One nation

Ken Bacon’s blood pressure or his management of sugar levels may have failed him, or it could be his kidneys functionality. Whatever, it is plausibly possible that at his age the stress and workload are not for a diabetic.

Heaven forbid it was his ability, having reduced the Tasmanian parliament to a rump for short-term gains Ken’s namesake has left us with a paucity of choice. 14 less to be exact [25.9%], the lower house losing almost a third of its potential, the upper coming in at below the average.

Indeed, it is possible for 8 ministers to have to selected from among 13 lower house members, as theoretically the upper house could all be ‘independents’, unwilling to serve in a partisan ministry.

With Hare Clark it could mean that 5 big vote getters drag in others on their preference distribution. Much better to have 7×7 and no snoozers up above, rechecking the work that should be done properly in the lower house through a large and active backbench. Queensland has had a roller coaster ride, but it is a go-ahead state and single houses work elsewhere, for example NZ and Israel, both with national responsibilities.

Whilst Howard stepped out of character and at the same time remained in it when he mused on abolishing states and creating regional governments, not unlike the NZ model of provinces, this reform would be a true restructuring of the economy, something he supposedly espouses.

All the interstate differences would end and the one set of laws govern business in Australia, some of the regions large enough to drive some decentralization, relieving pressures on the east coast megalopolii and all that silly competition between enough spent on hospitals or education by what level and which one do you blame addressed in one go.

Further, aboriginal land councils would move into a new era. A guarantee that Howard will only use this issue to bash and twist, a monarchist, a states righter, a true man of the past able to dredge up the remnants of dated values residual among us to drive a false belief in the individual above all else.

He will not take on such a momentous steps in national growth, the end of the last vestiges of the colonies. We are after all only as many as will be found in states of the US, China, India or the former Soviet Union and they manage their lives with single legislative bodies.

Like the pokies, we have too many politicians in to many levels for the few of us. What happens when there are 100 million I here asked. Good question. I suppose we could ask the other 25.1 billion when we get there.

phill Parsons is, fortunately, unlike Ezra Pound. The down side is the fools bells drive his ‘head’ round and round. Still what does it matter with super payouts and ministerial salaries in the offing.