Logan’s Run

Aristides
MANY wise people whom I respect have counselled against writing when the blood is up. It appears to be the writer’s analog of the old saying about ensuring your brain is in gear before opening your mouth. All well and good but some write best when they are passionately moved by certain issues or matters of public concern. During the days when management consultation with staff was held to be the very essence of good management, this appeared to make good sense and I know of several cases where metaphorically, it was the best way to build a better mousetrap (from the old saying, build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path way to your door).

One of the more sickening managerial mantras in recent years has been that an organization’s most valuable resources were its staff. Coming as I do from a background that required specialist knowledge, I was and still am all in favor of having the occasional brainstorming session, provided that it does not become an excuse for avoiding work and it must be said that so-called working parties, committees and task forces became the basis of the 14th Commandment, which states: “The first and primary objective of the creators of expert groups is to perpetuate their own existence.” And a rider is as follows “Look busy, spend money and always ensure the report is pending.”

And that became the raison d’être for many meaningless groups holding mindless meetings where individual initiative succumbed to collective vacuity. (For those that don’t know, evidence of the 13th Commandment has been amply revealed by example in Tasmania; it states: “Thou shalt not get caught.”

For all my weaknesses and they are many, I do not consider lying, deception, tergiversation and other manipulations of the truth to be a virtue. Somehow, I like the idea of lying straight in bed at night. Being truthful is not always easy and worrying about the consequences of bending the facts to suit an argument is something that was a perpetual problem because I worked in an industry where knowledge was power and it wasn’t always possible to share the knowledge or the ideas. As I became a senior line manager, my sleeping patterns grew erratic, as I became involved in machinations that I would far sooner have avoided. Good enough grounds for moving on.

In the past few days, I have had cause to reflect about my attitude to certain matters and the old practice of turning a deaf ear or looking in the other direction when things go awry appear far less palatable. So many writers for the Tasmanian Times bang away on the same drum in the mistaken belief that the message will get through, when half the time, deafness becomes institutionalized. Now I have no objection to idealism because we would be the worse without it especially in the public sphere. As we run up to the next election, we will be bombarded by politicians making promises that sound good, probably because they have been written by those who have no responsibility and secondly, any justified criticism will be seen as akin to treachery. I don’t think any political party has a monopoly on the attitude that: “If you’re not for us, then you’re agin us.”

Basically this little rant is a run up to a few comments about politicians and the upcoming election. I truly had intended not to write anything else for Tasmanian Times but having being flogged by the editor with a limp lettuce leaf and having received a certain modicum of praise for previous efforts; I thought that as winter is coming on, I could do worse. TV is pretty lousy anyway and I haven’t read a decent book in years, not through want of trying. So let’s get down to the basics and take the gloves off. No more poncy names like Aristides. That implied a certain nobility of purpose because the great man was known as “the just” and I feel like getting down in the gutter and being like the rest of them. Why not? Good manners and a kind heart get you nowhere in this state or this country or pretty well anywhere else. “They” have made us like it and you will see what I mean below.

It has been said many times that Tasmania is better placed economically in the face of the global recession because of the good management offered by Michael Aird and the black hand of Don Challen. It is inevitable that we will lose more jobs and the unemployment rate will climb. Therefore, it’s a bad time to talk about expanding the numbers of the Parliament and certain aspects of government but the events of the past couple of weeks have literally made me see red or perhaps, green.

Premier Bartlett is on the pitcher’s mound calling for strong majority government to continue the economic miracle. I have seen the effects of majority government in the state and it appears to me that if we have prospered, the political dimension has had very little to do with it. The transport system is a shambles; health and education are running sores and there are so many boneheads on the government benches trying to push through various projects they must know the public do not favor that you can only wonder why we couldn’t raise a small militia and run the place ourselves. In point of fact, this state is run by a shadow government; unelected, unaccountable, and whose names are mentioned quietly, if at all in conversations. Isn’t that right Michael? When the government talks about knocking off a few senior public servants and cutting back the ranks of the regulars, there’s no talk of thinning out the unaccountable, unelected, unacceptable number of spin doctors, advisers and other parasites on the body politic who rarely see the light of day, let alone have details of their salaries published. So let’s take a look at parties and start with the wannabes.

