The Perils of Pauline?

I used the caption 'If the hat fits, wear it!' as the text associated with 'Barnaby the bi-national' earlier this week. It would've fitted this piece about the perils of Pauline just as well... but I couldn't fore-see her idiotic stunt in the Senate.

Barnaby

Barnaby Joyce is undoubtedly talented in many aspects of his life's work.  Sadly, political leadership does not appear to be among his best attributes. That is not to say his contribution to parliamentary activities will not be missed should his dual-citizen status be found by the High Court to be incompatible with the meaning of section 44-(i) of the constitution.

All other considerations aside... Barnaby is one of the most entertaining of the Buffoon Troupe at present performing for us in Canberra. Should he be enjoined to vacate the 'House', our ability to laugh-off the continuing failings of our political leadership will be sorely strained!

Plebiscite blues?

The persistence in avoiding a parliamentary vote on legislation to enable same sex marriage is beginning to look like a 'death wish' on the part of the coalition government. Instead they want to waste millions of dollars of tax-payers money to skirt around the need to show leadership and/or back-bone in prosecuting their right to implement representative governance already bestowed upon them by the last election result. OK their 'policy pitch' in the lead-up to the election may have included the promise of plebiscite on 'marriage equality' ... but Billy the blind miner's dog knows that was purely a sop to quieten the rabid right wing of the Liberal party.

With the general consensus being that any form of nation-wide vote on the question would result in a substantial YES victory... the electorate will look upon the exercise of a nation-wide plebiscite or postal vote as a pure and simple waste of money which could be put to better use in the government's constant bleating about 'Budget repair' or better still in support of better HEALTH, EDUCATION, EMPLOYMENT opportunities, ENERGY reform and/or INFRASTRUCTURE building!

As the accompanying cartoon suggests...maybe the people have already given their response to the stupidity of plebiscite by stripping the coalition of fourteen seats at the election?!

'Collision' Parties meet

The governing parties are meeting today to try getting everyone on the same page about how to proceed with satisfactorily taking the 'Marriage equality' question off the 'to do' list.

With the back-stabbing far right clique actively trying to ham-string legislative processes which don't fit their view of the world and a contingent of rebels vowing to short-circuit expensive and fragile public plebiscite or mail-in voting schemes with direct legislative action in the parliament... today's talk-fest will be attractive media bait, if nothing else.

Pseudo Italianization?

There's nothing essentially wrong with being known as a 'mother's boy'... except, perhaps, if you happen also to be an elected member of Australia's parliamentary elite subject to section 44 of the Constitution?

Senator Canavan now has the job of wading through the coagulated bowl of spaghetti Momma has included him in as an apparently unwilling ingredient.

Good luck with that Matt.