Saturday 23 March 2013

There were further

political shenanigans yesterday. They were not entirely unexpected. Several people resigned from their positions in Federal Parliament. 
I overheard one person here say, "Dummy spitting." It was not that. They had made it clear they did not support the Prime Minister. She said, "Consider your position." What she meant was "Go or I will make you go."
It just adds to the idiocy. She has now lost four experienced Ministers just months out from an election. They are of course, like the (non)contender, saying they support her 100%. She clearly does not support them. 
Parliament is now in recession for seven weeks. It is probably just as well. The atmosphere there must be poisonous at present. In seven weeks time it will still be bad but there might not be an implosion.
There will be four new Ministers having to learn a job. They will also know that, barring electoral miracles, they are likely to be in the job for only a very short period of time. Me? I think I would be inclined to tell the Boss I would prefer to concentrate on the needs of my electorate in the hope of actually having a job after the election. It would after all be my job to represent my electorate. That is what I what I would have been asked to do. That is what I would have agreed to do. I would be the servant of the electorate.
Oh yes, someone has to be responsible for education, defence, health, indigenous affairs, the environment, business etc etc but not one of the new kids on the block who needs to know their electorate like the back of their hand - and need to have a mighty big margin to cushion them.
Those who have resigned say they are intending to stay in politics. They say they are not planning to leave at election time. They expect to be back. I do not doubt they feel entirely comfortable with this decision. Some of them are in ultra "safe" seats. There could be a ten percent swing against them and they would remain there. 
The (non)contender for the top job has stated his intention to run again. He is even sufficiently popular in his own electorate that he could be comfortably returned.
That will make things very uncomfortable indeed. Nothing will change if the same senior faces are returned come election time -
and they might be. Those who lose their seats are likely to be the younger, newer, fresher faces who are hanging on by a thread. They might have done a good job but they won't be back.  
Of course the same will be true of the current Opposition. They might well win over those same seats by a narrow margin. Those who take up the role will be one-term wonders and then forgotten. 
It makes me glad I am not one of the team which has to redraw the electoral boundaries each time. I think it is going to be even more difficult than usual.

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