The best things Scott Morrison has going for him as he heads into a fraught 2021 are his old right-wing mates Donald Trump and Boris Johnson.
Compared with the absolute shitshows they’re putting on, our conservative prime minister’s handling of the coronavirus rightly makes him look like a political genius and veritable world statesman.
Not that there should be any doubt about that given the special pressie Trump gave his Aussie mate on the eve of Christmas: the Legion of Merit award, an honour normally bestowed on top US military brass but this time given to a couple of international political allies in recognition of “global leadership”.
Said leadership could refer to anything from playing bad cop with the Chinese to sucking up to the White House. It doesn’t really matter though, because Trump’s behaviour means ScoMo has probably hidden the award behind the toy boat on his desk.
As the hopefully outgoing US president slides deeper into dangerous derangement, and buffoonish PM Johnson blows up Britain, Morrison’s problems look relatively manageable. So much so he felt safe enough to take a Christmas holiday. To be fair, Dan Andrews and Gladys Berejiklian are off on well-earned breaks too.
One MP explained: “The electorate just don’t want to see a politician at this time of year.” Obviously no one’s told him this doesn’t just apply to January.
While the NSW and Victorian premiers might find it difficult to relax under the cloud of the latest COVID outbreak, Morrison may have less trouble given some of his comments before heading off. It would seem he’d either checked out early or pretty well given up on the whole leadership thing for the moment.
This from the Sky website on New Year’s Day:
Mr Morrison conceded he is all but powerless to make states change their mind on border policy, dismissing the need for a national cabinet meeting to be held. ‘Their views on borders will be the same if they met this afternoon as they were a month ago,’ he said.
He added he was confident Berejiklian had it under control and that it was a pity he couldn’t attend the third cricket Test where he would like to have sung the new national anthem.
Yes, Scotty From Marketing’s new year gift to the nation was to change one word in Advance Australia Fair from we are “young” and free to we are “one” and free.
The simple change, proposed by the NSW premier over a year ago, was something he had been looking at for some time apparently but wanted to wait for the appropriate time.
Whatever kudos he got for such a simple and obvious change didn’t stop his myriad detractors scoffing it would take more than one word to show meaningful movement on reconciliation.
Luckily he was gone before the latest corruption scandal emerged. Only four days into the new year and Liberal MP Gladys Liu was once again accused of giving government access to a dubious Chinese donor.
Former solider and Liberal donor Huifeng “Haha” Liu is no relation to the federal member but was certainly close enough to attend her inaugural speech in parliament last year.
He has since been deported as a national security risk which Gladys Liu has found “concerning”. But what is most concerning is that she is still there given the litany of similar accusations which prompted a never-seen internal inquiry.
The Liu, Angus Taylor, Alan Tudge, Christian Porter, Stuart Robert protection rackets will continue this year as normal, presumably.
What will surprise will be the date of the next election, which is not due until mid-2022. But why waste a good crisis? The PM’s office has reportedly cleared the decks in September and October should the mood take him to capitalise on his current pandemic poll bump.
While every incumbent, Liberal or Labor, can be confident of electoral success while COVID is well managed, there is much that can go wrong outside the government’s control — like the precarious global economy, for example.
As we’ve seen in NSW, the virus will threaten lives and jobs for some time, and while we’re not in the same dire situation as the US and UK, debate is starting here about the vaccine rollout.
Morrison has stuck to his March timetable but this week Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese made a rare risky attempt to score pandemic points by pushing the government to bring the date forward.
With his troops restless and mutterings about his lack of cut-through, there are murmurings about Albanese’s successor. Tanya Plibersek’s media push late last year did not go unnoticed — complete with a newspaper article on her “friendship” with right-wing darling Alan Jones.
Labor’s Treasury spokesman Jim Chalmers fancies himself for greater things but often manages to make Josh Frydenberg look like a heavyweight.
Still, September or October are a long way from March when the real test will come on the economic front with the so-called fiscal cliff.
