PERHAPS NSW should be renamed “The Premiers’ State”. We have had our fill of them since the largely achievement-free but cleverly-crafted-to-look-impressive, decade-long reign of Bob Carr.
The list is almost endless – Morris Iemma, Nathan Rees, Kristina Keneally, Barry O’Farrell, Mike Baird, Gladys Berejiklian and now Dominic Perrottet. Under the Liberals, four premiers and counting. All up, eight premiers in 16 years.
- We simply have a new, fresh-faced sock-puppet still in the clutches of master puppeteers.
- The Liberals’ problems are too institutionalised, too entrenched to ever be overcome.
- Whatever correct views he may have philosophically, won’t make a jot of difference.
A truly fine bunch. Can anyone think of anything remotely significant and lastingly consequential that any of these former premiers achieved?
Then there are the opposition leaders who never made it – Peter Collins, Kerry Chikarovski, John Brogden, Peter Debnam, John Robertson, Luke Foley, Michael Daley and Jodi McKay. Floundering try-hards, all, and none of them remotely in the class of Australia’s three truly great opposition leaders, Gough Whitlam, Malcolm Fraser and Tony Abbott.
BROKEBACK
And, finally, we come to the Nationals. Now more brokeback than BlackJack, as someone once said. Since the solid and dependable Ian Armstrong, we have had George Souris, who went nowhere fast, then Andrew Stoner, a man of some stature and substance, who left too early after an innings of 11 years in and out of government.
Then Troy Grant (remember him?), John Barilaro and now Paul Toole. (Let’s hope he doesn’t live down to his surname).
Small shoes to fill for the new guys, indeed.
The inevitable question must be – how can the first State, whose cricket team has won the Sheffield Shield 47 times in 118 seasons, which accounts for a third of the nation’s economy and around the same percentage of the population, whose capital is Australia’s only true global city (whatever some of the others might think) and which has produced 13 prime ministers (Victoria has had 11) be consistently run by such a bunch of second-rate non-entities?
They used to say, “never get between a premier and a bucket of money”. There should be a new version – “never get between a premier and the chance of a cock-up”. Or “never get between a premier and a new COVID rule”.
PROBLEMS
Even before the new premier took office this past week, the signs for political redemption in Macquarie Street were not good. Mark Latham, a rare sane voice among the detritus that is the Sydney political establishment, has wished the new Premier well, but noted his systemic (Liberal Party) problems. These are, as seen by the One Nation leader:
- Matt Kean will be a big spending treasurer;
- Their default position is to lockdown industry;
- The net-zero wrecking ball;
- Student indoctrination, not education;
- The woke wastefulness of the NSW public service.
(One can only guess Mark’s reaction to the news that a former convicted drug-dealer and the spouse of one of the most Left-wing politicians in Australia has been appointed by The Dom to run, not just one department, the whole NSW public service.)
Latham concludes: “It’s one thing to talk about freedom, small government and the rights of the individual. It’s a very different thing to deliver on that rhetoric in a cabinet room full of mad Lefties. I wish Perrottet every success, but perhaps the Liberals’ problems are too institutionalised, too entrenched to ever be overcome.”
Remember that 13 of the 17 cabinet ministers appointed by Gladys are from the Left. And “Left” in The Premiers’ State means way Left.
For this observer, there are four major hurdles to be overcome, four causes of great pessimism regarding the near future.
One, Mr Perrottet has strongly and widely praised his predecessor, and has been strongly praised by her in return.
I don’t think this is merely a case of keeping one’s enemies very close. They really do rate one another. This reveals appalling judgement, certainly on the part of the new premier.
Two, the premier is said to be best buddies with Matt Kean, who, whatever his recent CPR heroics in Martin Place, remains in the wrong party (well, yes, you could say that about most of the NSW cabinet) and has correctly been described by David Flint as the most dangerous politician in Australia.
Too scary to be inflicted as deputy leader on the people of the greater west of Sydney, but good enough to be the treasurer of NSW.
Three, the premier has been a key part of the frightful junta we have had running the show since (at least) 2017. I wonder how someone who is part of the problem can be thought by anyone to be part of the likely solution.
REPUGNANT
Four, Mr Perrottet is only premier on the say-so of unelected, progressive, lobbyist power-brokers. Power-brokers whose core beliefs Perrottet is said to find repugnant.
On what other basis could someone supposedly of the “Right” be inserted in the top job in the NSW Liberal Party?
There is nothing remotely new about deals and compromise in politics, of course.
But the stench of the deals done in the Rum Rebellion city are in a category all on their own, whichever legacy Party is in office.
The deals that must have been done, and set in cement, to get Perrottet up, don’t bear thinking about.
Whatever correct views he may have philosophically, they won’t make a jot of difference to political and policy outcomes in the emerald city.
The most likely outcome will be that Mr Perrottet will be a lame duck, a political eunuch, and that the substance of NSW governance will change but little.
Take the “roadmap” out of COVID lockdown. The latest announcables are mere trinkets for the underclass, minor rewards for the theft of our freedoms that should never have occurred in the first place.
PLACEBO
All on the watch of unelected – that word again – rogue health bureaucrats who have tossed out the scientific rulebook and, instead, signed up to do the bidding of drug companies peddling (what are largely) placebo jabs which fail the twin tests of efficacy and safety.
