I can't explain

I'd like to add my perceptions of the last couple of days of the Cole Inquiry. Because I'm not fan of the current government, I really hope that this issue is the beginning of their end. It's taken a while for the Commission to get to this stage, but the value of such a Commission is that usually, it does. The restrictions of the Terms of Reference will limit the findings but, as has been explained in a few places in today's papers, the general public perception seems to be biting at last. Up to now, the whole thing has been far too arcane for the average punter (unless he's a wheat farmer I suppose). People have a (well founded) understanding that you need to pay bakhsheesh to get stuff done in the Middle East. I can vouch for that having spent time there.

But every time I've seen that argument used, they seem to gloss over that the people getting the kickbacks were people were about to go to war with (and I'll leave how the actual entering into that war was handled).

As Cole gets closer to the 'truth', the perception starts to emerge that AWB is a very good example of an arrogant government that thinks it can get away with anything - and when that starts to happen, more people start to prick up their ears. There's the very often repeated saying that "no matter who you vote for, a politician always gets in" but all governments have their useful lives. And it always reminds me of my dear old dad (well, maybe stow the "dear old" bit at the moment) who said, on the assumption to office of the Hawke government in 1983, "this is the best Liberal government we've ever had." Not far from the truth, either.

For fans of the Westminster Principle (of Ministerial accountability) and how it gets interpreted more and more flexibly, this is the closest we have come for a long, long time that a Minister might go. Given the TOR, it won't be a sacking but an easing out (and a nice diplomatic present one would guess). And if Vaile goes, the whole Coalition arrangement gets opened up even further (post McGauran etc).

Anyway, my little lovelies, interesting times. We live in 'em.

And for those who've tried unsuccessfully to post comments, I don't know what the problem is but I've sent an inquiry to Blogger.