The great and glorious (ill) Liberal Party of Australia.

After considerable thought, I have come to the conclusion that majority government confers no particular benefit from this state whatsoever, given past history, and that includes both major parties. I’ve taken particular interest in the Liberal party in parliament, described by an English acquaintance of mine as a “bunch of tossers.” There is no doubt that some of them mean well but that is the worst thing that can ever be said of anyone. If Will Hodgman had the fortitude and backbone of his father and the oratorical skills, he might possibly be seen as a leader but the poor devil doesn’t have much behind him in the way of talent except for Her Majesty’s shadow Attorney-General (hello Dad) the moderately capable Sue Napier, who deserves compassion because of her medical problems and the rest are basically donkeys.

Will is in an invidious position fighting a battle on two fronts. In Parliament, he has to lead a rag tag and bobtail mob against Mr. clever, kind and caring, more of whom anon but the fact remains that the factional problems of the Liberal party nationally are manifest in Tasmania. The self-described most popular Tasmanian senator; he of the German name, is without doubt a national disgrace and liability. His snivelling whine makes me want to throw something at the TV or the radio. He is deliberately cultivating a culture to the right of John Howard, Attila the Hun and certain gentlemen of a fascistic tendency. These are the boys that bring you so-called strong leadership. It is as well that the Howard government lost power federally. The way we were headed in some respects was disturbing and that’s putting it mildly. Imagine if you will, Tony Abbott being put in charge of migration and immigration and our Senator having a hand in what used to be referred to as Social Security.

What disgusts me most about these people is that they haven’t learned a thing since the days of the “feral abacus” in Canberra. Some of them believe with religious fervour that if you are poor it means that you are either lazy, incompetent or possibly both but it’s your own fault. And quite apart from anything else, Jesus said in part “the poor will always be with us” it doesn’t seem to have occurred to those who hold those ideas and profess religion that he also said something about charity and looking after your fellow man. These fanatics idea of government was to privatize everything but keep a strong hand on the levers of power. I nearly threw up watching The Howard Years and I gather I’m not alone. I thought it was far too early to air such a program on ABC-TV but now I’m considering buying the program. Because if nothing else, it will remind me of the scheming and the plotting of the likes of Peter Reith, Nick Minchin, Gutless Costello, “the mad monk” and others. I would dearly love to wax lyrical but my lawyer tells me I can’t afford defamation action. With the current international economic situation and imprecations being hurled at the current government about them being soft on immigration by Malcolm (I made it all myself and bugger you lot) Turnbull and his lackeys, it is a cold hard reality that had they still been in power, the screws would’ve been turned harder on refugees.

The mentality of some of them is such that you really wonder whether they would take the risk and order the Navy to actually sink refugee ships with all aboard or alternatively, would they set up detention camps in remote places such as the Tasmanian highlands, where people would be held without recourse to assistance behind razor-wire fences, with armed guards, a minimalist diet and one blanket. I can imagine in my darker moments what the sign over the gates would read but we’ll leave that to your imagination. “Ve vill build ze camps und you vill work or die.”

The truth is that the government of Kevin Rudd has not softened many of the policies of the Howard government. They will review policies until the moon is finally repossessed by one power or another and talk is cheap as I suggested at the outset. Centrelink and other government agencies are as ruthless as they were under Howard’s jackboots. I do not doubt that Kevin Rudd has religious beliefs but they certainly take a back seat to the cold realities of power and winning the next election. I don’t even blame him for that because one of the weaknesses of Australia is that Labor governs federally in fits and starts and only the Hawke- Keating government had a decent crack at power and the result was that they turned over an economy in good shape, despite the bleating about black holes. The Liberals greatest asset is that they have more students of Dr. Joseph Goebbels than the Labor Party but only marginally. For my money, Rudd deserves at least two terms because he inherited government after Howard and Costello had shoved up interest rates and then the international economic situation collapsed. And on top of that, we have very big problems in defence.

