Who’s going to fly the dare-to-be-different flag?
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They are high-profile, intelligent, ambitious, thoughtful and popular. And now Malcolm Turnbull and Peter Garrett — parliament’s two superstar outsiders of their generation — are political dead meat. Which leads us to ask: is there a place at the top of Australian politics left for anyone who isn’t prepared to be a conformist, poll-driven, cookie cut-out clone? In his always-entertaining Financial Review column yesterday, Mark Latham, no one’s cookie cut-out, put it this way:
Sadly, Latham is probably right. It’s now almost a prerequisite that the people who succeed as political leaders are automatons. Maybe, just maybe, Tony Abbott can break that mould. Otherwise, as Turnbull and Garrett have discovered recently, it’s off to the Reject Shop. |
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15 Comments
Parliament needs members that can think outside of the square, but that thinking must be tempered by common sense, a true understanding of the possible and by having the qualified people in an appropriate role.
Garrett has been destroyed because he lacks the skill set required for rolling out a scheme prone to disaster from the beginning. The whole project needed micro managing by an MP with the understanding that the world is not perfect and that the unscrupulous will take full advantage.
Horses for courses! There are enough unionists MPs in Canberra to surely have found one with a full understanding of the workplace and the people skills to make it work; Combet can’t be the only one?
Hopefully the whole sorry business will result in ministries being allocated to members that are qualified for the particular role, rather than just pleasing the factions, balancing state rivalries or subscribing to some other influences not in the public interest, but then pigs might fly!
Tony Abbott may yet break the mould, but if he does, its an example of how narrow minority interests come to rule the roost in a shitty, 2 party preferred “democracy”. I’ve never particularly liked Garrett or Turnbull, but they were both badly (and unjustifiably) shafted and have now found out (if they didn’t know before) what a bunch of fools and tools there are inside the tent they chose to enter.
And what killed Turnbull and Garrett? They’re both casualties of the global warming cult. What did Keane, Hamilton-Calvin, Rundle et al predict about Abbott and the return of the Howard Living Dead? That the sheer horror of a Liberal party run by corpses would cause it to split. Hamilton would sweep into parliament on a tide of appalled, decent, liberal Liberals. It was clear that Turnbull was leading the Libs into Rudd’s corral, but the pundits were blinded by their climatic ejaculations. Surprise surprise, Neanderthal Abbott has given the Libs their identity back. Ugly as sin, but their own.
Tall fall guy Garrett was the victim of rushed, stupidly-implemented schemes (Green Loans and insulation), facile gestures in the general direction of CO2 emissions.
It’s time. The Left has to jettison the AGW millstone. The Greens likewise. Everything important is being neglected or distorted by this cult, not least the environment. The feral Right is now within striking distance of power. Thank you so much, fuckwits.
Politics is not a game for individuals.
If that is your belief it’s time to find a new career.
Allegiance is to the Party first, regardless of philosophy.
‘Parliament’s two superstar outsiders’?? Come off it. ‘Superstars’ only to a sub-class of the Canberra press gallery who don’t get out enough. Crikey has been grovelling to Turnbull and Garrett for some time. To Crikey, they can do no wrong – they are unimpeachable, brilliant, wonderful… The greatest of their generation…
Garrett and Turnbull didn’t appear to be able to grasp even the basics of being a minister or an opposition leader, respectively. Being clever outside politics was irrelevant.
The all-singing, all-dancing political candidate (literally, in Garrett’s case) is just not a good idea. Political skills aren’t very transferable, certainly not from being a song-and-dance man as a former long-term career…
The failings of these would-be politicians doesn’t prove a case that, ergo, all politicians must be hacks. Of course there are good politicians – intelligent and well-rounded. But Crikey would know that already.
Garrett was dead meat from the moment he joined the Labor Party. He was kernoted (as in Cheryl): wooed, won and then not respected in the morning. He’s not even the environment minister. None of his major concerns have been seriously addressed by his party. He should have gone to the Senate as a Green and he might have done some good. Isn’t that the man who used to be Peter Garrett???
I suspect Mr Abbott is part of the mould
Keith Binns: Yes. The artist formerly known as Peter Garrett….
The Garrett insulation is far from over, latest stats show LESS people were killed due to the program than before…Garrett’s plan was safer!!
hmmm….never let a few facts get in the way of the australian media
“”Financial Review” March 2012
Former Liberal leader and non-conformist politician Tony Abbott stated in his column today…..
MPM. “Allegiance is to the Party first, regardless of philosophy.”
That says it all really. It doesn’t matter how environmentally indifferent, homophobic or nasty in general the party becomes, the party still has to come first.
MPM speaks for the Bogans that have taken over the Coalition…
Well said Tomboy.
“He’s not even the environment minister.” Yes he is Keith Binns but he should not have been in charge of the insulation project, however, out of bad comes good and hopefully, he’ll get on with managing the environment.
Now he might have an opportunity to address the shenanigans of state government environmental agencies which are drawing this nation ever nearer to an irreversible tipping point. Look no further than WA Premier, Barney Rubble and his dash for cash!
Tony Abbott’s a climate change moron and the Liberal Party is known for intervening in the pre-selection process. King climate change p!sswit, Dennis Jensen, lost pre-selection in 2006 – the local branch didn’t want him, however, with the intervention of Yellow Cake Johnny, the vote was overturned.
Low and behold, Jensen lost pre-selection last year too, however, the all powerful state council overturned the vote – yet again! “No” does not mean “No” to the fossil fools in the Liberal Party. I can’t wait to see them eat cake at the next election – yet again!
I think the real problem is that the media (and therefore the public) is more interested in personality than policy. I couldn’t care less whether a politician is sporty, bland, eccentric, bookish or flamboyant. I just want them to be competent at running the country. Too much emphasis on personality has us moving more toward an American model of electing leaders based on money, spin and rhetoric, making voting more like the final of Big Brother than who has the best policies for our future.