Steve Bracks quits.
Of course there was Giddyup Gallop in WA before him.
Who in the world would want to be a Member of Parliament?
I actually know the reason why many are: most are self important dysfunctional wankers, but occasionally you meet some that aren’t.
The question worth asking though is has the level of media scrutiny now gone too far? From the BS stories about excessive wages (MPs get paid shit for the hours they put in) to the never ending invasions of privacy, what decent Australian would want to serve their State or Country? Wouldn’t we all be better served by providing an environment where the best people available lead our country?
Flip side of course is that the public has the right to know. The problem is that the cost of that right delivers the poor state of Australian politics we all live with now, a state that is only going to continue to get worse. There will never be another Menzies or Curtin, another Barton or or even Sir Henry Parkes. The next Australian Prime Minister is a professional policy nerd with the warmth and grace of a wet blanket, who is also blander and more boring than an Australia movie. By comparison our current Federal Leaders remain drunk on years of success having long since lost touch with the reality of the average Australian. It nearly makes me think that the American system is better: their leadership might be crap but at least the process is far more entertaining 🙂
