Cooperation - a new era?

During Q&A last week one of the participants (about to join Obama's media circus) noted that as the dust settled on the Obamaisation of American politics, one of the things that seemed to be emerging was a new political era in which political opponents try to work together rather than to rigidly oppose everything that the other side presents.
Only history, I suspect, will tell if this is indeed happening. But I think we see some possible signs of it in our own fair land and State. Whilst inevitably people are tiring a little of Kevin Bland (better that a leader should be bland than be carefree...government is essentially a conservative process), they are tiring ever more of the haphazard critique that comes from oppposition. Abbot for example couldn't help himself on the said program and just had to be cynical and snide. I think we are tiring of it.
I have blogged before that I think Turnbull is more cooperative than his role allows, and I suspect he too is tiring of just having to criticise the government.
Did the Queensland electorate, too, on Saturday reject an Opposition whose sole offering seemed to be not in new policy and/or vision but that they might get rid of long standing government who happen to have picked up a pretty rum situation?
Is this happening in SA...I tire of hearing Captain Marty never offering new initiative but simply whining about Major Mike. The Opposition spokespersons make fools of themselves (it seems to me) because their principal dynamic is not to offer a sense of new beginnings but a constant harping on about how awful the government is. Now that they are locking themselves into the ridiculous policy (for example) of revamping the RAH rather than build a new hospital...they are simply being driven by negative reaction to the government's policy instead of what is best for the state.
Add to that their other great gift...self and mutual immolation on the altar of political infighting...their political irrelevance seems assured.

What a ham!

The youngest SC picked up a ham leg in the supermarket last evening and said "That's disgusting....it even looks like a leg!"
It would have been more believable if she wasn't such a bacon addict.
I want to assure people that no geese were harmed during the celebrations of our Nowell this year...we did actually witness two (aptly named nana and pa) waddling across the road whilst having our St John's Day dinner on the balcony.
A couple of wassails were sacrificed, and we minced a few pies. Unfortunately two turkeys did bite the dust, and some prawns, a dozen oysters (all by me), and some smoked salmon. Many millions of maltesers were crushed to make our particular version of Christmas pudding, along with flakes, mars bars etc.
But no geese were harmed!
(When I typed turkey into the tags below why did Martin Hamilton-Smith come up?)

We've got our local member back

I did tell you that Marty would be the new leader, didn't I?(here)

Prescience

Even I am surprised by the accuracy of my earlier-rather-later than prediction of the local Liberal party spill (see the entry for March 30). We await the result with interest.
In the meantime the PM looks increasingly worried, not that he is given to smiling, but he always looks sullen and projects a most dismal image. One can only imagine that the prospect (which seems unremitting with every new report) that they will not be able to pull the cat out of the electoral bag must way heavily upon him. Be that as it may, he was oft warned that he would be better to leave at his peak rather than after things started to go down.
Costello must seethe at the thought of the fact that his nemesis will leave only when he is defeated, and he (Costello) will simply not be able to generate enough support to get himself back as PM.
Maybe these are only very short-term projections and don't warrant much thought, but I am on such an high at having been soooooo accurate about Marty's leadership challenge that I am presuming to cast my net wider.
To put my money where my mouth is...it is 8.25 and I am putting my money that Iain Evans will not be the State Liberal leader at midday.

Who'd be a politician?

The ever smiling Iain Evans, leader of the State Opposition is under seige yet again. His popularity rating has never been particularly high. The most that can be said about him is that he is less hard-faced than some of his opponents. One in particular, who shall remain nameless but who is not of the same gender as the Hon Iain.
It's suggested in the press and on the radion today that the next Liberal leaders may not actually be in the Parliament yet. That may be true.
But an interesting discussion ensued about the ingenuous Martin Hamilton-Smith who precipitated the last leadership spill. And lost!
But it needs to be said that Marty has kept his profile high and has ridden his motorbike unceasingly around the State's worst roads. He is often interviewed, and sometimes makes sense!
This is more than the other key players often do. Monsieur Evans and Madame Hard Face often just seem to whine and whine and whine about the Government, and fail to capture the popular imagination.
Although Hamilton-Smith looked like a total goose when denied any factional support in the recent stoush, has he positioned himself so that when next he moves he will not be so easily disregarded. A strange similarity to Senor Rudd's path to glory, which appears to have been successful in the long.
It is interesting to note in the picture alongside, (Marty in the front row with the brown jacket) that the above mentioned other female aspirant is sitting quite in the shade. Far be it from me to say she has missed the boat, but I am putting my money on Opposition Leader Hamilton-Smith in the next six months , not Evans or Chapperson!