The Government, The Opposition and The Bored Public

I have noticed in the last couple of weeks that I have been largely silent on a number of issues around John Howard and his Liberal government.  I am looking at the latest "issue" and am largely apathetic to the whole thing. This Tony Abbott slush fund for the destruction of Pauline Hanson's One Nation party has me rather non-plussed.

The issue really isn't about the "unethical" attack on Pauline Hanson, but rather that the government out and out lied about its existence.  A politician lying?  Never!

But really if I was honest to myself, I would be jumping up and down telling you all what a traitorous bastard Abbott is and what a devious little arse wipe our Johnny "Man of Steel" Howard is.... but I'm just not into it... the passion seems to be gone...

Why?  Well I think it is because of the lack of opposition.  An aggressive opposition stirs up feelings of wrong doing and injustice.  They present the polar opposite point of view and point out how "the man we elected" is actually a crook and not worthy of his office... but nothing... nada...

And now I am thinking when was the last time I saw Simon Crean on television?  To be honest, I can't - not since he defeated (and I use that term loosely) Beazley in the Labor leadership challenge.  I don't think I've seen him since.  Is he on holiday?

Here we are having a senior government minister, denying outright when specifically asked if he was funding a trust fund to fund a campaign to destroy One Nation... a party that Howard used and abused to retain his leadership of the country, and I have not heard the case from the Labor Party as to why we should storm down Parliament House and run off with Howards left testicle... why?

Literally Abbott said "No, I am not funding a fund for the destruction of One Nation" and then literally proceeded to go down to his bank and open up a passbook savings account called "Fund for Honesty in Politics" (love the name) and whacked $100,000 in it.  Journo's have been jumping up and down and calling it the next big thing (bumping Shane Warne off the front page thank Christ), Abbott has been vitriolic in his denials, John Howard has denied any knowledge of the matter (how convenient) and the opposition says.... nothing.

And I think this has largely contributed to my laziness to tackle the issue.  I am thinking "how can I rant away about an issue that the opposition doesn't consider worthy of their attention and the press are themselves calling it old news because it was quietly disclosed in 1999"... 

Then also I worry that I too am becoming one of the mindless masses who think Johnny's alright... sure he accused refugees of attempting to drown their own children to force the government to allow them citizenship... sure he allows children to spend over 5 years in squalid detention camps with minimal schooling and freedom because they "may be terrorists"... sure he readily attacked another sovereign nation on falsehoods perpetrated by an oil greedy US government... sure he allowed a mate to escape a $5M tax bill for import duties on ethanol whilst leaving his mates competitors to bear the full tax and send them broke.... sure he..... and the list goes on... 

And we all say he has the biggest opinion poll lead in opinion poll history.  And we rejoice him for his tough stance on Solomon Island war lords who are holding a government that is clearly corrupt at ransom and then on election day we vote for him because we applaud his stance against One Nation whilst our Aboriginal people are denied the simplest of apologies for atrocities inflicted on them in the 1950's.

Maybe its not about saying Shame on Howard... maybe it is we who should be ashamed....