There are certainly times when you get something and it turns out to be rather more toxic than you thought it would be as I am sure the Labor MPs have been discovering of late.

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This morning they will be beginning a new week with the knowledge that they are even more on the nose with the electorate than they were before. They may try to take comfort from the continuing popularity of Malcolm Turnbull but that is very small beer indeed compared to the disarray that Labor finds itself in at present. With the Carbon tax top of the list of things people hate about Labor a sensible PM would just admit that it ain’t going to fly with the people and drop the bloody thing calling the bluff of the independents and the loopy Greens because it just has to be better for brand Labor to demonstrate that it still has its balls rather than continue dancing to their tune just to stay in the lodge.

Lets face it The Greens and Andrew Wilkie have to realise that if they bring down Gillard that their influence of government will be over and they will not get any opportunity  to influence government for a very long time indeed, they will have killed the Labor party stone dead by insisting that they introduce a Carbon tax. Speaking of which has anybody noticed that Poor old Greg Combet is looking rather haggard of late? He has been given the task of selling the detested Carbon Tax and his funereal demeanour says it all, he is like a bacon seller in a mosque, and he knows it.

The one bright spot for the  government is that the idea of limiting the amount of money that gamblers can throw down the ever hungry maw of poker machines is overwhelmingly popular, heck even I think that the Pokies are evil and I am proud to say that I have never wasted a single cent playing those vile machines, That said I wonder if the Wilkie scheme will actually achieve its aim and think that there is merit in the suggestion that there be some real world testing (as suggested on the Insiders ) in a few towns to see if the technology works and it has any impact on the way that people use the machines. Sadly the truly problem gamblers, like any addict, will find a way to gamble no matter what barriers are put in place to discourage them. Personally I think a far better solution to problem gamblers is to create disincentives for  the owners of the machines who so love the poor deluded gambling  fools. Things like making the recovery of money stolen and gambled away easier (or even just possible ) would be a very good start. How many times have we read about people who steal to sustain a gambling habit?  Just why gambling venues can not be made to return stolen money has always perplexed me. After-all any other sort of stolen property can be recovered and its recipients charged with receiving stolen goods so why can’t that be the case when a gambler steals to gamble? The result would have to be club  owners being more vigilant for those who are obviously betting beyond their means  and creating a sort of self regulation. Wilkie may be acting from the best intentions here but I just don’t think that his solution will do that much about what is a terrible problem.

Cheers Comrades