The West Wingisation of politics
What a weird and wacky week in the wide world of global politics. Sarah Palin goes from Caribou-hunting hockey mom to Obama-baiting vice-president nominee. In Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari goes from prison to the presidency. In New South Wales, some bloke that not many people have ever heard of called Nathan Rees goes from garbo - that's Ozzie-speak for a refuse collector - to the premier of Australia's most populous state.
For me, this offers incontrovertible proof of the "West Wingisation" of Western politics. We have become so very used to watching outlandish plot-developments unfold on our screens, sometimes within the space of a few episodes or even a few scenes, that the lines between fictional politics and factual politics have become completely blurred. The politically impossible or politically implausible is made real because television has helped condition us to allow it.
Under this theory, Americans have become more accepting of the idea of a black man becoming president because David Palmer had already blazed that particular trail on the hit-show 24. Ditto for women, with Geena Davis in Commander in Chief.
It also means, I'd suggest, that we are much more open to fresh plot lines and welcome the appearance of new characters. Barack Obama, Sarah Palin, and Nathan Rees in New South Wales, who has been a member of the state parliament for less than two years.
In Australia, this past weekend we've seen more evidence of this trend. After the elections in Western Australia, it looks like the new premier will be Colin Barnett, a Liberal who regained the leadership of his party just a day before the election was called (he'll take over from Alan Carpenter, a former television reporter). This also means that the new treasurer of what is arguably now Australia's most important economic state will be our old friend Troy Buswell, of chair-sniffing fame, who has starred in his very own political soap opera for much of the year.
Soap opera does not even begin to describe what happened in New South Wales politics last week, as the unpopular Premier Morris Iemma stepped down in an orgy of factionalism, blood-letting and tears. It had shades of the The Borgias, The Sopranos, Monty Python, and now, with the elevation of Nathan Rees, the rag and bone of Steptoe and Son.
In New South Wales this weekend, a by-election was won by a telegenic, 30-something politician called Rob Oakeshott, who campaigned as an independent. In South Australia, the Greens almost took the seat that used to be occupied by the Liberal patrician Alexander Downer, the man with arguably the most stellar bloodline in Australian politics.
In parliament the Liberals have been taunting Kevin Rudd for being boring. It is as if he does not meet the cinematic requirements of the age. Perhaps he does not meet the West Wing test? Perhaps, after less than a year in charge, he's lost his most valuable asset: his freshness and novelty value. In the West Wingisation of Western politics, he has become a bit "last season".
UPDATE: After all those Olympian distractions, I didn't get back to you on Still Battling, the blog about the troubled state of the economy. Lukenormanbutler offers a detailed and impressive analysis of why Australian interest rates are much higher than in other OECD countries. Frankjohnston accuses the Reserve Bank of being preoccupied, and thus blinded, with combating inflation. A deft touch from Listohan, who recalled Paul Keating's famous comment, about "recession we had to have". "Political spherical objects"? That sounds like the former Labor Prime Minister, too. Listohan, have you seen Keating?
On the subject of the economy, apparently 17 Rolls Royces were sold in Australia last year. Does not strike me as many.
UPDATE II: Was intrigued by your comments on Aussie women. Many of the Australian women I know are fabulously feisty (including my wife), so I particularly liked qlder12 on the subject: "Australian Women are tough, strong minded and some of the most fiesty in the world." Intrigued by what others had to say about Germaine Greer. She is such a deeply polarising figure.
I'm 
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ah, the first comment. excellent.
The backlash that no one saw. the backlash that no professional (confessional?) commentator could foretell. the backlash around the world that has arrived softly.
We don't care.
politics means a lot to politicians. and lobbyists.
but to the rest of us its about as useful as Hello magazine. just a different type of useless celebrity.
we don't care.
because nothing much changes. Its just a great big soap opera of whinging from us punters and obfuscation from the politicians. we are in perfect union.
we don't care.
if we really cared we do things different. we join parties or start them. we'd actually find out how government works. but we don't. all the huge morass of chit chat about politics in done in absolute ignorance of office, governance, constitution and process. we don't bother to find out about that becuase then we'd be really involved. we'd really care and feel in some sort of control of outcomes.
But we don't.
Becuase we don't care.
Apathy is stronger than democracy. indeed stronger than any ism. Where is Bertrand Russell when you really need him!
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Why Rolls Royce? As noted on Top Gear, all it's important parts, (engine and drivetrain) are Mercedes. The car is merely assembled in the UK. Plus it is clearly styled for the American gangsta rap community, and they love it. It features regularly in many of their videos. I'm suprised it sold as many as 17 in Australia. I'm not sure I'd be using it as a guide for anything about the Australian economy. Try combined sales of all German cars. In this country even a VW Golf is viewed as an upmarket Corolla.
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I have often wondered whether the failure of democracy is that we do not require our elected officials to be educated to degree level in the management of a large entity.
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Nick, I think you could be right, it's happening all over the world - the celebrity thing in politics. But wasn't Australian politics always 'colourful'?
One thing that takes a bit of getting used to here is the prominence that local politics gets has, it's sometimes hard to see what Kevin Rudd does - states and city governments seem to do it all. Coming from the UK I didn't even know the name of my local Mayor, I do here, he's probably building another tunnel under my house as I type. He is a celebrity - is that good? not sure.
I get the impression that all this governence costs money - Queensland government has so many offices strewn around there almost seems to be one for each of the states 3 million or so people.
No2, davidmte, what's your point? A Golf is seen as an upmarket corolla everywhere - VW must have a great advertising team. I'm surprised RR has sold so few here - the latest model is as you hint pretty 'in yer face,' would have thought that would go down well. Maybe once General Motors get around to sticking a Holden badge on some huge 4wd, then we'll have a true Oz Range Rover/Rolls Royce rival.
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Mr. Bryant, you are so last week. Since then
we yanks have progressed from a "west wing"
future to this.
Please try to keep up.
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Judging by the slim commentary on this big issue, your point is proved Mr Bryant.
5 responses in 2 days against the tidal wave of response for Aussie sports blogs is (I am sure) the exact same ratio of Foreign Affairs readers plus Economist readers against the Daily Telegraph readers.
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We are seeing a change in World Politics.
Not the common educated man,but the person whom you do not expect to enter politics is ruling us.
This is sending the world in a state of utter confusion.
This is not new.Earlier,Adolf Hitler, a soldier ruled Germany in such a way that the World could not forget it....
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Nick:
That is true; we are seeing a changed in world politics...
~Dennis Junior~
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