Watch Your Head

Kevin Rudd could be forgiven these days if he lept out of bed each morning and woke his family with a loud (and no doubt embarrassing) rendition of "I'm On The Top Of The World". Since winning the election, he's been on the up and up: ratifying Kyoto, saying sorry, proving what a friend we are to East Timor...and now he's the most popular PM for twenty years.

Plus there's the delight of watching what's left of the Liberal party rip each other to pieces on Four Corners last night. (I particularly liked Peter Costello's mention of the "open and frank discussion" he had with John Howard, after the latter reneged on his promise and decided to stay on as PM after his 64th birthday. I'm sure it was; who doesn't have a few "open and frank" discussions they'd like to have?).

Anyway, my concern is this all going to Rudd's head. Sure, he's entitled to feel a little smug and satisfied, but if it goes any further than that, turning into arrogance, meglomania, and a refusal to listen to the wishes of the electorate...well, we had twelve years of that already.

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(From today's Crikey)

"Most cabinet ministers in the former Howard government did not realise that workers could be worse off under Work Choices, former workplace relations minister Joe Hockey says."

Other things the Howard Cabinet didn't understand:

That innocent people might die if we helped invade Iraq.

That putting asylum seekers in high security detention could be construed as harsh and inhuman treatment.

That the Australian Wheat Board was giving lots of money to Saddam Hussein.

That there would never, ever, be a GST.

That we could say sorry to black people.

That the Australian flag was not a party political symbol.

That climate change was a bit of a worry really and quite possibly our fault.

That Don Bradman couldn't help.

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