Wednesday, March 14th .....

I’m amazed at how much my understanding of politicians is formed by the way they appear on television. Just this week, I saw Malcolm Turnbull and Tanya Plibersek on Q&A, and Penny Wong on Kitchen Cabinet. Now I feel I know them intimately.

Clearly the 15-second grabs from Tony Abbott or Bob Brown don’t leave the same impression; they all look shallow and leave me wondering whether they can be trusted.
But, an extended program like the ones above give the pollies a chance to give considered replies and even allow their personality to shine through. I always felt that Malcolm Turnbull had a lot to offer although his pompous manner left a bit to be desired. It was a joy on Monday evening to watch him trying to explain the nonsense of Abbott’s ‘turn back the boats’ policy, without breaking party solidarity. I think he did very well and kept coming back to the phrase ‘if it’s safe to do so’ – and not just safe for the navy, but safe for the refugees too. He also looked suitably humble when an audience member called on him to start a new party which would not be bound by the baggage hanging around the necks of the current political parties. I felt myself thinking that he might just be the messiah we need to shake our political system about a bit.

The other panel member who impressed me was Tanya Plibersek. I have always confused her in my mind with Kerry Chikarovski from NSW, but now that I have got her firmly set in my mind, I have to say that she impresses me too. It was such a relief to have two pollies on the panel who didn’t interrupt and snipe at each other. One of the audience texted in ‘ she has a gentle intelligence’ and hit the nail on the head. What about a new party with Malcolm as leader and Tanya as deputy?

Or maybe Penny Wong. I love Kitchen Cabinet on ABC2 and Annabel Crabb could easily become my second best friend. The whole concept is interesting and it gives the TV audience a chance to see the real person. Christopher Pyne is just as boring and uninteresting in real life as he appears in parliament; Amanda Vanstone is just as unlikeable, Nigel Scullion is amazing (how did a bloke like that get into parliament, or even want to?) and Penny Wong is impressive. I can’t wait to see what Annabel does with Julie Bishop tonight!


And if I feel a little manipulated by what I see on television, I console myself with the fact that at least I don't get my opinions from radio, from the likes of Alan Jones, for example.