The “Dr Strangelove” Labour Government – minus the Nuclear codes …

Title: The “Dr Strangelove” Labour Government – minus the Nuclear codes … … Mr Faulkner could not have said it better …
Thought of the Day: … What is the breeding ground for current and future Parliamentarians – is it serving in Political arenas from their school days – through College/University – into a Law degree or Political science Masters – and then into mainstream politics?  Where do they get their workforce experience – or as someone that went out there and established a successful business – has some idea how to interface with fellow Directors and achieve a common commercial goal … as opposed to working in a parliamentary office learning the networking connections needed to self promote themselves within the Political Party machine.  When did it become about earning bonus favours and licking ass to get up the ladder within party factions to get noticed – all with the intent of becoming a Senator Nominee – or offered a safe seat – where are the real people who have earned the right to be respected by their community  … it’s a scary thought when we look at the people running this country and their backgrounds in real business and how to negotiate real deals …
The RUDD/ROXON and GILLARD/ROXON affair: Many years ago – there was a movie called “Dr Strangelove – or how I learned to stop worrying and love the BOMB” – yes a mouthful – the movie was Oscar nominated for best picture in 1965 – it stared Peter Sellers and George C Scott among other notable actors. The movie was a 60’s send up of how an American Military General conned his War Department into believing that America had launched a 1st strike and was itself about to come under nuclear attack – and how The President (Peter Sellers) – and his Generals respond to the first strike decision.  It was a B&W movie and this added to the contextual satire – Peter Sellers played 2 maybe even 3 characters. What is interesting is how this movie reflects modern politics and individual agenda’s by members of Political parties and to what dept they will go to to have their agenda enacted – almost to the total destruction of a way of life for the people they purport to govern. After a recent viewing of the movie – it gave reason to reflect and look at the current ALP Government and draw some conclusions about what has happened to the ALP in the last 12 months or so.  It was further enticed upon hearing Labour Senator Mr Faulkner speech yesterday – given at the The Wran Lecture [9th Jun 2011].  The speech was saying very similar things – that Labour is headed down a path of self destruction over self promoting agenda’s that have no real connection with the base of the Party. Another vision moment that drew the same conclusion came from ABC broadcast of the PM’s visit to the Northern Territory during the week – all to give her some softer appeal to the electorate.  Sadly – the vision that came across did the reverse and showed just how out of touch she is with the real happenings connected with indigenous issues facing this country. The edited Footage shown on ABC News 24 of this visit – and concerning an aboriginal woman trying to confront the PM about her homelessness – portrayed the PM backing away and wanting nothing to do with the woman.  This was not a great look for the PM – it shows just how uncomfortable she is when faced with an un-staged or uncoordinated public meet and greet.   [CAUTION – update 11th Jun 2011 – a report just in – this footage may have been edited for effect – I have just been given another account of the incident where they saw footage where the PM did in fact console the woman to some degree – if this is so then the comments below become somewhat diminished. – a later update on this reported footage – it was not the same woman -] From the footage this author viewed – the PM did not want to engage with the woman – she kept backing away as the woman tried to engage the PM – this clearly demonstrated the PM lacks gift of natural public interface and PR.  The aboriginal woman was obviously in need of a good hug and someone prepared to listen to her plight – but the vision broadcast showed the PM wanted nothing to do with her or her problem – it sickened me that she did not understand the womans trauma and turned coldly away from a plea for someone to listen.  This vision will come back to haunt her in many ways. ________________________________________ As this story meanders in the context of Dr Strangelove – there has to be prior plot – and for that I cast you back to when the previous PM – Mr Rudd – was out and about selling his Governments new Health Plan to the States only a matter of weeks before his downfall. His then Health Minister – Ms Nicola Roxon – was at his shoulder supporting the Health program all the way. What is interesting about this now – is that a few months later and after Mr Rudd was unceremoniously dumped from the PM job by Ms Gillard and her henchmen – the RUDD Health Plan was also dumped.  