Blog: Politics! Who would want to do it?

Who, in their right mind, would want to be a politician? In order to join that happy fraternity, it would seem it’s necessary to hate everyone but yourself. You also need to be able to turn on those laughingly called your friends, in order to progress your own self-seeking aims!

In the past few days we’ve seen a lot happen, every tiny detail lovingly filmed by the television boys, every spoken word and action, captured for our delight. The events took place specifically in the Labor camp, where it would appear the job of Prime Minister offers about as much safety as sitting on a bomb in Afghanistan.

It’s been just like a ‘Carry On” film and it goes something like this, starting about three years ago…

First, this bloke wins office in a general election and proves to be a bit bossy with those under him, so his female second-in-command ‘stabs’ him in the back and pinches his job, (without having been elected to that job!), then he tries to win his job back, but fails. After that she does a lot of silly, and unscrupulous things, which make the populace hopping mad, and one of his mates tries to get him his job back, but he decides he doesn’t want it. So his mate loses his job in the Cabinet for being unfaithful! Then she calls an election, but dates it too far ahead, giving all those around her time to sharpen their knives, which provides him with the confidence to have another go at her, and this time he wins and gets his old job back. She goes home, tail between her legs, swearing to never stand in Parliament again, and he goes…well who knows where he’ll go.

Hilariously funny, if it was part of a comedy film, but this is deadly serious!

The trouble is, while all this has been going on, with the whole Government side apparently at each other’s throats, little or nothing has been done about the running of the country. Oh they’ve managed to get a few things through, like a carbon tax no-one wanted and a tax on mining companies which proved to be next to useless. Then there were the new halls in many schools that said they didn’t need one, (but the Government insisted) and pink bats that caught fire in people’s homes. A very long piece of glass fibre called the NBN, designed to make our internet connections faster, (something important to very few people, I would have thought), came next. And finally, an increase in funding for schools, which has been refused by most State Governments, for some reason.

I mean, they had to do something while in office, didn’t they, even if it was stuff most people didn’t want!

Oh – I nearly forgot – they also managed to fit in a couple of healthy pay increases for themselves as well, while insisting on cut backs and job losses for everyone else. That must have annoyed one or two voters as well!

But these politicians aren’t absolute idiots. In the twenty four hours since Rudd regained his position, they’ve been running off the Labor ship like rats. They obviously believe they’re still going to get a hammering in the upcoming election, even with Rudd in control and they’re running out, rather than being thrown out.

And I wouldn’t mind betting there are a few hearts beating a little faster on the other side of the house too, with the change at the top that has taken place. Suddenly an impossible-to-lose election might be presenting a bit of a battle for the Coalition. It’s certainly not going to be as easy as it was, even though I would estimate the odds must still be in their favour. All that has happened in the last two days has really happened too late.

It’s going to be very interesting, come September, or whenever Rudd decides to go to the people! (The sooner the better, most people seem to be saying – and I agree!

photo:  Leonard John Matthews