Politics... Bah!

Mark Twain once wrote "It doesn't matter who you vote for, you still end up with a politician."

There's interesting political shows on right now on either side of the Pacific, and they're worth a comment.

Now that the interminable American primary season is finally over and the candidates are oficially endorsed, the US Election can get down to the pointy end.

And the candidates are...
Some young handsome black/white dude with a silver tongue and very nice suits, who has chosen Mr Boring as his second, or some old white guy who managed to get himself captured by the Vietcong (which qualifies him as a war hero), who has, appropriately, chosen Rambette as his second.

And one of these two will be the Leader of the Free World. Are you kidding Americans? Seriously? You couldn't find anyone better?

Here's my take...

Obama is The Hollow Man. He's all talk, with absolutely no substance. From this distance, it seems all he's ever done is promote Obama, though if success in what you've done is an indicator, then he's going to make a fine President because he's clearly promoted himself extremely well.

McCain is eight years too late. I like the guy, and suspect he would have made a great President in 2000. If the job hadn't gone to The Idiot, I think the world would be a different place. But now... I just get the feeling he's past his use by date (though at least he can pronounce "nuclear").

Ah well. Dr J and I will be in America on election day. I'm really looking forward to that.

Over on this side of the Pacific, our State government has imploded, and in such a spectacular way as to remind us of just how disgustingly slimy and self serving those who seek public office in this country really are.

The outgoing state premier's press conference said it all. "I'm resigning today, because it's best for the party that a new team be allowed to take up the reins. In my entire career in politics, The Party has always come first."

Um. Mr Premier, don't you mean "the voters come first". No apparently not.

His successor is a nobody, very much like Mr Obama. He's been in Parliament for just a couple of years, and really hasn't distinguished himself. But here's the problem...

Before that, he was chief of staff to the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, a guy called Milton Orkopolis, who is currently serving a jail term for luring under-age boys to his Parliament House office, supplying them with drugs, and having sex with them. (Yes, if nothing else, politics in New South Wales can be "interesting").

There can only be two possibilities...
Either, as Chief of Staff, our new Premier was incompetant in not knowing what his boss was up to, which means he shouldn't be Premier, or he turned a blind eye to his paedophile boss, and if that's true, he should be sharing the prison cell.

Sadly, the next state election is in March 2011. That's more than two years away, a lifetime in political speak. The long suffering people of this state are counting the days.

And on that... when the politicians in this state moved to a "fixed term" (previously, the Premier could call an election any time during his term), I campaigned to adopt an American style "recall" system, which would allow The People to fire an inept or corrupt government. Sadly, the suggestion was howled down by the self serving slimeballs who sit in our legislature.

What a pity.