Monday, April 04, 2011

The new NSW ALP leader has quite a job behind him

Some blowflies get up your nose. Some prefer your ears! And some prefer the back of your throat.

This Blowfly prefers to get inside people’s minds!

It can be fun! Let me demonstrate.

Lets imagine you are deep inside the mind of John Robertson, the newly-elected leader of the NSW Labor Opposition.

You have cut your teeth in the Union movement. You have previously been the boss of Unions NSW.

You know the NSW Parliament inside-out. Not only are you working in it -- you have worked on it. As an electrician, one of your first jobs was contributing to the electrical fit-out of the new wings in Parliament House in Macquarie Street in Sydney.

As a member of the Electrical Trades Union you held strong views opposing privatisation of the NSW electricity industry. NSW is the last bastion of state-owned electricity.

You are well aware of Sydney’s stretched rail and road infrastructure and the increasing traffic congestion problems because you battle it every day.

You are also aware that Sydney is running out of power and by 2014 there will need to be restrictions to deal with this problem.

You also know that if you build the power stations needed, and the roads and railways, the state of NSW will have to find $40+ billion.

You were able to thwart Bob Carr when he first tried to privatize the power generation industry some years ago. It was worth $30 billion then.

You were also able to roll Morris Iemma when he sought to privatize it. It was then estimated to be worth $15 billion.

You also realize that, while the value of the NSW power generation system is declining, the costs associated with building new power stations, railways and roads are escalating.

As well you realize that a carbon tax is looming. This does not augur well for the economics of coal-fired power stations.

Deep in your heart you recognize that you have contributed to the dilemma you find yourself in. Your heart is heavy!

Can you now imagine what John Robertson will be thinking?

Let’s try! Here goes:

“Oh woe is me!....I guess I need a plan……maybe I should get the lateral thinking guru Edward DeBono to help me……I wish Harry Houdini was still alive…..he could show me how to escape from this one……maybe George Pell could help?......or Nick Whitlam----he’s a merchant banker......it doesn’t look like I’m going to get any help from Paul Keating…….I wonder could my mate Kevvie help me?.........I don’t suppose so…..he’s always overseas these days…….and where are Mark Arbib and Karl Bitar when I need them?.......have I got the ‘NSW disease’ too?........is that why they haven’t spoken to me in ages………maybe I am the ‘NSW disease’?.......it’s funny that they call us the ‘NSW Right’ when clearly voters think we have been so Wrong?…..Jesus, it’s going to be lonely in Parliament!.......oh woe is me!”

The Blowfly thinks that here is a man who has “plummeted to the top”. If he fell from the 60th floor of a skyscraper would he say, “So far, so good!” at the 30th floor?

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