The Thing About Kevin & The Shitsville Express

The last few months have been a hellish roller coaster ride, writes Assistant Managing Editor Timothy W. Humphries

Funnily enough, I remember during the 1980s a particularly colourful roller coaster ride at Dreamworld. Its gone now. However It used to slide in and out of view as our family barreled down the Pacific Highway to visit relatives on the Gold Coast.

I would argue we have entered a Dreamworld type era of twists and turns in Australian politics. Both sides of politics are setting themselves up as the answer in a political climate best described as 'disillusioned'. 

While I cannot vote Labor, I struggle to find justification to vote Liberal. Even against my own loyalty and trust, Tony Abbott agrees with Climate Alarmism and wants a direct action plan that will plunder the taxpayer "a bit less" then the other mob. This "a bit less then the other mob" paradigm has dominated every policy response.

Meanwhile Kevin Rudd in his newly incarnated form wants to punch forward with a dubious NBN, Health Reforms and a band-aid Asylum Seeker policy that doesn't account for long term requirements.  

In a politically unstable environment, there is no clarion call to achievable freedom and small government. It remains incredible to me that a man derided and replaced by a marxist radical can be reinstalled and yet still find favour with the Australian electorate.

If the narrative is correct and Kevin Rudd's leaking against Julia Gillard is the primary reason for his return to the leadership, there is something seriously wrong with how political narrative is communicated in this country.

The obsession seems to extend to the occasional nattering of the media class about whether or not Malcolm Turnbull would be an appropriate replacement for the Leader of the Opposition, in the obvious unfortunate circumstance that he loses the next election.This media dynamic is crazy!

Malcolm Turnbull, if the media's dreams are realised essentially sits in the same position that Kevin Rudd sits regarding climate change and many other issues. The sort of differentiation that is equal to naught.

One only has to mention the words "market mechanism" and somehow sliding from a disagreeable Carbon Tax to a disagreeable Emissions Trading Scam Scheme is bipartisan.

So here we are again. Lurching from one perceptual crisis to another, all the while assaulted by the visage of litugical charlatanism.

In such a parlous state the mind wanders to the future and who might be around the corner on Australia's political landscape.  

Whilst there are a mixture of views on Joe Hilderbrand and his brand of "journalism", his recent ABC program the "Shitsville Express" is a remarkably informative take on the supposed leaders of tommorow.

I do have allot of respect for what Mr Hilderbrand is trying to achieve with this program. Clearly the premise points to the future of the country through Gen Y and Millenial eyes. I liked this element.

However what our "future leaders" fail to realise is the nuance and guile required to achieve real reform. The sort of March of the Patriots reform that has been lacking in the polity since the end of the Hawke-Keating, Howard-Costello era. 

We have entered a Dreamworld scenario, where revolving door leadership and zany 24 hour news cycle explosions have replaced the considered creation and management of political narrative, that is comprehensible to those of us outside the beltway.

I remember being asked to jump on the old Dreamworld roller coaster by someone who had pumped themselves up on hot dogs, lemonade and fairy floss. After successfully declining, I watched their demeanour change after the ride ended.

Unfortunately Australian Politics and the Shitsville Express appear to be mirroring each other in that they reflect a process whereby politics itself is turning into a metaphorical disembarkation and search for a brown paper bag.

Timothy W Humphries is Assistant Managing Editor of Menzies House

Comments

[dB]

1.

Tony Abbott agrees with Climate Alarmism and wants a direct action plan that will plunder the taxpayer "a bit less" then the other mob.

Exactly right! I've never understood why those who don't believe in man-made climate change flock to Tony Abbott. You and Viv Forbes are the only contributors I've seen here point out the facts on that.

There's barely a sliver of light between the two major parties on this issue. They're both headed to the exact same place folk (a 5% CO2 cut by 2020), and all they argue about is whether to take the high road or the low road.

If you don't believe in this stuff, then perhaps consider voting for Clive Palmer. He's promised to cancel the carbon tax, refund any carbon tax paid to-date, and cancel all green programs. Not much mystery about where he stands on the issue.

Tony "I'm a weather vane on this issue" Abbott has swung from "climate change is crap" to "we're going to spend 10 billion of your money reducing CO2" (his latest position). Would the real Tony please stand up?

[Allan]

2.

The question is a simple one, Tim. If you don't think that Tony Abbot comes up to scratch why would you then vote for Kevin Rudd?

[Menzies House]

3.

This is exactly my point. I can't vote for either of the major parties this year. Wyatt Roy has disappointed me to the point where LDP.org.au, Palmer United and a few other minor players may well be in my sights on polling day. I particularly like the LDP tax policy.

[Menzies House]

4.

Despite all that no Walkley for our probing analysis :(

[Menzies House]

5.

