Normally, I have so many ideas running through my head that I don’t know which to pick to actually write about.
However tonight, while my wife watches “Game of Thrones”, I am unable to think of a single thing to write about.
Of course, I know what you’re thinking …
Well, I know what some of you are thinking, why do I need to write anything at all. The rest are thinking, “Why is this man not watching ‘Game of Thrones’, is there something wrong with him?”
Anyway, explaining why I’m not watching would take too long and there’d be too many spoilers, so it’s best if I simply explain that this is in the middle of the beginning of an election campaign and it’s sort of mandatory to say something every day. Just as it’s mandatory for the leaders to wear a hard hat and put on high viz gear at some point in the election campaign.
But I find myself at a loss.
Yes, I know that some of you will be thinking that I’ve lost my nerve. That I don’t want too ask to many questions because – like Duncan Storrar – I have a past. For a start, I’m both politically correct and not politically correct, so either way they’ve got me. There are things that I’m ashamed of … Actually, it’s the things that I’m proud of which would be most likely to make the front page of the paper, but let’s not go there or we’ll end up watching “Game of Thrones”.
But that’s not what’s stopping me. I accept that once one goes into the public arena, one’s past is fair game …
You know, just like when the papers brought up how “Aussie John” criticised negative gearing a few years ago, but now he thinks it’s just fine and dandy.
Or how we constantly point out how Malcolm was once prepared to pretend that he supported a republic, gay marriage and action against climate change because it was politically expedient, but now that he’s PM, he needs to toe the party line. Yes, yes, I know, he’s pretending NOW, deep down, deep deep down, we all know that he’s a really terrific bloke whose only destroying the planet and shifting his assets so he can fit in with those Liberals and be the sort of PM who’ll actually be remembered as being PM.
But once they enter the political arena, I accept that the Murdoch muckrakers will suddenly find all sorts of things about politicians and find that they’re worth repeating. Not the sort of scurrilous gossip that suggested an ex-Premier once put his wife in the hospital. Nor should it delve into sexual preferences because, god knows, just because we’re attacking Safe Schools is no reason to think that politicians would be afraid to come out.
But surely they could find something that hasn’t been reported. Something that some politician is ashamed of…
Surely …
Or is there some sort of pact that says a politician’s personal life is off limits, unless it directly impacts on what they’re doing?
Oh, yeah. That’s right. And fair enough too …
Only those who ask difficult questions and have no power to fight back are fair game …
Yep, I guess that’s why I have nothing to say …