This brings us to the memory reflection – if Health Minister ROXON was such a supporter of Mr Rudd’s Health Plan – how come she rolled over so easily when Ms Gillard took on the PM roll and dumped the Health Plan? There can only be two scenarios – the first is Roxon did not support the Rudd Health Plan – but went along with the PR sell as Health Minister to keep her Health Portfolio – and the second scenario – she did support the Rudd Health Plan as they tried to sell it to the States – but rolled on the plan under the new Gillard Government to keep her Health Portfolio. In either of these scenario’s – The Health Minister’s proved herself to be a flip-flopper – and a face of Labour that fits the General’s in the Dr Strangelove movie by appearing to do the – ‘what is in it for me’ – though process when confronted with a decision on where her loyalties lay.     Mr Rudd was one of the few Labour Party members to rise to the highest office without a Union Background – or a real belief in the Union movement and its factional backgrounds. Mr Howes – the Workers Union President – and one of the Labour Party factional henchmen who helped topple Mr RUDD in favour of Gillard – is at the end of a long line of Union activist that have made a name for themselves within the Labour Party through Union involvement.   On another Dr Strangelove moment – Mr Arbib – another Unionist arrival and Labour Senator from NSW – was found to be trading National secrets with the US Ambassador’s office late last year. Parliament went into Christmas recess as the story broke and it never resurfaced in the New Year.  He  and Mr Shorten – son-in-law of the Governor General – another who is an avid supporter of Women serving in high places – were the main Labour Right powerbrokers who were responsible for the history making dumping of a first term PM in Mr RUDD mid 2010. Mr Shorten was a Union Activist before being handed a safe Labour Victorian seat as his entry into Federal Labour Party politics – he is another of the henchmen responsible for the assassins work in June 2010 to topple their Leader –  Another from the same mould is Mr Greg Combet – and the next to emerge from the same mould is Mr Howes … current President of the Australian Workers Union – Martin Ferguson also came from the same mould. All of this stacking of the deck so close to the heart of the ALP Leadership chamber – and by people who have no real background that would suggest they have some idea how to run a country – can only be seen in its true context when Dr Strangelove is again revisited – This current crop of Labour power brokers had the power to topple a first time Prime Minister and not think twice about it.  The assassins were rewarded with ministerial positions – and Gillard has allegiances to foster if she wants to stay in the top job.  At the time of the coup – there was a bloodless uproar from Labour supporters around the country – and in the aftermath and near defeat at the 2010 election held months later – and force to form a minority Government to stay in power – the Labour Election campaign was termed the worst in living memory.  Nearly 12 months on since the political coup – The Faulkner speech has reopened half sealed wounds and again sent Labour Members to the blacksmiths to sharpen their assassin daggers – There are many shadows and slimy like Labour Factional henchmen lining the hallways and career paths within the Labour party – all awaiting their chance to topple someone who stands in front of them.  Many of the Labour Factional Leaders are all out there doing their numbers at the moment – both for themselves and others who can help self-promote  – everyone has one eye on the polls – another eye on the Carbon Tax failures – and squeezed in the middle is a very shaky Minority Government showing plenty of disunity.  The perfect Dr Strangelove  analogy. Gillard was a Labour activist during her University days.  She tried for pre-selection many times before succeeding – during this frustrating period of denials – she served these wilderness years with well known Labour Ministers and learnt all she could in the old traditional Labour mound. Just days before the electorate went to the polls with the new Labour Party leader Ms Gillard at the helm – she made a very public promise that there would be no ‘Carbon Tax’.  The ALP were flagging at the polls just days before the election – hanging on by the barest of margins – the Carbon Tax promise was seen as a political shift to win votes – and perhaps was the single policy statement during the campaign that in the end won her Government.  