ONE-TIME prime ministerial aspirant Mark Latham has launched a bizarre tirade of abuse against almost everyone.

Audience members booed, jeered and some even stormed out of the Melbourne Writers Festival Q&A with ABC host Jonathan Green, who could not control Mr Latham’s ranting.

Mr Latham abused and then ignored Green, berating him for a comment he had shared on Twitter.

“You are a bigot ... You’re a deviant, you’re a hypocrite,” Latham said.

“There’s no way I’m answering your questions in such a forum ... I decide on which format and the manner in which it comes to this country.”

Latham just dropped a c-bomb. Audience members genuinely reeling. #MWF15 @theheraldsun — Tom Minear (@tminear) August 22, 2015

Audience members then grilled Mr Latham, asking about the abusive @RealMarkLatham Twitter account.

He refused to confirm whether he was behind it, suggesting he had a commercial arrangement to be interviewed about the issue.

Asked about his repeated slurs against high-profile women, including Australian of the Year Rosie Batty, Mr Latham was unrepentant and criticised the “left feminist clique”.

He nearly cried as he lashed out at Ms Batty for calling him a misogynist, saying he was a stay-at-home dad and supportive husband.

“If you’re going to suggest to me that’s fair comment, you’ve got a very warped view of fairness,” Latham claimed.

Mr Latham’s slurs against top transgender military official Cate McGregor — who he called “the then Malcolm McGregor” — prompted boos and cannot be published for legal reasons.

Green piped in to say that “I think you need to think about this, whether this is wise” but Mr Latham kept talking.

We’re disappointed in Mark Latham’s #MWF15 appearance today. Not the respectful conversation we value. — MWF (@MelbWritersFest) August 22, 2015

Actor Max Gillies was in the audience and told Mr Latham that he didn’t come to “listen to an afternoon of abuse”.

Mr Latham replied: “Piss off, leave, go, go. It’s a democracy ... Get your lard ass off the seat and go.”

Before he bizarrely offered parenting advice, Mr Latham delivered an unprompted string of swear words.

Mr Latham, who resigned from the Australian Financial Review earlier this week, said the week had been “wonderfully hilarious” and “the theatre of the absurd we call Australian politics”.

He proudly claimed he never made a mistake in his columns and lashed out at “privileged elites” who were “trying to set me up for a fall” and had campaigned for his sacking.

“I stand by my opinions as having a role to play in the public debate and in the future, so they shall,” Mr Latham said.

“I will be charged back into battle. Today is just a prelude, a warm-up.”

Despite his hour-long tirade, Mr Latham complained about the “terrible corrosion of free speech”.

He provided virtually no political commentary except to say that no voters in key seats gave “two hoots” about issues like gay marriage.

Melbourne Writers Festival organisers tweeted they were “disappointed” with Mr Latham and it was “not the respectful conversation we value”.

Green simply tweeted: “Well that escalated quickly”.

Mr Latham refused to speak to the Sunday Herald Sun after the session.

tom.minear@news.com.au

@tminear