I have an eclectic sort of mind so I sometimes  see connections in the most unlikely news items. As such I can’t go past today’s announcement that they have definitely identified the remains of Richard III from an archaeological dig  beneath a  Leicester car park and the new speculation that Rudd may be getting close to the numbers for on final last tilt to wrestle the leadership back from Gillard.

Like the mythology of Richard III, Rudd faces a rather desperate and grim battle not only with in the ranks of his own party , but also against an ascendant opposition that is 12 points ahead in the opinion polls. While my dear friend Ray holds out some hope that Rudd may be able to swing an unlikely win at the election I tend to think that the best that Rudd could hope for may well be a slightly less chastening defeat, now if only he could possibly get someone to give him that horse…

The other news item that has had my imagination in gear has been Campbell Newman’s call for a rethink about the way that we rebuild after natural disasters . To may mind it beggars belief that we have for years rebuilt infrastructure destroyed by flood events in precisely the same place and to the same standard as that which was washed away.  The sensible and logical thing to do would be to change the sorts of things that we build and allow in the riverine flood plains upon which so many of our cities and towns are built. This speaking of good sense from Newman resonates with me and I have no doubt that it will resonate with most of my fellow Queenslanders.  It helps that we have had two flood events in rather rapid succession and that the latest one has washed away a substantial amount of the repaired infrastructure that has only recently been completed.  If only we could more easily follow the example set in Grantham where, under the otherwise woeful Bligh government the whole town was essentially moved to higher ground we might just avoid repeated flood “disasters”. Of course in a rural circumstance it is easier to do when there is both the undeveloped land and fewer people to relocate than is the case in a bigger city or town  but isn’t it more sensible to try than to put it into the “too Hard” basket and just hope that the heavens will be kind for a while? The other thing about this disaster and the central role being played by Newman in the coordination of the rebuilding efforts is that it has already banished the negative image of the Queensland premier from our news media. “Newman is governing and doing the job with drive and purpose” has replaced “Newman the sacker” in the minds of the voting public which is bound to blunt any of the so called “Newman factor” that has been been giving hope to the Labor party federally.  Which brings us back to the dire situation that vex  Labor true believers like Ray. Just what can they do in the face of the impending electoral doom? You could go into total denial like the more rabid left who are so fearful of an Abbott government that they trot out any old tat that convinces them (which is a a low bar to clear) while denying any fault or shortcoming in the Labor government. Its amusing to watch and I even had a bit of fun  pointing out the flaws in their arguments but they can’t handle  the truth   there is a sort of watching a train wreck in Slo-mo quality to the federal government at present and I am at the same time both revolted and delighted by the sound a fury of it all…

Cheers Comrades

Kevin is not a really useful engine because he spends to much time playing with troublesome trucks

Related articles

• Rudd’s support for a challenge growing (smh.com.au)
• Flood-hit Queenslanders may be moved to higher ground (abc.net.au)
• Numbers shifting back to Rudd (theage.com.au)
• Swan denies withholding disaster funds (bigpondnews.com)
• Relax, says Gillard, it’s not about Rudd (smh.com.au)
• Floods cause havoc in Qld and northern NSW (news.theage.com.au)
• Newman asks voters to plan future of Qld (bigpondnews.com)