A day is a long time in politics

[tcpip]

There was a hint a few days ago that the Coalition was going to play a little grubby. First they attempted to claim that a number of Labor candidates were ineligible to stand. That fell apart quite badly. Then there was the hysterics about if Labor wins socialists and unionists will corrupt the minds of the youth.

But now they've really screwed the pooch. It would seem that NSW Liberal Party State Executive member Jeff Egan and the retiring candidate's husband and the candidate's husband, Greg Chijoff, for the marginal seat of Lindsay, Gary Clark, have been caught trying to distribute fake election material from the "Islamic Australia Federation" to support Labor. A copy of the leaflet is available. Worse still, Jackie Kelly has tried to work her way out of it in a (MP3 file ABC radio interview and on television. I don't think I have ever seen Laurie Oakes so angry.

Paul Keating gets his revenge on moral grounds. Bob Hawke gets his on economic grounds. Even Malcom Fraser - a little more carefully - gives his considered opinion. Finally, Catherine Deveny really does have a way with words.

If we do not seize this opportunity for change we will go down in history as the most greedy, gullible, mean-spirited, selfish, short-sighted, tight-fisted generation in the history of Australia. How will it feel sitting in front of that $5000 plasma TV watching reruns of American reality shows, wearing clothes manufactured in a sweat shop and sitting on a sofa made by Third World slaves? How will that feel when our public education and hospitals have been gutted and our environment corroded to a point of no return? How will it feel knowing we have turned our back on people who need us most: the poor, the broken, the scared, the sick, the elderly and the vulnerable? How will it feel when you turn to your children and say, "I believed him"?

There is no way any decent human being could vote for the Liberal Party, or even give them a major party preference, after the events of the past twenty-four hours.

Comments

[catsidhe.livejournal.com]

I thought that the Witch-King of Angmar was our esteemed Attorney General, who has been very quiet in the last few months, hasn't he?

Rat-bastard Johnny is more like Saruman the technocrat, who will, in the most soporific and reasonable-sounding language, convince you why it is not only necessary, but laudable that your children are sacrificed to Melkor. With the other eight Nazgûl representing Cabinet, and Gríma Wormtongue writing the opinion columns...

Oh Goddess, this analogy gets more disturbing the better the pieces fit...

[mr-figgy.livejournal.com]

It sounds like you have the beginnings of a compelling forwarded e-mail or meme, yes. :-)

[catsidhe.livejournal.com]

Saruman = Howard. (Unless he's Sauron. Nah, Saruman's the politician.)
Witch King of Angmar, 1st Nazgûl = Ruddock.
The other eight Nazgûl = Cabinet.
Urûk Hai = Liberal Party Hierarchy.
Orks & Goblins = Liberal cannon fodder foot troops.
Wargs = Young Liberals. (For the rabid froth, and the only-semi-controllable nature)
Giant Spiders (Shelob, Ungoliant, and the Mirkwood Spiders) = Liberal Thinktanks. (Creeping through the shadows and spreading poison when least expected, paralysing debate.)
Gríma Wormtongue = The Chorus: opionistas like Bolt, Sheridan, Akerman, &c.

Anyone else we can think of? Where does Costello fit in?

[splodgenoodles.livejournal.com]

Nah, I'd vote for Ruddock being Saruman. He starts out good and noble(Amnesty member and all that), then betrays his own principles.

[catsidhe.livejournal.com]

That'd make Howard = Sauron. But better spoken.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Surely he'd be The Mouth of Sauron.

[catsidhe.livejournal.com]

Serving as a mouthpiece for so long he no longer even remembers his own name...

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

*nods* Exactly.

[darkstardeity.livejournal.com]

Costello is Denithor or Borimir (unable to resist the lures of power despite the knowledge that it will lead to tears in the end)

Who is Sauron? Bush maybe, or America in general? Far away, evil as all fuck but relying on others to do their dirty work while slowly spreading their canker over everything.