
Not likely, ‘Straya says.
Prince Phillip gets a knighthood. #FiveWordsToRuinAustraliaDay
