People usually have a strong tendency to vote for
candidates in their preferred party in most elections
and they are inclined to support policies endorsed by
the particular party.

Hi Foxy,

From memory; Joseph Cook, later PM himself, was the first Australian minister to be sent overseas in an official capacity, in about 1904, I think he was then Trade Minister in the George Reid Free Trade party government. Poor old Cookie made it to San Francisco aboard a steamer, all on his lonesome, no PS or such with him. A couple of months later Cookie cabled the Australian government with something like; "Please send funds for my return, I am destitute and living in a most unsatisfactory condition in a undesired boarding house. I do not have private means to support myself. My previous requests to your good self for funds have as yet not been met." Cookie did eventually make it back to Australia, somehow.

Dear Paul,

There are many characteristics of political
leadership that people discuss - strength,
courage, wisdom, vision, judgement, responsiveness
and so on. Having a sense of entitlement is
something that many take for granted as your
story shows. We can only laugh at these
larrikins today.

Today a genuine political leader must be able to
correctly identify the main causes of the
social and economic circumstances (including the
causes of their suffering). This is necessary for
vision and action.

cont'd ...

What we need most is a leader who tells it like
it is and matches that with vision and action.

Hi Paul,

One more thing - there's an entire group of
young politicians from both sides of
politics entering Canberra that should give
us re-assurance about this country's future.
There's the old saying - "change the politicians,
you change the nation." (or words to that effect).

Instead of continuing with the "pale, male, and
stale," brands of the past young pollies like -
Claire Chandler, Phil Thompson, Anika Wells,
Nita Green, Julian Simmonds, Kate Thwaite, to mention
just a few - are encouraging. Fingers-crossed.

support policies endorsed by the particular party.
Foxy,
That's Labor's only Grace because if it were down to policies they'd be history !