Barracking From the Sidelines 2015: Barracking From the Sidelines, #2

Preface

Australian Politics

Dominated by a federal government, in a three-tier system of government, Australian politics is based on a constitution written in the 1890’s that is extremely difficult to change via referendums. It is a Westminster system of government that has two separate chambers that are dominated by two major parties whose ideologies differ and both the sides are very combative to the extent that agreement on issues except politician wage increase, are hard won battles. If one side thinks of an idea, the other side shoots it down in flames, whether the idea is good or not. The public have become disillusioned and feel impotent to change things and see most politicians as merely sucking on the public teat and lining their own pockets. A good few of the political rank’s behaviour does nothing to dispel that idea.

Politics changed a lot in Australia from late 2013 onwards, although many will attest to the fact that it hasn’t changed at all. There are still lies, deception, obfuscation and manipulation and these have had to become more sophisticated as social media has come to the fore. I have been adding my own comments to mainstream media and my own political blog in those years and on reflection I am amazed at the types of characters that are regularly unearthed and come to the forefront in our political climate.

Some characters have developed over that time. Some were just fleeting shadows on the political spectrum. Others rose from obscurity and some may have also have faded back into it. Characters and events overlap. Views change and political manoeuvres take place. Ideology dictates much of what goes on. Hopefully my blog entries and reflections will help paint a picture of these characters and events that dominated the political scene in this period. This is not a chronological history of the time, merely one person’s thoughts that he wanted to scream at the major players in Australian politics at the time.

However, the disappointing thing about all these comments and research is what I still really don’t understand is, how does the Canberra bubble still remain intact with so many pricks in it? Are there special properties of moral vacuums?

January

Major bushfires in Adelaide Hills. $4 million Federal funding allocated.

Federal Health Minister, announces that the proposed $20 cut to rebates for short consultations with GPs announced in budget will no longer happen

Tony Abbott knights Prince Phillip

The High Court of Australia rules that the Federal Government acted legally in detaining 157 Tamil asylum seekers aboard a Customs boat

A series of massacres in Baga, Nigeria and surrounding villages by Boko Haram kills more than 2,000 people

Al Qaeda terrorists kill 12 people and injure 11 more in Paris

The definition of stupidity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. — Albert Einstein. So, what would Albert think of Tony continually making the same mistakes and apologising for them?

Bad judgement calls by a PM have potentially more dire consequences than just a bad line call in tennis. The PM is the person who can, in effect, commit and send our troops off to another war. I am sure that people in Australia would prefer a PM who so frequently didn't say ...oops.

It looks like Tony is following the path of the character of the author he probably perceives as yet another great knight, Sir Vantes. Tony, the new Don Quixote, is living in a fantasy world of his own creation and tilting at windmills. To get a second term now seems like an Impossible Dream.

With apologies to Paul Kelly

"In a muddle, in a muddle, in a muddle it does seem

He’s lost the plot, knighted almost kings.

He’s done all the dumb things"

Rosie Batty is a victim but she wasn't awarded Australian of the Year because she was just a victim. It was what she did afterwards. She could have sat back and cried woe is me. Instead she has battled to raise the awareness of Australians of the dangers and reality of family violence. This is why many of us honour this special Australian. Many of our true heroes have shown that by rising above adversity much good can be achieved and change can occur. Hopefully critics won't denigrate this worthy recipient or the award itself. We already have a Prime Minister who is doing that with conferring of one knighthood in particular.

Sir Prince Phillip does have a ring to it, albeit an anal ring. So out of date doesn't just mean archaic. Tony Abbott has just given Bill Shorten's well-timed republican push a huge boost. It seems that Tony sees a good idea and decides the best thing to do is do the direct opposite. He must be living in an alternate universe. Is giving a knighthood to Prince Phillip a demotion?

With apologies to Sam Cooke's version of What a wonderful World

Don’t know much about the economy

Shirt fronting is my foreign policy

The Human Rights Commissioner is a sook

Don’t want you to see a GP when you’re crook

Well climate change is a lot of crap

And Chrissie Pyne’s such a lovely chap

Remember all Australia elected me

Don't know much about geography (where’s Canadia?)

I hide the scar of my lobotomy

Don’t know why I’m not popular

But Bronnie thinks that I’m a shooting star

Joe is nearly sure one and one is two.

After that he’s confused, me too

The Cabinet have pledged their love for me

Now I don't claim to be a Rhodes scholar

But I am you see

In Oxford as a Rhodes scholar I learnt

How to fake sincerity

So I blame Labor for the economy

But my captain’s calls are all at sea

Remember that I stopped the boats

Rupert’s press keeps me afloat

Decision making, well I haven’t a clue

I made a knight out of a duke

But I ingratiated myself with royalty

La ta ta ta ta ta ta

(Duplicity)

Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh

(Autocracy)

La ta ta ta ta ta ta........