The only chink of light for Mr. Rudd is the vicious battle being fought behind the scenes in the Liberal party to determine once and for all whether the neofascist right wing will dominate or a degree of moderation, in the form of letting the “wets” back into the tent will be permitted. I know one thing for certain: Sir Robert Menzies, Harold Holt and John Gorton would not want to be associated with this mob and neither would many federal Liberals of my acquaintance, now in retirement. In my view, both major parties at a federal level should take another look at Menzies “forgotten people” speech. Because if there is one thing that stands out like the proverbials on a dog, it is the fact that so many people are marginalized and are now outside the system. The Liberal party has returned to the days of the old United Australia Party and is in thrall to big business, which, as a sometime Liberal party member, I find deplorable. And as for Joe (the fighting marshmallow) Hockey his strident words against government are all too familiar: they sound like the confected rage of Andrew Peacock or “syntha-rage” if you like. Joe would be better advised to revert to being a nice guy and finish last with dignity

At state level, as I mentioned earlier, these forces within the Liberal party are fighting for supremacy and to be thoroughly acceptable, Tasmania’s most popular Liberal Senator (his description, not mine) and his pals should be driven from the party and it is no surprise that in the current climate, they can find very few quality candidates to stand for office. There are more disillusioned Liberals in this state than you could possibly believe and their membership is declining from stagnant to a more solid even malodorous material and support in the form of cash is only provided by those who hold the strings. One last mud shot: Rene Hidding should not stand again because he is quite useless. It says a great deal for the Liberal party that Michael Hodgman QC MP is by far their best performer. Anyone who thinks the old fellow has nothing left to give is off their rocker. With regret, I have to say that I don’t think Will has it – that je ne sais quoi that separates leaders from followers. His epitaph will be: “he meant well.”

The worker’s flag is coloured what? Brown I think.

And now, no doubt, to the part you’ve all been waiting for – a few words about the party of the working class (whatever that might be). The once so-called great and soon to be late ALP deserves a hiding, not a Hidding (been there, done that) and to think so many people welcomed the change in leadership to David Bartlett is quite remarkable. So too is the way in which he has frittered away his opportunities to be different from his predecessors of the knuckle-dragging, kneecap sapping union thugs. Take for example, the latest effort to hoodwink the public by making Graeme Sturges responsible for the Veterans Affairs and giving “lissom Lisa” Singh duties related to climate change. The Premier said it would cost nothing, and it won’t because neither really match up as ministers. Think of all the kinetic energy abounding in Parliament and it would have very low carbon footprint if it was harnessed properly. Michael Polley knows a lot about harnessing things and perhaps he should try that particular job.

What is abundantly clear about the Premier is that he is playing minimalist politics and demanding a maximum return the form of majority government. His savage putdown of TCCI head Andrew Scobie who had the temerity to suggest that Parliament should be restored to a reasonable number was laughable for everyone except Scobie. He is probably a front man for the shadowy figures that run the state but at least he had the right idea and that makes a bloody change. Contrast that with Scobie’s actions back in February, concerning the “two-day wonder,” as the Mercury dubbed the case of an unfortunate and sick Craig Symon. That headline belied a much more sympathetic article by Sue Neales and Damien Brown. I can’t seem to recall any comment of substance by the eponymous one in this instance although there was the usual waffle. He’ll keep for the moment.

What Premier Bartlett is doing now is what used to be called smoke and mirrors by illusionists. Forestry Tasmania provides the smoke while behind the scenes, our pygmy Premier is showing what he is made of and it’s not pleasant. I seem to recall the words “clever, kind and connected” being touted around quite freely. Substitute cunning or crafty for clever and you start to get the measure of the man. He paints the big picture or the grand tapestry but both are flawed. What magnificent plans for the new centre of Hobart, the state’s capital for those that live north of Brighton. Nothing can come of it during this term of government or the next because of the financial problems so it’s just a case of trying to fool the public into believing that there is a vision splendid. I rather like the ice cube or the glacier in one model: there’s rich symbolism in that design. The same may be said of the waterfront project or other pink or white elephant projects. We can find the money for the Hawthorn football club but not for the homeless, helpless but I forgot, they are what Marx referred to as the lumpenproletariat, outside of the general population and therefore of little concern. Give them each a concrete sewer pipe to sleep in and bring round soup kitchen – some would describe that as luxury.

