Tuesday 27 February 2018
1 And so it came to pass that Barnaby Joyce resigned and was replaced by Michael McCormack as leader of the National Party, a party that receives far fewer votes than Pauline Hanson’s One Nation Party but in fact rules the nation on major issues via a signed agreement giving them control of water flows from the Murray Darling and insists that the Prime Minister turns his previous held beliefs on Climate Change, upside down.
Now before I go on may I address those who were so critical of my Barnaby Joyce pieces last week. I plead not guilty of what you accuse me.
I only ever said that his personal life was his own other than when personal actions became adhered to his role as a minister and thus his character was tarnished. We are entitled to question a leader’s character.
For me the following also effected his character and is what I questioned. The fact is he was never qualified for the job and his actions prove it.
1 The misuse of public money – perhaps to conduct an affair.
2 Murray Darling water theft.
3 Strategic Inland Rail property purchases.
4 Alternating Hansard record.
5 Donor relationships and free gifts.
6 The relocation of a government department into his own electorate.
2 My thanks to those good followers of The AIMN who read and commented on my post “At the risk of repeating myself … it’s about our bloody democracy” yesterday. Yes, it was a trifle long and next time I write at that length I will post in two parts. It is though a subject and dear to my heart. I don’t believe our politics can go forward until we look again at out democracy.
3 A fellow Catholic will join the Prime Minister as our two leaders. Yes, Michael McCormack is set to take over the National’s leadership. Apparently David Littleproud was just a few MPs short of winning support, but the big man from the extreme-right George Christensen stood. God only knows why.
But the getting rid of Joyce ploy may have been one of the best planned moves in Australian political history. Someone sent me the following. I cannot vouch for the varacity iof it. Even a google search cannot trace its origins but it does have a ring of truth about it.
“This whole thing was very well planned by Turnbull and his team to get rid of Barnaby Joyce, Oh how he acted the part well during the by election for Joyce’s seat so he wouldn’t lose his slim hold on the numbers, they all knew then abt. Barnaby and his affair but kept it quiet so did the media, amazing soon as the seat was secure all hell broke loose and the moral man Turnbull rose to the occasion, nothing other than a power game by Turnbull and his team to get rid of Joyce and gain control of the Nats.”
As dear old Winston said; “In politics the real enemy is behind you. On the same side as you.”
4 I’m still having my weekly battle with the polls. This week we have a ReachTEL poll that gives Labor an 8 point lead 54/48. And if they had used the preferences as per the last election it would have been 55.5-44.5. Which is an 11 point lead which to me given the state of play is accurate.
However, having said that these types of polls are a little dodgy so one cannot be totality accurate. It is though “the Coalition’s worst result from that pollster this term, showing Labor with a two-party lead of 54-46, out from 52-48 at the previous poll on January 25. On the primary vote, the Coalition is down a point to 33%, Labor is up one to 37%, the Greens are up one to 11% and One Nation are down one to 7%. Malcolm Turnbull’s lead on the forced response preferred prime minister question is 53-47, down from 54-46. The poll was conducted on Thursday, the evening before Barnaby Joyce’s resignation: it found 57% thought he should indeed resign, against 32% who thought he should remain.”
ReachTEL poll for Sky News Commentary from The Poll Bludger.
5 Who is Michael McCormack, the man who will replace Barnaby Joyce? Michael McCormick is the man who once penned a shocking homophobic tirade against gay people in a newspaper article. Before we pass judgment I must say that that was over 20 years ago and perhaps his attitude softened in the interim.
However, McCormack was sacked from The Daily Advertiser in February 2002. In response, more than 20 journalists, photographers and other editorial staff staged a 24-hour walkout. McCormack went on to sue the Riverina Media Group for unfair dismissal, and in 2003 settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.
“Unfortunately gays are here and, if the disease their unnatural acts helped spread doesn’t wipe out humanity, they’re here to stay.”
Graham Richardson writing in Monday’s Australian said:
“It is hard to think of a more unworthy winner: Michael McCormack has achieved nothing as a minister and is a question time non-event.”
So who indeed is Michael McCormack? He is a man with country blood, he spent his early life growing up in Wagga Wagga NSW on farms. He started work as a Cadet Journalist with the local paper and became its editor at 27. He entered parliament in 2010 when he won the seat of Riverina taking it from the retiring Kay Hull.
He has held various junior ministries and is currently Minister for Veterans Affairs and Defence Personnel.
As small business minister he apologised.
“I have grown and learned not only to tolerate but to accept all people, regardless of their sexual orientation, or any other trait or feature which makes each of us different and unique,” he said.
It was as Small Business Minister that he oversaw the placing of census data online. Labor described it as the “worst-run Census in the history of Australia”.
Other than that there is not a lot to say about the man other than there is not a lot to say about the man. With apologies to Mr McCormack, Australia simply has to do better. His credentials for the second top job in the nation are mediocre at best.
My thought for the day
“In the recipe of good leadership there are many ingredients. Popularity is but one. It however ranks far below getting things done for the common good.”
