The Beagle Editor, Sam continues to be amazed by the antics of the political class. The latest utter drivel to come from the mouth of one of our elected leaders comes from the mouth of that man of substance David Leyonhjelm. Quite how this unpleasant man was elected is difficult to say. I could research that, but I would rather think it is some strange quirk of our electoral process. It is this same Leyonhjelm, as I read in Sarah Hanson-Young’s little volume “En Garde”, who told that Senator that she should “stop shagging men.” Whatever else he is, he is certainly not a gentleman not, of course, that that is a pre-requisite for political life.
In his latest piece of silliness, he has suggested that Tasmania and South Australia are “beggar states” that “hold back the prosperity of the people they are supposed to represent." I am not quite sure where this man gets off. The Commonwealth of Australia is a federation. Leyonhjelm clearly doesn’t want a federation. Of course, as with most of these people whose views are trying to be vaguely populist, he can tell us what he doesn’t want and doesn’t like but he can’t tell us what he does like and what he does want. I assume his electorate will act appropriately when his number comes up.
And another thing … if you watch the ABC’s “Four Corners” the other night you will have seen a set of behaviours that those of us from the corporate world recognise as “senior executive behaviour”. This behaviour is all about the individual and nothing about the organisation or – heaven forfend – the customer. Neither Milne nor Guthrie emerged from this program with any credit. And quite why the Communications Minister, Mitch Fyfield, should be calling the ABC’s CEO is very strange. Unless, of course, he wanted to influence the CEO. Which, of course, is probably why he called her. As for me, and if you watched “Four Corners” you will understand this, I am off for an “external development opportunity.” Sam (name and address supplied)
