Saturday, June 11

Marilyn and I do like to watch Kitchen Cabinet on ABC and we believe that Annabel Crabb was born to do the job of hosting it.  She has just the right level of charm and humour, and the ability to ask the clever, probing questions which show us what's behind the politician who happens to be the subject of that week's program.  Of course, we can be confused by the conflict between how the pollie appears across the kitchen table, compared how he or she is when they put on the political persona.  Jacqui Lambie is a good example: on the show she came over as warm and human but, on Q and A a couple of nights later, she was back to the bombastic, simplistic Tasmanian we've come to know and love.

This week, the guest was Scott Ludlam, the Western Australian Greens Senator.  We don't hear much about him but, apparently, he has gained some notoriety because of a 2014 speech he made in the Senate late one night.  At the time, there was only one other Senator in attendance and you can bet she wasn't listening, so Scott spoke to an essentially empty room.  The speech was less than 8 minutes long but has 'gone viral' on YouTube.  Not many speeches made after 10pm by a little-known senator even get reported let alone attract any attention at all.

It took the form of a welcome to PM Tony Abbott when he was visiting Western Australia just before the 2014 election, and encouraged him to be careful of what 'baggage' he brought with him.  There's a transcript on the internet but one paragraph is worth recording here.

' Just as the reign of the dinosaurs was cut short to their great surprise, it may be that the Abbott government will appear as nothing more than a thin, greasy layer in the core sample of future political scientists drilling back into the early years of the 21st century.'

I wish I could write like that.