I think that the State Premiers have done the heavy lifting during the pandemic crisis. Our PM and his cohorts have actually tried to interfere in this – Scotty-from-Marketing, Frydenberg, Hunt et al – while happy to accept the plaudits and evade any blame for the not-so-good bits. And that’s not including our reputation on climate change, the treatment of the various groups all around the country desperately trying to cope with Federal cutbacks, unemployment and internment. NSW’s Premier has let the states down badly in the reponse to the new outbreaks. And the PM would like to go to the SCG? Seriously? How stupid, irresponsible and inappropriate is that?
Ohh come on, seriously? ScoMo copped it for leaving the country during the bushfires last year. He came home early. Now he’s copping it because the state premiers have it in hand, and regretting he can’t be at the cricket? Let’s get the prime minister with hose in hand delivering vaccinations to the poor homeless people, for heaven’s sake!
Um… he came home from Hawaii one day early.
So, you agree he came home early and that’s your ONLY critique of my comment?
If he only came home ONE day early, how long had he been in Hawaii when the cries went out? Seems he wasn’t away all that long that he could’ve prevented a fire if he’d volunteered for the RFS?
And gave us all a good look at snarky surly and bad manners too.
Who gave him permission to leave the country while Sydney was ringed by fire?
He did.
By the power vested in him.
By him.
So, snarky and surly is the basis of judgement?
What did he actually do wrong, other than look bad to people who didn’t like the look of his face?
How about 13 months into the pandemic Aus federal government still haven’t owned up to their Australian constitutionally defined responsibility for Quarantine, but prefer to sit back and take potshots when the inevitable HQ breaches happen (exept with Gladys)
Well he went to see the Sharks footie at the start of the plague, why not cricket as it reaches a new crisis point?
Scummo is consistent, consistently stupid.
So anyone who went to see the Sharks was at fault? Why?
Last July NSW Labor MP Shaoquett Moselmane’s house was raided by ASIO at 0630, the press having been tipped off, being camera-ready there before the raid, and is detained because of alleged links with the Chinese Government, through advisor, John Zhang. To date, no charges have been laid. (To its great shame the ALP has cancelled his membership of the Party)
January, 2021, we learn, through an ABC investigation, that businessman Ha Ha Liu, who is closely linked to Michael Sukkar, Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Housing, and Gladys “How Good is Gladys Liu?” Liu, is fighting against deportation because of links to the Chinese.
No AFP raids on this one? Australia’s Friendly Poodles. Don’t tell me there is no Deep State operating in Australia.
The AFP have been the attack poodles of the Liberal Party for so long that I doubt that there is any corporate policy of impartiality.
Standard poodles are used by the French police because they are intelligent mostly quiet until they grab their quarry with razor sharp teeth.
As for Mosemane’s treatment, what do expect if you give a speech that should have been penned by the CCP and you are a member of the Labor Party?
Real police, the state coppers, refer to the AFP as ‘plastic police’.
Everyone else knows them as a Praetorian Guard, their only function being to serve the shopsoiled emperor, Scummo from marketing.
Singing, like coughing, sneezing, cheering, and laughing makes you aspirate over a larger distance spreading infectious droplets if infected with covid-19. So regardless of what you think of the national anthem, neither it, nor anything else should be sung by the crowd at the SGC.
Two meters has been suggested as possibly a ‘safe’ distance for singing. That’s considerably further than the two seats suggested distancing recommended to SGC spectators. And even then aerosol can be spread 2m in 2 seconds in a light breeze. This means that even 2m distancing isn’t enough to stop you from inhaling the droplets emitted by another person singing, coughing, sneezing etc. Especially if also singing, as not only do you exhale more, you also inhale more when singing (see ‘When and How Choirs Can Sing Again Without Becoming “Super Spreaders”’ ABC 14/06/2020 for sources).
Have we really collectively forgotten the risks of singing and covid-19 transmission?
As I am reading this article I cannot help the feeling that I am reading about a bunch of crooks.
More an important insight than a “feeling”, AC.
“Labor’s Treasury spokesman Jim Chalmers fancies himself for greater things but often manages to make Josh Frydenberg look like a heavyweight.”
An otherwise good article, but this is just bereft. Jim Chalmers is a heavyweight, certainly in comparison to Josh Frydenberg. Nobody on planet earth makes Josh Frydenberg look like a heavyweight, although the Liberal Party are busying themselves pre-selecting anyone who shows the perspicacity to try.
It is frightening that he is considered the likely next leader of the Libs.