Loading The fact that Rugby Australia clearly won the first round is encouraging. It gives a strong indication of how the next legal rounds might go, but it is not definitive. That is the situation as it stands and, of course, against that there have been many claims made by those who support Folau despite it all. Let’s have a quick look at the basic claims. This was a victory for media bullies like yours truly, who all got together and said “Let’s get Israel.” Uh, no. As I said on Twitter to one who made this very charge, it was actually rugby and wider communities saying, “No more bullying of gays, we're over it. And if you insist on doing it, you can’t do it while wearing our jersey and being paid a million bucks a year.” For each time Folau posted, the ones who led the charge were the public, who exploded on talkback, on social media and thundering letters to the editor well before any of us in the media wrote a word. This is the end of Western civilisation as we know it. Uh, no. This is Western civilisation evolving, and saying that while publicly marginalising a group used to be acceptable, and even a part of the law of the land, it is no longer acceptable.

Critics are howling this is a problem specific to rugby. Uh, no again. How many of you, reading this, are free in your own workplaces to put up social media posts like Folau and still be employed? Across our brown and pleasant land, millions of employees get it, comport themselves accordingly, and we’re a stronger and more inclusive country because of it. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video This is all about freedom of speech. Umm, no again. No-one is dragging Folau off to the Gulag, for starters, and as I have stated many times, while he has broad freedom of speech, he has no freedom from consequences. Secondly, those who are howling loudest about freedom of speech for Israel Folau – Alan Jones et al – are precisely those who howled loudest against the likes of Yassmin Abdel-Magied - who tweeted that on Anzac Day 2017 we should also reflect on Manus Island detainees- and called for her to be banished. Ditto, when SBS presenter Scott McIntyre tweeted his own views about the Anzacs and those who commemorated Anzac Day, there was not a single peep out of them about his rights to freedom of speech. They wanted him sacked from SBS, and he was. This is an attack on the freedom of religion in general, and Christianity in particular. This line of attack is again led by Jones and you’ll think I am making this up, but I’m not. “He’s in trouble for uttering four of the most immortal words in civilisation’s history,” Jones said on Sky on Tuesday, “I am a Christian.” Complete and utter bollocks. For starters, heaps of wonderful Christian leaders such as Father Rod Bower have come forward entirely disassociating themselves and their religion from Folau. Within rugby ranks, Wallaby flanker David Pocock, who led the charge against homophobia the code, is a devout Christian. Willie Ofahengaue, the first Tongan to play for the Wallabies, is a devout Christian, and both of our Wallaby World Cup winning captains in Nick Farr-Jones and John Eales answer the same description. There are dozens and dozens more. The idea that Rugby Australia was out to get Christians, right after signing Folau up again is so absurd there are no words. The Diggers would be turning over in their graves. I am not making this up, I tell you. Alan Jones, AGAIN is actually pushing this line.