I repeat what others have said, that there is little or no talent in this government and precious little chance of getting new, talented candidates to be preselected for the next election, let alone go through, shock, horror, the process of beating the streets with your feet to get elected. What a shame Harry Quick didn’t stand against Michael Aird. Harry knew something about winning and would’ve made a contest of it. But this Michael is in the Upper House – the house of the Independents; the house of review. As a consequence, he doesn’t have to do much work in the electorate, let alone wear out pairs of shoes. They claim he is a shoe-in (pun intended) but I hope he has a nervous Saturday night because he is not the guru that some once acclaimed. I know too many old people who are going to feel the cold this winter because of the treasurer and this government. Comes next April they will remember. The federal government may well make payments to the poorer people in society but the evidence suggests most of it went on gambling and consumer durables, something that our very own noted collector-come-sociologist Prof. Adrian Franklin would probably call transient items; flat screen TVs, DVD players and the like. Not too much would have gone on solar heating panels for roofs or hot water systems, let alone added insulation.

Obscene Acts but they get away with them.

So far, because of words, I’ve let the Greens off the hook and they will keep until I write again. In the meantime I would like to finish with three acts of bastardry absolutely typical of Mr. clever, kind and connected. The first concerns the purchase of foreign motorcars, fuel-efficient of course, for senior public servants and hangers on: what a pity we can’t see a list of who got what. That is a magnificent example to be setting while suggesting to the average public servant that there will be redeployments (read sackings) reduced hours and no pay rises. And the second concerns the obscene payment of $135,000 for one day’s work by the chairman of the new water and sewage body. I’m very familiar with the idea that if you pay peanuts you get monkeys – look at Parliament House – but this man costs more than a QC and brings his own sewage with him by having no shame and accepting this payment.”

The third example really deserves an article of its own because it is important. The upper house committee has to my satisfaction at least uncovered more than a few nasties that need further investigation. Predictably that silly old former Atty. Gen. Judy Jackson started blathering about it being a witch hunt and political campaign, something she knows a few things about. The Premier showed his usual indecision by shoving off decisions for three months. Smart move that it will still be fresh in the mind next April and of course the Eponymous one was wailing about there being no justice; no legal representation and by inference no fees for him as a lawyer. Now the former Commissioner Johnston wants an early trial and has engaged the engaging Roland Browne, I’m in favor of postponing it until closer to the election. All grist to the mill.

I’d intended to finish here but bile got the better of me. The Eponymous one was on the radio with another flatulent jackass a couple of weeks ago and goodness knows what happened to Cox on that day: I think he was away. Eponymous, is right up there literally and figuratively with Tony Delroy or Tony Delboy on the ABC radio evening slot: it would be interesting to see the pair of them in a room together because they both know everything there is to know in the world about everything there is to know in the world. Eponymous suggested that local councils should be abolished in favor of an increased Parliament. It just goes to show you how far out of touch he is with reality. This state has a population of just over 500,000 if you believe the figures which I don’t. Parochialism has always been with us and while in many respects it is deplorable, in times like these, it is a social adhesive. Even having three local government areas: Northwest based on Burnie; North under the jurisdiction of the real capital of Tasmania Launceston and South, everything to the south of Ross and there would still be problems. I suggest that eponymous calls a public meeting in Launceston with his views. And when he does so, I would like the peanut/soft drink/beer franchise. I wonder how many pieces he would be torn into by angry rustics and suburbanites alike. The state government could run a contest: guess the number and you win a prize – lunch with the Premier.