We may or we may not

have a new Prime Minister by the end of the week - perhaps by the end of the day - or so media speculation is telling us.
The government is "on the nose". It has been that way since the beginning. They "did a deal" with some "independents" and managed to retain power despite not having a majority of the votes. It is, we were told, "the way democracy works".
Recent polls have shown the government approval rating appears to be stuck at around thirty percent. The Prime Minister is still, on most occasions, the "preferred Prime Minister" but has actually slipped on one or two occasions as well. Government MPs are running scared. Shock and horror, some of them may lose their jobs.
Media speculation about a change of leadership? Oh yes it is just that. MPs support the Prime Minister. Or do they? We might "even go to an early election" despite the Prime Minister saying September 14th was the day.
A new Prime Minister might decide differently. There is speculation as to whether Kevin Rudd will get his old job back. Few doubt he would, despite protestations to the contrary, like to be back in the Lodge. His leadership style would not really change -however much he says he has managed to learn from past mistakes - but most of the time he is preferred to the Prime Minister.
Then there is Bill Shorten. Oh yes, he's done a lot for the disability sector - or has he? Analyse that NDIS legislation carefully. Nothing much is going to change. He has robbed Peter to pay Paul anyway....sleight of hand, shifting money around for political purposes. He's good at that. Problem is that his mother-in-law happens to be the Governor-General and some people might think that was getting a little too cosy.
And now they are suggesting Simon Crean might take the job. Ah yes, the union man - very much the union man. The union movement runs Labor. They see it as their right. After all, they set the Labor Party up. They still have fifty percent of the votes at the party conference although they now represent about 14% of the non-government workforce - and about 17% of the government workforce. Never mind the numbers though they have the right to be there, dictate policy and make demands - and they do.
Will they just go with the person they think can win them the election despite the polls - or the person who will cause the least loss of seats? They can always ditch them once the election is over. It might not be popular with the people but really, do the voters matter?
Nobody really knows what is going on - except that those with the power to do so will jump whichever way will help them retain power or gain power and keep the government in power. The decisions which are made in the next little while will have very little to do with what is good for the country.
I am glad it is not my responsibility although - wait a moment - I have a vote. Oh.