What an amazing month it has been on the political front in Australia. A hung parliament, a care taker prime minister trying to keep the jackals in her party at bay, a handful of independents who can't wait to get their hands on those pork barrels, and an opposition leader who can't believe his luck. To top it all off, The Adversary himself called one of the independents to try and cut a deal but was told in no uncertain manner that he would have to get to the back of the queue and consider his position on a number of core considerations the independent in question held close to his heart. Or something like that.
The media is in frenzy mode, screaming headlines at the merest provocation. The pollsters are polling on possibilities that range from the outlandish to the just plain stupid. Any day now, we will see a headline that reads 'POLL SHOWS LABOR VICTORY IF NEW ELECTION HELD DURING A FULL MOON'. A rival newspaper would then run with 'OPPOSITION IN CRISIS TALKS ON FULL MOON MASSACRE POSSIBILITY'. The blog sphere would light up, Facebook would carry millions of unwanted opinions, and the surge in activity on Twitter would cause the internet to melt. Or something like that.
On one hand, I wish the buggers would just hurry up and form a government so we can get on with life. On the other hand, I know that there are processes and procedures that need to be adhered to, considerations to be considered, and stuff like that. It's important that the democratic process be allowed to run its course and those barrels be filled to bursting with tasty pork.
Am I being too cynical? Possibly. But whenever the smiling mugs of the band of four (or three + one who will remain one) float across my television screen, or the words of the National from WA who isn't a National from WA come through on the wireless, I can't help but recall my philosophy on politicians (in the top right corner of this blog). I'm sure they want what is best for the Australian people. It's just that the value of 'best' ranges from zero to pork barrel.
The media is in frenzy mode, screaming headlines at the merest provocation. The pollsters are polling on possibilities that range from the outlandish to the just plain stupid. Any day now, we will see a headline that reads 'POLL SHOWS LABOR VICTORY IF NEW ELECTION HELD DURING A FULL MOON'. A rival newspaper would then run with 'OPPOSITION IN CRISIS TALKS ON FULL MOON MASSACRE POSSIBILITY'. The blog sphere would light up, Facebook would carry millions of unwanted opinions, and the surge in activity on Twitter would cause the internet to melt. Or something like that.
On one hand, I wish the buggers would just hurry up and form a government so we can get on with life. On the other hand, I know that there are processes and procedures that need to be adhered to, considerations to be considered, and stuff like that. It's important that the democratic process be allowed to run its course and those barrels be filled to bursting with tasty pork.
Am I being too cynical? Possibly. But whenever the smiling mugs of the band of four (or three + one who will remain one) float across my television screen, or the words of the National from WA who isn't a National from WA come through on the wireless, I can't help but recall my philosophy on politicians (in the top right corner of this blog). I'm sure they want what is best for the Australian people. It's just that the value of 'best' ranges from zero to pork barrel.