ONE of my favourite television programs is
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So while I was at home for a couple of weeks recently on sick leave I thought I would take the opportunity to have a bit of a lie down and watch the show during the day, instead of late at night.
But I wish I hadn’t because all it did was make me feel more crook.
I have never seen so many clowns gathered together in the one place and there was nothing funny about them, especially given the vicious and vitriolic nature of some of the members of the House of Representatives.
To add to my frustration I had to put up with the behaviour of the policy-bereft and intellectually delinquent opposition and their leader, Tony Abbott, as they kept hammering away at the same old things, day in and day out.
For example, with so many important things happening in the world why are Abbott and company still dribbling about Julia Gillard replacing Kevin Rudd as prime minister 12 months ago — especially when people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.
The opposition alleges Gillard was replacing a prime minister who had been elected by the Australian people.
But I don’t remember having the opportunity to do that, only the opportunity to vote for my local member, with the Australian prime minister selected by the parliamentary members of the party with the most seats in the parliament.
Unless, of course, you were a member of the Country Party when it told the Liberal Party it would not accept Billy McMahon as leader of the Liberals — and thus as prime minister — forcing the senior party in the coalition to put its second choice, John Gorton, in the chair.
And if we are all about transparency in the selection of the prime minister why are the members for Indi and Farrer so terrified of telling us who they voted for as leader of their party in the past couple of leadership elections?
Further, if Peter Costello had replaced John Howard, as they agreed, surely Costello was then usurping the Australian people’s choice of prime minister, if you use the conservatives’ logic?
The conservatives have also made much about Gillard, supported by certain factions, backstabbing her leader.
What, just like Malcolm Fraser did to John Gorton to eventually ensure McMahon got the senior job, with the Country Party’s blessing?
And if you wanted to see factions at work and blood on the floor you would have seen plenty at the weekend when the Liberals met and voted for the party’s presidency.
How divided is the Liberal Party when, after all the bloodletting, incumbent Alan Stockdale could beat challenger Peter Reith by only one vote, a result not all that different from Brendan Nelson’s defeat of Malcolm Turnbull for the job of leader of the opposition.
Turnbull turned the tables on him and then Abbott did the same to Turnbull.
Much has also been made about the frosty relationship between Rudd and Gillard but wasn’t that exactly the same with Howard and Costello after Howard reneged on their agreement?
The conservatives are also droning on about Rudd not resigning from the Parliament when he lost the top job and that he is now waiting in the wings to reclaim the prime ministership, all the while proving to be a thorn in the side of his leader.
Yet how different is that from Turnbull, surely the elephant in the room when it comes to the question of Liberal leadership?
So Mrs Mirabella and Ms Ley, could you please tell us why the party you are both members of should not be seen as a partner in the most hypocritical and cynical opposition since federation and undeserving of being considered as an alternative, viable federal government?