HOBSON'S CHOICE AND BOMBS IN NT

Are Territory politicians anything more than hand puppets-unable to move or utter a word without somebody writing a boring, dreary script for them to follow ? A misdirected email from the Country Liberal Party Deputy Leader Kezia Purich contained justifiable strong criticism of the party’s performance at the budget estimates question session.
After reading the hansard one could not drawn any other conclusion than that the CLP is a bunch of dullards. Here was an opportunity to probe the government about every aspect of Territory governance . Nowhere was there any indication of forethought , in depth questioning, putting two and two together and following up obvious shortcomings in vital services . More revealing was the fact that the Opposition is not really in touch with the community and unaware of hot issues not yet in the public domain but easily picked up if you ask real people questions . This is a malady that is also very evident in the NT government
How the CLP with four former police officers in it is not more aware of contentious matters in the emergency services , including frontline police bearing a massive burden due to the government’s timidity in dealing with the grog problem ,red tape requirements and window –dressing approaches to the increasing law and order deterioration , is hard to fathom.
One strong explanation is spin , photo opportunities, short TV grabs, PR pamphlets.

There is more life , thought and bite - a crocodile (groan)- in the noisy plot of a Punch and Judy show than in the feeble hand puppet shows in the sawdust stuffed teddy bear pit of NT politics. And another thing . At a time of growing concern about international terrorism, hotels recently bombed in Jakarta, should Senator Nigel Scullion be decorating his newsletter with spluttering bombs ? These bomb images used to be associated with Bolsheviks who advocated abrupt and forceful seizure of power, which may be the only way the CLP captures treasury , despite the chaos in the ALP. Whoever composed the newsletter also had a problem with apostrophes and stuttered, becoming repetitious .