Has the Abbott government gone to the dogs? You remember the cartoon of the dogs playing poker? What if the dogs were having a cabinet meeting instead? Tony would be the aggressive pitbull, Christopher the snappy irritating little terrier, Malcolm the intelligent border collie, Julie the feisty smart poodle, Warren the recumbent bloodhound, Barnaby the bellicose blue heeler, Scott the hard working German Shepherd, Peter the dutiful spaniel, George the argumentative pug, and then there’s Joe the basset hound who officially has little ability to adapt to situations and learn new things. He is actually a happy, friendly soul with comical antics.

February

Prime Minister Tony Abbott announces that the Federal Government is abandoning its paid parental leave proposal.

RBA makes official cash rate 2.25 per cent, an historic low

A United States Court Review strikes down Australian David Hicks' conviction for supporting terrorism

Major cyclone hits Northern Territory and North Queensland

Social Services Minister Scott Morrison releases report recommending that the current child care system be abolished and replaced with a single subsidy available to nannies to better meet the needs and budgets of families

Tony Abbott plans to strip Australian citizenship from dual nationals found to be involved in terrorist acts

Tony Abbott uses VIP jet to fly from Canberra to Sydney for a 20-minute press conference during a Parliamentary sitting week

Joe Hockey proposes an application fee on foreign investors wishing to purchase established homes.

Tony has issues with grammar. He confuses what he can do, will do, promise to do, wants to do and what is doable. Sounds like his problem is also with do - do's.

Tony needed a great speech today. Not only to inspire us as a nation but to protect his back in the party room. This was no Redfern speech, no light on the hill. Obama, Kennedy and Churchill gave speeches that command attention. Tony shows he has lost command.

He has missed the opportunity to set a new course or hand over the con, so it looks like the Captain will go down with the ship. How many rats will scamper to safety?

He stopped the boats, killed the mining tax and carbon tax and is cutting the deficit. Core promises indeed just like no cuts to the ABC and SBS, introduction of Paid Parental Leave, no cuts to Health and Education.............. or were these non-core commitments? I don't understand polispeak. It sounds gibberish me,

I think that the actors in today's political theatre are being overpaid and are underperforming. Is it a drama or a comedy? If I don't like the show, am I allowed to get up and walk out? Can the taxpayer ask for a refund? Or does the show have to go on?

The light seems to have gone out on what is becoming the coalition train heading for a train wreck. How many politicians does it take to change a light bulb?

Tony's going great! Or should that be Tony's going; great!

Picture this: Julie and Tony singing The Two of Us...... People talk, they smile and say they know it won't last, we're holding on fast to a dream, we don't know what they mean........

I can't stand the suspense. Just who will be our leader? Michael Clarke, Steve Smith or George Bailey?

This is just a media blow up and press speculation........... Sorry was just reading yesterday's Lib Party script.

Misread headline Lib's pill bitter and hard to swallow or Lib spill bitter and hard to swallow. You choose......

Young Christopher wouldn't have said such a thing. If he did, he would be speaking Showing His Irrational Thoughts. That's the way he always speaks. (In response to Pyne’s comment to Albanese C U Next Tuesday)

On a separate topic but worthy of note. Tony Abbott asked the people of Victoria to use the Victorian election as a referendum on the East-West tunnel project. The voters have spoken and he now all but calls us stupid. What is worse however is the Liberal Party's sanctioning of corporate greed. From little things big things grow The residents of Marysville in Victoria look like getting $300 million to share as compensation from a private company for loss of life, having their houses destroyed and their lives threatened and turned upside down in the Black Saturday bushfires. A private company will get about $1 billion from the Victorian government for holding the previous government to ransom over the contracts for the East-West Link. One has waited six years and the other will probably wait six months. Compare the pair as the ad suggests.

If we keep tossing out Prime Ministers no-one will want the job. Would we be better off with no-one? Perhaps that is the solution. Elect a group of people who will all work together in the best interests of Australia. No parties, no leaders..... might be worth a go.

There is an even more real reality show waiting to be produced. It will be filmed on Manus Island and should be called I'm a Refugee. Get me Outa Here

You'd think that Tony might not have just watched, but also have learned from the musical chairs game that Labor played when it came to the throne of PM. Every so often the music would stop and someone sat down while another person would blow up the dynamite that was attached to the chair. Then the music would start again, the game would continue until all were mortally wounded. Tony, who marches to the beat of his own drum now sits in the chair, but has also found the detonator and hasn't stopped to consider what would happen if he pushed the wrong buttons. You don't need to be a Rhodes scholar to work out what would happen. In fact, it obviously helps if you aren't.

Has Captain Tony forgotten that shooting yourself in the foot whilst it is still in your mouth is tantamount to suicide, especially political suicide?

"Blue ties will certainly cheer up

If Tony can be replaced

Or else they will end up rear up

An opposition in disgrace

Spread smiles on every Australian face

And put a new PM in place."

If you are hoist by your own petard is it painful? Will Tony have to see a doctor about it? I am sure many like me would pay his GP co-payment for him.

If an abbot and two bishops lose their jobs, is that religious persecution?

Speaking of military stuff. To cut pay to the armed services is an act of contempt. Wage freeze would be bad enough but to send our troops overseas into conflict and tell them that that an assessment has been made of the value their life is worth and it is now worth less than it was a year ago is arrogant detachment. Perhaps all politicians should do some front-line combat duty to assess what for our defence force are