It's easy isn't it. To deride, to dismiss, to be cynical and hold others to a standard you could only dream of. To be cruel, to label to judge, to stand on the sidelines and deride.

Imagine being Julia Gillard or Tony Abbot.

To lose your father, and continue under the spotlight, making speeches, taking advice from the hollow men, standing up and leading a country. To be the first woman leader of the nation. To attempt to hold together the most fragile government.

To be put in a position to defend your religion, your relationships with the women in your life, to have your daughters hear you depicted as some sort of monster.

To be forced into this ridiculous game of 'gotcha', to kiss babies and take daily abuse and humiliation.

How ridiculous our judgement of these individuals, these humans. These are people. Remarkable people. Who have achieved, who have parents, children, partners, fears, personal lives. Hell they even have sex, and they get ill, they look in the mirror in the morning, and they have doubts.

Sure power corrupts, politics is dirty, and we long for someone to rise above the pack, to earn our respect, but really how realistic is this. What do we reward.

Do we seriously reward honesty, frankness, integrity. Do we accept compromise, do we compromise our comfort and lifestyle for the greater good.

We're kidding ourselves, we have the politicians we deserve.

It's just like slamming Greg Norman as a choker, expecting a 20yo footballer to be a saintly role model, to expect someone else to pay every single time.

How well would you do? Do you even have what it takes to be there?

Seriously. Think about it.

Show some respect. These are people doing their best in the game we all perpetuate.

If lies and deception is their best that we should accept,then we all have very low standards.

God H you speak as if we owe these people.
All the people you mention have reaped vast amounts of money for their efforts in comparison to the battler in the suburbs with two kids a mortgage and an ever increasing tax burden.

Houellebecq>> Do we seriously reward honesty, frankness, integrity. Do we accept compromise, do we compromise our comfort and lifestyle for the greater good.<<

Compromise comfort and lifestyle for the greater good……are you dreaming H?
The government has spent over ONE MILLION DOLLARS on junkets and associated time wasting on Slipper in less than a year just so they can retain power. H we have compromised. We use less water and energy than we did five years ago and we pay double for the privilege. Our cities are becoming the most expensive cities on the globe to live in. We have the highest Commonwealth debt in history and a score card that mirrors nothing but abject failure of most of the reforms and policies the poor grieving Gillard and her team of Labor criminals and liars have presided over.

Why should I give kudos or a tinkers cuss about ideologues who consider themselves above the masses. I will again remind you of the grieving Gillard’s comment regarding the pensioners who built the STRONG foundation that Labor has destroyed in five short years.

“DON’T GIVE THE PENSIONERS A PAY RISE, THEY DON’T VOTE FOR US ANYWAY”

You feel compassion for them H, I feel cheated, lied to and unrepresented.

H!well said, and the two contributors so far prove your point.
A mirror would be a worth while investment for both.
I own two!

"....H you speak as if we owe these people. "

Maybe some believe that our democracy is important. More trhan that, it is what makes our society worthwhile.

Maybe some do believe one should respect the institution that ensures our freedom, and should I say lifestyle.

Yes, we do owe these people respect.

We also should respect one another.

Just because one may do as you might not like, does not lessen the respect that should be given.

In the case of Mr. Abbott and Ms Gillard, it is the office that thye hold, that demands respect.

The ruckus that is going on now, and the ongoing personal attacks of Mr. Abbott that has led to an ugly situation, that is undermining our system of government.

The Macquarie DIctionary has this morning announced that it is updating the word misogogy.

The original meaning indicated pathological or clinical hatred towards women. It is acknowledged that over the last twenty to thirty years, especially since the emergence of feminism, the word is having a wider meaning.

It is now seen as the entrench prejudice against women.

That's piss funny Flo. The feminists have, by there use of hyperbole, changed the meaning of a word. One wonders what other words will have their meaning changed through constant misuse.

Word : New Definition

Crisis : Small problem
Troll : Purveyor of outright abuse online
Momentarily : In a moment
Rape : Regretted Sex

' the two contributors so far prove your point.'

They do indeed Belly. Or maybe they missed my point. Understandable.

'If lies and deception is their best that we should accept,then we all have very low standards.'

Nowhere did I opine we should accept low standards, just that we recognize the nature of the job, the difficulty in pleasing people and our own input into the process, and for us to imagine what it takes to live up to the ideal that we would want from a leader and consider whether, personally, we would be able to maintain our integrity in such a system.

Further the hypocrisy of wanting respect from our leaders while disrespecting them, and while being partners in the degradation of public discourse and indulging ourselves in the soap opera.

'All the people you mention have reaped vast amounts of money for their efforts in comparison to the battler in the suburbs with two kids a mortgage and an ever increasing tax burden.'

As could you. Why don't you? Why do you think you would be more successful and maintain your integrity any better?