blog Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has called those aspects of Australia’s technical community who are staunchly in favour of the NBN’s fibre to the home model many things over the past year or so. My personal favourite was the time in April last year that he accused technology journalists (that’s me) of being ‘pro-NBN zealots’ who were encouraging “tech-savvy citizens” (that’s you, the readers) to want “the ultimate broadband” (fibre to the home; you know, the stuff they already have in Korea and Japan).

Well, now we can add another base insult to the list. According to Turnbull, those in favour of fibre to the home are merely … “stupid”. Yup, that’s right. This is what the NBN debate has come to. The Member for Wentworth tells ABC Radio (click here for the full transcript) in response to whether fibre to the node was a second-rate broadband option for Australia:

“Well, in that case we’d be in very good company wouldn’t we because we’ve got most of Europe, most of North America in exactly the same situation. I mean what a stupid thing these people are saying. I mean copper, look, copper, wireless, glass – all of these are technologies. This is not a religious issue. It is a question of being business-like and getting the balance right as I said. The problem with this debate is that it is proceeding in some quarters as a quasi-religious debate. It is not.”

Why, Malcolm. We have to say that our feelings are very hurt. We can’t believe, after the long relationship that Australia’s technology community has had with you personally, dating back to your role with OzEmail in the 1990’s and after all the debates we’ve had on the NBN issue over the past several years, that it’s come to this, with you describing those in favour of a fibre NBN as “stupid”. Well … you’re just, you’re just a big fat jerk! So there! And you suck as well! Take that! Wait … has this NBN debate become just a little childish?

Image credit: Office of Malcolm Turnbull