Helen Razer's writing behind the pay wall for Crikey but had an awesome column today. I just want to copy out a couple of paragraphs and share it with you all.
On Monday, Crikey's Bernard Keane analysed recent findings of the Essential Report on preferred political leaders. If we don't count the very popular "someone else" choice as prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull is the resolute fan favourite. He's really not a bogan.
The man who likely gainsaid his own green credentials in a Solomon Islands logging deal and put an end to the great infrastructure build of the NBN is beloved by Green and ALP voters. In an era of "check your privilege," it seems that the dapper Turnbull is far too well-groomed to be required to check his. While it is true that he chooses to accessorise with a few neutral items from a progressive grab-bag like the Republic and same-sex marriage, it is not true that he is a minister who gives half an apparent shit for making his portfolio work in the lives of non-corporate Australians. Let's set aside for the moment the sheer financial irresponsibility of a man whose policies will doom us to the expensive maintenance of copper wire and prevent a nation in industrial freefall from learning from the South Korean national program, and just think about the NBN in the most basic progressive terms. This guy wants you to pay for a good road to your door.
Somehow, though, the silver fox is largely seen by progressives as a viable alternative to Abbott. This is despite the fact that he can claim no real ideological distinction and, in fact, should really -- given that he "invented" the internet in Australia -- should and does know better about the economic and social value of the abandoned NBN.
What Greens voters are thinking is largely beyond me. As a progressive voter, I would certainly nominate Senator Cory Bernardi as my preferred Coalition leader. That guy, in advertising the contents of the stinking box, makes the buggers far less electable. But, in the eagerness progressive voters have to distance themselves from the "bogan", they are happy to embrace the ruling class.
She's quite right. the progressives are kidding themselves if they think Malcolm Turnbull is somehow going to save the day. It would be much wiser to proceed on the assumption that he won't be much help at all. In fact, he's already out there quite vocally saying he supports Tony, he doesn't have any ambition to destablise Abbott, and that he wants to help sell this crappy-piece-of-shit (my adjective) budget. And so it should be repeated quite loudly - support for Malcolm Turnbull is giving into one's own snobbery. So screw that thought with a big stick and get on with the real project of ousting the CONservatives.
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