So, we have “Freedom” Monday, but only for the chosen people, the double- vaccinated. This use of propaganda and elasticity of language – let us call it newspeak – is the stuff of George Orwell.
One very perspicacious social media observer calls it, far more accurately, segregation Monday.
We could also call it papers please Monday. The new leadership will, no doubt, continue to peddle the fiction that they have “saved” the State from a virus. Err, no, governments do not control viruses. Just ask Jacindarella.
No, the deals that were needed to be done over the last week and the base politics driving them suggest that we simply have a new, fresh-faced sock-puppet still in the clutches of master puppeteers.
Mr Perrottet is merely the best hope for the Liberals to win in 2023 and for keeping the lobbying dollars flowing thereafter.
Let us hope that I am being unduly cynical and pessimistic, and that the sound, dare one say, Christian, principles said to be the mark of the unconventional man from Epping, will, somehow, prevail over the monster that is his Party.
To date, all the signs are that he is just another follower of the “broad church that is the Liberal Party” view of right-wing politics loyally peddled down the years by John Howard and Tony Abbott.
BROAD CHURCH
Their times were simpler and Howard, at least, had the skill-set to preside over something that did look vaguely like a broad church, with all the elements held in a seemingly comfortable tension for over a decade.
(That the Liberal Party’s second longest serving, and some say, our very best, prime minister, can these days say that the State is “grieving” over Gladys – accurately described by Troy Bramston as a premier who stayed a year too long – suggests that preserving the Party has become the only hill to die on for the Liberals. Forget safeguarding the people’s welfare, upholding basic liberal principles or displaying decency in office).
Given the insidious and totally dominant power of the Left in NSW, those days are long gone, and all that the likes of the Dom can expect are a few trinkets (that word again) to mark his premiership.PC
“Matt Kean will be a big spending Treasure”, not to mention big noting!
How can he possibly be Treasurer and Minister for Energy and Environment? Surely this is a conflict of interest.
Can you imagine the grants to the carpetbagger clients of lobbyists seeking subsidies for their non commercially viable green energy projects.
I am always dubious when anyone volunteers their faith before anything else. But perhaps faith is what we need after the run of crippling futures we have had . If Dominic wants all to believe like he does ? Then he had better put his faith where his mouth is . Re Open all NSW remove all vaccine mandates and all that goes along with this scam . Sydney is almost unrecognisable as once great city it was with The Scar on the face of it (Light Rail) and tearing down of our heritage buildings for drivers trains . Running the economy well only has a purpose if it gives a human dividend .
No one knows the future and it is true being the Treasurer is a good grounding for being the next Premier, thus Matt Kean is well in position. This makes me think, is there still hope for the Liberals having a conservative pro-life guy in charge? Dom is apparently well spoken of in Christian circles, like Scott Morrison was when he became PM, and he has some wise sayings and answers to questions. I haven’t made up my mind yet whether this is an answer to prayer for many people, or a trick by the lefties in the Liberal Party to place a lonesome conservative who now has to take the brunt of all this covid madness and mess at the sake of his career to help win the next election. As you know, if Dom goes, Matt will take over and God help us then. Dom certainly needs our prayers as he wants us to get out of lockdowns and mandatory covid passports. I’m hoping he will be a shining light compared to the other states but thanks Paul, good article as it shows what is lurking behind the scenes.
“Dom is apparently well spoken of in Christian circles […]”
Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets. Luke 6:26
“[…] he has some wise sayings […]”
LOL – if you want some “wise sayings” see the verse I’ve quoted above, and consider the One by whom those words were spoken.
“Dom certainly needs our prayers […]”
Your prayers will be to no avail, because Dominic is no more a Christian than he is a Liberal. He is just another weak-kneed addle-brained self-serving nonentity who will dance to the tune of those execrable individuals who installed him as their titular leader. Dominic will be comfortably retired on a healthy pension courtesy of the taxpayers of N.S.W. before most Liberal voters figure this out; perhaps the problem is not so much our politicians as it is those who vote for them.
Close, but no cigar, as misses the key evidence.
But first, permit a minor digression. One of the great mysteries in the history of the Liberal Party is the cancellation of the late Sir Robert Askin from its history. Askin, supported by his wife, the gracious Lady Mollie, was the longest serving Liberal Premier of NSW, governing in an unbroken period of nearly ten years between 1965 and 1975. Nowhere do we find that the Libs HQ is based in Sir Robert Askin House, or that an annual dinner boasts a Sir Robert Askin Address. One wonders why not.
But back to the evidence. In the current run of Liberal administrations, every Premier after Barry O’Farrell cut their teeth as NSW Treasurer before taking command. Baird, Berejiklian and Perrottet, the grooming is the same. Who now is the Treasurer? That’s right, it’s Michael Photios golden boy and leader of the ‘Moderates’, Matt Kean. Not only does Kean control the purse, he retains his benefices as Minister for Energy and Minister for the Environment, no conflict of interest there. Before the introduction of his Renewable Energy Bill in 2020, Kean is reported to have commissioned a report on the likely consequences. This report is unique in so far as despite not being tabled in the Parliament, it hasn’t even leaked. We can safely assume that the missing report condemned the proposed abolition of cheap and reliable base-load power for the folly that it is. But the precedent is ominous and should be of great concern to Premier Perrottet. What else is Matt Kean going to conceal, and who is really in charge? Answers on the back of a postage stamp.