Imagine, if you will, that you are a blowfly that has attached yourself to former Australian Treasurer Peter Costello.
You first picked him up at an Essendon home match one lazy Saturday afternoon in Melbourne. You were trying to get a landing spot on his pie--but he was too quick for you! You found this attribute rather beguiling and you thought that this guy might be worthwhile pursuing.
You were not wrong. He rose to having one of the most powerful positions in the country and you really enjoyed the cut and the thrust of the Cabinet meetings and the lead up to the Federal Budget each year. And you especially enjoyed the rather entertaining interview on Kerri-Ann's programme---it showed off his lighter side---which you had come to enjoy.
But your Treasurer friend was not the normal 'mow em down' type of ambitious politician. He did not like to knock his leader off. He thought that loyalty would be rewarded with loyalty and that Johnny Howard would keep his word. You came to realise that your Treasurer had an altruistic streak. This altruistic streak also helped him shape his view that the best leaders are those who are chosen by the masses rather than those who claw their way to the top.
Your heart was broken when the 2007 election was lost to Kevin Rudd but you could see that your boy needed a good rest. He needed sleep and to understand better the bailiwick. You were a little angry when some of his colleagues weren't happy about him having his rest and tried to ridicule him for his backbench deserts.
But in March 2009 he made a few appearances around the traps expressing his views that the Government's stimulus packages needed to be more focussed on job creation rather than hand-outs. For this he was creamed by the press and they tried to turn it into a stoush with Malcolm Turnbull.
Your heart sank further!
He was damned if he did and damned if he didn't.If he said nothing he was belittled and if he spoke out he was belittled.
But you knew what he was thinking because over the many years of sitting on his shoulder and trying to get up his nose you had developed a capacity to read Peter's mind.
You know that he is helping the Liberal Party to rebuild after that idiot Howard completely aborted the succession plan. You know that Turnbull has to have more experience in the Parliament. And you also know that your charge does not have all the answers to the global financial crisis at present.But he is working on the answers. And he is working on them from quite an advantageous position! He only has his electorate and the global financial crisis to consider. Whereas Rudd has all the ceremonial crap to distract him and Swan has Treasury to distract him.
Your boy, bless his little soul, can focus.
Your heart swells with pride as you contemplate the day he struts his stuff again.
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