The interesting point being – that in the negotiations to form a minority Government with the help of the Greens – the Carbon Tax declaration was the first policy promise tossed in the expedience trash to make way for her to become PM. This deal done with the GREENS and Independents to form the Minority Government  – now has PM Gillard shelling crabs for all the Minority partners so she can still call herself the PM.  She has a stench about her – ‘on the nose’ so to speak – she is no Statesmen … as is generally referred to when we talk of Political Leaders … her daily performances in front of the microphone has turned her personal popularity to bird-crap deposit levels. Her persona has been revealed and is on show – her mis-speaks – her directional supervision disguising her nervousness at press conferences – her ‘how do I cover my ass’ dress sense – her ‘droll’ parliamentary performances – i.e. her ‘give me a break’ throwaway comment to finish a tirade aimed at Mr Abbott when trying to close down Mr Abbott and his persistent Carbon Tax jabbing – it all amounts to a disappointment Australians have in her ability to rise to what is expected of our Leaders particularly those he reside at ‘The Lodge’. If one takes the time to watch the Government Front Bench when she takes the podium – there is no awe or respect forthcoming – one can see them all plotting and awaiting her downfall – and just as Mr Rudd stood facing the opposition from the same position – never a worry about what was happening and being plotted behind him – the new PM has some idea about how all the plotting works – she needs to have an eye on both sides of the house. And again – we go to the Dr Strangelove moment when he finds that his whole General Staff have their own agendas – and all at conflict with his own in trying to save the world – This Labour Government is worse that a Monty Python movie – even Faulty Towers cannot conjure up the mischief and madness that happens as Basil try’s to run a seaside hostel – the Government is a joke – and only seasoned and senior Party faithful are holding it together. The cherry that completes this Dr Strangelove vision of anarchy within the Australian Labour Party – is held within Mr Faulkner’s speech.  This speech can be read in full at his website link – The Wran Lecture. It was a strong speech and mainstream media ran it all day – several Labour Ministers rolled out with comments – including Roxon and Howes that were broadcast on relay  – I read about comments from several others – but the speech itself is a ticking time bomb – and having seen Mr Faulkner share with Mr RUDD that same shameful walk Mr Rudd was forced to endure after having just stepped aside in favour of the Gillard challenge – you get some perspective where this speech has its origins. Mr Tanner – retiring Finance Minister at the 2010 election – also recently said much the same on the ABC’s – ‘The Insiders’ program two months ago.  The DR Strangelove moment is upon the Australian Labour Party – all the traitors and aspiring factional power brokers are maneuvering themselves about a chess board. None of them have any idea how to run a country – their only claim to fame is similar to the 1920’s Jack Lang theory of Unionism where thuggery was the order of the day.  A period the Australian Labour Party promotes in a positive light – but for those who have read the history – Jack Lang was no saint – nor a Leader as proved by the NSW Governor General kicking his Government out and him the NSW Premier position. I am one of the generation Labour voters referred to in Mr Faulkner’s speech – and yes I am absolutely disgusted with the Labour Party’s current performance and Leadership – all across their current Front Bench – I would maybe rate 6 Ministers as more than capable – the rest of them are all out of their depth and making it up as they go along. I’ll name the Ministers I have some respect for – [not in any particular order] – and I have to add – I have not met any of these Ministers personally – they are – Tony Burke – Stephen Smith – Penny Wong – Martin Ferguson – John Faulkner and Kevin Rudd. Other Labour Ministers who I do have some time for based on their Parliamentary performances include – Chris Bowen – Steven Conroy – Simon Crean – Nicola Roxon [yes – even with the RUDD Health plan – I think she is genuine – just needs someone to hold her hand] – Jenny Macklin – and Robert McClelland.  As for the rest of the Gillard Ministry – all paid additional allowances and higher Parliamentary salaries because of their Ministry positions – my assessment is they are a bunch of ordinaries filling a seat in the interests of their constituents.  There is nothing leaderish about any of them. ________________________________________ The EYE-BALL …

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