Asleep at the Wheel

Morris, Morris, Morris. You think you know a guy. Back in the middle of last year I thought we’d done the right thing re-electing NSW Premier Morris Iemma. Compared with his frail opposition and their leader Peter Debnam, he was an obvious choice. I was a supporter of the desalination plant – urging Iemma to press on with nuclear ambition, but warned him to “spend [his] political capital while [he] can”. Unfortunately, in the almost 3 years since his original ascension to power, Morris has lost his way, and expended all of my good will. I have that sinking feeling all a sudden that our great state is drifting aimlessly – and it’s iceberg season.

The Iemma government has quickly established a reputation as a ‘politics first’ administration. That is, working hard to save their own corrupt and inept skins, with media spin and old political maneuvering. For a time the cabinet was an all star line-up: convicted child sex offender Milton Orkopoulos, alleged (and unprosecuted) wife beater Phil Koperberg and shady nepotist Joe Tripodi. Unfortunately, Phil and Joe still grace our illustrious front bench – alongside my old bald nemesis, now treasurer, Michael Costa (I’ll get to him in a minute). Despite such a line-up the government enjoys a healthy parliamentary majority, propped up in power by the party’s dominant right wing faction.

The latest debacle is another presided over by (climate change denying) Costa. After his diabolical reign as Transport Minister (2003-2005), Costa went on to blacken the doorstep of the Roads portfolio, followed by Finance – before finally landing the Treasurer’s job. During his Transport tenure, the rail system verged on collapse, with line closures and strikes all too common (I spent many a commute cursing his name and shaking my ruing fist). Now, as Treasurer he’s overseeing the sell off of our state owned electricity generating capabilities. The short-sighted sell off has become popular lately at all levels of government - but runs directly counter to my beliefs that the state should run essential services (I’m so damn sick of the privatisation = efficiency mantra… just run public services better…).

So, overall, I’ve run out of patience with the Iemma government. They’ve shown themselves to be arrogant, generally misguided and at times plain stupid. Morris would do well to cut out some of the more cancerous members of his administration (do me a favour and start with Costa) but unfortunately it is their right wing factional support that keeps him afloat. With recent favourable opinion polling dropping to 28%, he could soon find that neglecting the public and our essential services will finally come back and bite him in the ass. Hell, if we had a decent opposition, it might’ve happened already. Makes an aspiring President think of stooping to lead the State Libs out of the wilderness (just for a second).