"I believe the intellectual life of the whole of western society is being split into two polar groups … at one pole we have the literary intellectuals … at the other
scientists … Between the two a gulf of mutual incomprehension – sometimes … hostility and dislike, but most of all lack of understanding" (Snow, 1963: 11–12).

[Allan]

6.

Then you will just have to waste your vote on Palmer, the Greens or some other useless contenders.

The LDP, now there is an uninteresting bunch of nothing. They have been around for years and have achieved zero. They have won a couple of seats in local council elections and beyond that, zilch. You would waste a vote on them on the basis of their tax policy?

[Menzies House]

7.

Yes, because its a good policy and they are consistent. Family First even have a similar tax policy, which is good to see. I just hope it filters up to the majors. It may take a long time but its worth the fight.

[dB]

8.

There's probably no better way to get the majors to sit up and take notice than to get a few of them elected to parliament.

[Allan]

9.

Do you really believe that because they have what you consider a good tax policy they are ever going to be able to put it into practice?

That is like backing a horse on the basis that it may one day win a race, is it not?

[AlterEgo]

10.

Spot on Timothy, please post more often.

I don't want to comment too much on Viv, but his critique of Tony Abbott's Direct Action Plan is spot on!

Not just for the thory, but also the practicalities.

A 15,000 strong green army traversing the countryside planting trees.

Who feeds them, houses them? Who gets permission from landholders to enter their properties?

Who provides the trees? Who goes around and waters and feeds them later?

As, by definition, this is an climate change initiative, how will these trees survive in a changing climate?

More power to Viv on this one!

You say Dreamworld scenario, I prefer parallel universe.

[dB]

11.

Not just their tax policy actually. I like their "hands off, small government" approach to a whole bunch of issues. Thanks for the pointer; I'd not previously checked them out.

[Arthur Dent]

12.

You say Dreamworld scenario, I prefer parallel universe.

In the multiverse model, one has Malcolm Turnbull leading the Liberal Party into the election.

[Arthur Dent]

13.

There used to be a few LDP advocates contributing to this site, but they seem to have dropped away. Replaced by more Conservatives.

[dB]

14.

Interesting. I've often wondered about the text at the top of this site:

"community for conservative... and libertarian thinkers"

The two don't seem to get on all that well if recent threads are anything to go by.

[Arthur Dent]

15.

Yes, I don't get it either.
Apparently the Libertarians want us to have too much freedom.
Something to do with maintaining the current interpretation of Judeo-Christian rules perhaps?

[dB]

16.

You would waste a vote on them on the basis of their tax policy?

How is it a waste when we have preferential voting? And if enough people do it, the result could be stunning.

[dB]

17.

I think the US Republicans have learnt the hard way what happens when you let the religious right take over your party.

[dB]

18.

Something to do with maintaining the current interpretation of Judeo-Christian rules perhaps?

I just hope they don't bring back the ban on shellfish. Whether my lesbian neighbors get the right to marry has little impact on me personally. If they don't, I'll note the injustice and carry on. But if the conservatives come after my prawns.... look out!

[Grantely]

19.

@3....
That's good Tim, that thinking will ensure that Krudd and his union masters get re-elected and continue on their merry way.

Have you learnt nothing since 2007 ?

Will the Libs be perfect....No!....but in my humble opinion we (Australia) can not afford another term of the corrupt union - centric government that is the australian labor party.

Surely the NSW experience has some lessons in it? They (the ALP) are one and the same at the end of the day, controlled by the same vested interests playing the same power game. It is time for them to go.

To give them another term in office is unthinkable.

[David M]

20.

We will get the government that we deserve, something like Zimbabwe; to me it all appears to be downhill from here on in!
I am so glad that I am in my seventh decade!

[Brian Richard Allen]

21.

If a bloke who probably wants to say to the effect that (he remembers) being asked by someone who had first pumped himself up on hot dogs, lemonade and fairy floss, to jump on to the old Dreamworld roller coaster ...." may instead write: " I remember being asked to jump on the old Dreamworld roller coaster by someone who had pumped themselves up on hot dogs, lemonade and fairy floss," and be appointed Menzies' House's "Assistant Managing Editor," is there any bloody wonder in this Age of the Über-Mediocre, a decades-ago Peter-Principle-peaked, Mandarin-mauling, rape-complicit, failed Girl Friday and an ideologically-fascistic career-agitator or two, have lately "lead" Labor?

Or that the lock-step-Goebbelsesque Fascist (formerly "mainstream") News Media promotes an ideologically-indistinguishable-from-a-Labor "leader," Fifteen-Trillion-Dollar Mann-MadeGW Industrial Complex rent seeker, to "lead" the Libs.

To what?

To where?

To Portugal? Italy? Ireland? Greece? Spain?

To Detroit? To California?

Brian Richard Allen

[Trish]

22.

You seem to have confused the alternative vote and first past the post Allan.
In our Federal voting system, there is no such thing as a wasted vote unless you deliberately cast an invalid vote.