I'm Not Worried Abbott is Stupid. I'm Worried He's Not

9/7/13: Never Forget

One year today since the election of the Abbott government, and far from the soothsayers who assured us it wouldn't be as bad as we were fearing, the last twelve months have been a horror show of epic proportions beyond ideology, beyond necessity, beyond our worst nightmares.

And it's showing in the polls. Never have we seen a government so unpopular in it's first year. What particularly galls people, apart from the budget measures that take a harsh toll on the disadvantaged whilst continuing the free ride of miners and big business, is the lies. Having gone out of his way ahead of the election to assure voters, possibly unnecessarily, there'd be no harsh cuts, the cuts have come anyway; and whilst a few true believers defend the government on the basis that "Labor lied too" (so you're forgiving Labor then?), most are furious. One could imagine the government would be panicking. I don't think they're panicking. I think they're assured it's all going to plan.

Even if Abbott himself is showing worrying signs of some impairment of cognitive function as a possible remnant of his boxing days - the verbal and facial tics, the odd turns of phrase and pauses - there are some very smart people behind him, and this then seems to be there strategy. Lie and lie and lie and lie until we all just stop caring, stop noticing, stop paying attention, till we're too exhausted and numb to feel mild consternation let alone rage.

And then all they have to do is get involved in another costly pointless war that is none of our business, and go to the election presenting themselves as a war time government, strong on national security, and you don't change horses mid stream.

And Bill Shorten and Labor will let them.

I hope I'm wrong.