That this matter involving Kevin Rudd’s three meetings with Brian Burke even rated a mention in parliament (let alone the protracted airing that it has been given) shows just how farcical and desperate the Howard government has become.
Over at the SMH, Aaron Timms paints the matter in this amusing light:
“It used to be that the Panama was a sign of style and sophistication. Now it is short for suburban Italian meals and illegal mobile phone conversations involving repeated use of the word mate. Even over the past week, as the hat has remained malevolently glued to Burke’s scalp, it has been hard to escape the feeling that somewhere underneath that straw crown there must be at least a couple more Labor ministers hiding from the fact that they once shared a cream bun with Burke in the late 1990s.”
But in all seriousness, the vitriol that has been slung at Rudd in parliament by Abbott, Costelloand their increasingly rattled master Howard has been extraordinary - not the least when one considers the age old adage “let him without sin…”.
The mudslinging almost backfired spectacularly when it was discovered that one of the Liberals senior ministers, Ian Campbell, had not only met with Burke, but invited him into his office.
In a truely bizarre set of circumstances, instead of this becomming a problem for the government, it actually had the effect of reintroducing the long forgotten “ministerial code of conduct“.
One could be forgiven for wondering if we are living in a parrallel universe.
This government has a long and well publicised history of lies, coverups, disgraceful behaviour, scandals and misinformation.
- The alleged WMDs and the invasion of Iraq
- The Vivian Salon debarcle
- The David Hicks disgrace
- Children overboard
- No GST, never ever
- The Peter Reith phone card affair
- The bribes paid to Saddam Hussein under the auspices of the AWB
… hold on… Bribes? Saddam Hussein?
Yes indeed. And the two ministers who oversaw these bribes, Alexander Downer and Mark Vaile (Downer allegedly even signed a document authorising the bribes) not only maintain their roles within Howard’s government, but they are the Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister respectively - two of the most senior positions in the government.
They may not have known that the $290 million, yes, $290,000,000 was going toward directly funding Saddam Hussein’s regime, but the incompetence that they displayed in allowing this terrible transgression should not only have cost them both their jobs but also their entitlements and superannuation.
What did poor old Ian Campbell do?
He met a fat, balding man in a Panama hat.
He has been forced to fall on his sword so that Howard and his minions may continue to pursue this pathetic line of attacks on Rudd.
This all reeks of a very deep sense of desperation and fear. The government has realised that there is a strong desire for change in the Australian populace and know that Rudd is a very credible alternative.
Their mudslinging is puerile and pathetic - what is worse is that they expect the Australian people to swallow the crap that they are dishing up.
Paul Keating put it wonderfully when interviewed on the ABC today:
“The little desiccated coconut [Howard] is under pressure and he is attacking anything he can get his hands on,”
“Brian Burke and Julian Grill, they are the Arthur Daley and Terry of the West Australian Labor Party. They are like the wallpaper over there. You can’t visit Perth without running into them”
The best quote was the one that he left for Costello though:
“He’s all tip and no iceberg”
I can’t wait to vote this year…
Technorati Tags: Kevin Rudd, Brian Burke, Ian Campbell, John Howard, Peter Costello, WA Inc, Tony Abbott, hypocrisy, Paul Keating, Alexander Downer, Mark Vaile, AWB, David Hicks, GST
