Houellebecq,
(I can now spell your name accurately without referring to notes - who's idea was the curious arrangement of e's?)

"It's a wonderful tri-dependency, full of beautiful human frailty. A continuous spiral to the bottom devoid of authenticity, progress or ideal."
I like that - indeedy I do.

I love it when you play Houlley. Chattering classes - love that little gem which is trotted out from time to time to detract from debate, as though the middle class by virtue of ordinary status is ineligible to make comment about social justice.

Hate to disillusion you but compared to many others in the world we are all elites chattering from ivory towers including - dare I suggest it....you.

We worry about media spin which is annoying while others live with famine and military juntas. Take a deep breath...it is okay to wish for improvement to another's lot even if it is from ivory towers. It is also okay to wish for better democracy which is not served by the current charade.

Now to food and drink. A drop of Chardonnay among elites is not a bad thing to get the juices flowing but why stop there...why not add a few other bourgeoise cliches like brie cheese a stilton with a side of quince paste and a sticky date pudding with a rasberry jus.

I am quite happy with my simple lot and tend to live by my own rules (sometimes to my detriment but so be it).

Folks

The clear issue is staring you in the face yet no one is seeing it.

Once we vote in a party we are stuck with it for the duration i.e. NSW Labor. I feel sorry for the premier she has inherited a mess which she can't fix.

However, the public can change a PM and therefore direction i.e. Rudd and Turnbull. Logic dictates that if the PM is unpopular with the people enough to worry the party it won't win the next election instant Head change.

This BS about Rudd being voted for is tripe or should be.
his and to a lesser degree Turnbull's demise is clear proof that if the public become unhappy enough they can shift the policy.
I see Rudd's removal evidence of public feedback. No backroom gnome in either party would rock a successful boat.
In NSW the case is the problem is that the problems are now systemic 'backside covering'.

I repeat no Head can assume longevity is their right.

The mistake you make pontificator is that you think the head matters.

pelican,

' brie cheese a stilton with a side of quince paste and a sticky date pudding with a rasberry jus. '

I bow to your obvious knowledge of such things, representing as I do a bogan cultural cringe to elites such as your good self.

Oooh I love jus! Well played! I cant look at a menu at all these days without the word jus giving me a chuckle (you'd be surprised given some of the places I frequent!). Not as much of a chuckle as the protestations in your post though. The lady doth protest too much, methinks.

You are a Chardonnayist Houlley.

Raspberry jus
Raspberry jus
Raspberry jus
Raspberry jus

:P

Aaaah that feels better. One has to let out the inner child occasionally.

Hooooly,
You missed the point comprehensively.
For some thing that doesn't matter, the head of government (PM), doesn't matter, an aweful lot of energy is being taken up examining her in extraordinary minutia and irrelevance.

I have said several times that I vote for policy directions...the detail often by circumstances differs in government.

Life and politics aren't black or white. It is for that reason I distrust any system that is weighted that way and then dwells on the above minutia/irrelevancies to manipulate the population.

Notwithstanding if we vote for a policy, theoretically the the leader determines the strategies. If those strategies are not what the people want then the leader is replaced (this is the way it works in business) the board still remains untill the election plus or minus specific executive failures (forced resignations)