Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Thursday, August 1st ....


I’m constantly reminded that we live in Tasmania; after yesterday’s glorious sunshine, today is bleak and damp.  When we were working in the winery at the weekend, the temperature inside the shed was 12 degrees, but it will be much lower today.  Thick shoes, warm jackets and gloves may be the order of the day. 

I’ve just been watching the morning show on ABC and Joe Hockey twisting himself in knots trying to criticise the policy of increasing tax on cigarettes.  The best argument he could come up with that it would increase the cost of living pressure on pensioners.  Sorry, Joe, your argument sounded very hollow, coming from a party which accepts huge donations from tobacco companies, and even the interviewer seemed unable to hide his giggles.

Joe is becoming increasingly querulous as the election comes closer.  He has developed a very unattractive whining tone in his voice and certainly doesn’t come over as the dignified statesman we would like to look after our money.  I can remember him on Sunrise years ago with Kevin Rudd and they both came across as likeable, trustworthy and electable.  How things have changed in the meantime! 

It’s sad that politics has moved into a realm where it’s all about pandering to the lowest common denominator. Our politicians should be providing leadership rather than swinging to the rhythm of polls which simply reflect the trivia of people’s lives.  Polls don’t deal with the big picture.  Where are the visionaries who can rise above the mundane to form a proper blueprint for Australia’s future?  The current parliament has been dominated by the tussle between Kevin and Julia and all the energies of the Opposition has been focused on undermining and denigrating the work of government.  It’s costing us billions to run this soap opera for the media machine and the entertainment of the masses.  Surely, parliament should be more than that.

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