August 15, 2007

loose lips sink ships

our nation's treasurer is emerging more and more as a man with the temperament of a toddler - semi-decent public manners, but privately lots of foot-stomping and 'not me' type denials. costello has shot himself in the aforementioned foot-stomping foot by denying comments published in a recent bulletin article highlighting his raw desire to turf howard from top dog position.

here's the problem: it's not simply a case of he said/she said any more. it's easier to deny, deny, deny when you feel you've got credibility and integrity on your side (no accounting for personal perception), but when you're dealing with a 3:1 collaboration ratio against you, it's best to dust off your honesty hat and see if it still fits.

rg suspects the blogosphere will explode today and tips the words "he can't win; i can" will feature at the top of media monitors' most-uttered hit-list. but in rg's view, the fact that costello again has been outed as an impotent "not fair" whinger isn't the problem; it's how he's (mis)managing the fallout that is.

just own it, peter, you'll feel better. how about this: "i foolishly took advice from party spinners and denied mentioning to three of australia's senior political journalists that i had intended to stage a coup to bump john from his perch. i also foolishly took advice from the same spinners a short time ago and denied the weight behind comments made in john's biography alluding to the same intention. i have since realised that spinners don't live in the real world; voters do, and they see through empty words. truth be told, john has always said he'd stay as long as it's in the party's interest; bottom line is, it no longer is. so strongly do i feel that i'm the right man for the job and that john has had his fair run that i announce my challenge for leadership now. should i fail, so be it; at least all this shit-fighting and battle-of-conscience stuff will be over with and i can score a tidy corporate job somewhere."

respect is a complex thing; you've got to give it to get it, and you've got to have it in yourself to give it in the first place. last week costello quoted dickens in parliament; perhaps he should look at shakespeare - to thine own self be true.

8 comments:

Phil Jackson said...

Great piece rg - right on the mark. Surely this shows that neither of them can expect the electorate's respect.

PS- I have got "The mother load" in my news aggrigator now so will catch more of your posts - I look forward to it.

Cheers,

Phil

RG - parental politico said...

great to have you along for the ride, phil.

respect is a funny thing, and rg is curious to watch this saga unfold over the next couple of days. how politicians expect the public to swallow lines about trust, respect and partnership after this defies logic.

and how a man can witness his dreams being dashed before him, knowing he is responsible, and still toe the party line is nothing short of absurd, not to mention sad.

Lad Litter said...

Ah, that was a good read, RG. As an Essendon supporter, I'm sometimes chastised by friends for the Bombers having Peter Costello as Number 1 Member. He must have told them he was TIM Costello is the best response I can come up with.

RG - parental politico said...

firstly, lad litter, nice axe.

being a half-arsed collingwood supporter, it's heartening to know supporters of other teams have their own burdens (such as a costello member) to carry.

tim and peter are the yin and yang of the political spectrum, so there's every chance peter's negative association will be cancelled out by tim's...

Anonymous said...

People in their late 20s/early 30s who are so enthusiastically looking forward to a Labour government where at school during the last Labour tenure. These are people who are likely to have built up a bit on equity in their first home over the last 5-10 years. Let’s see if their enthusiasm wanes a few years into a Rudd government once their equity has evaporated, irrelevant unions are running the country and the economy has gone down the toilet. Perhaps they should ask their parents why Australia can only afford one Labour government each generation.

Anonymous said...

I can't find any articles on this site about Rudd's escapade's in a New York strip joint whilst on a state funded trip. Yet I can see rg having kittens if it had been Costello or Howard kicked out of a strip club for inappropriate behaviour whilst on a government funded trip. Surely not duplicity from such a staunch Labour supporter?

RG - parental politico said...

trevor,

it's presumptious to assume what an entire generation of people are doing, or what financial position they may find themselves in.

should rg take your advice and ask parents why it is that australia can only afford a labor government once a generation, rg suspects the query would be met with stunned silence.

there are more vital, important aspects to society than the economy, and rg gets pissed when it is touted as the be-all and end-all. the health, welfare and growth of a nation's people is worth more than a perfectly balanced budget.

were a liberal government able to adopt a fair, humane and inclusive way of treating its society, rg would vote for them as readily as labor. so far, that hasn't been the case.

rg isn't a fan of seeing a society become insular and not give a shit about their neighbour. this is all that's happened under howard. fear and manipulation are ugly, dishonest tools, much like the leaders we have at the moment. change them, change the view. simple.

RG - parental politico said...

gary,

duplicitous? rg? rubbish. just momentarily time-poor.

post to follow; thanks for keeping rg vigilant.