Saturday, May 14, 2011

So long Stanners

Jon Stanhope stepped down as Chief Minister.

Now most politicians seem terribly flawed. A great fat combination of bloviated self-importance that is just so delish when it explodes leaving a saggy, rubbery husk when they fuck up even beyond recovery.

Stanners wasn't one of these people. As Chief Minister he was a decent, caring man who performed outreach beyond what was expected. He lacked any pretension even when he deserved to lay some pride beats down. He did not suckle at the teat of News Ltd. Indeed their cacophony of shrill disconnected corporate print whores shrilling decried Stanhope any chance they got and roundly mocked Canberra as a chilly place of roundabouts and the only semi decent Asian tucker you could get was if you went down to Manuka during the sitting schedule.

Stanhope took knocks on principle. When Howard was running around like Chicken Little demanding the power to look up the eye-hole of a penis of any suspect whether or not they had anything to do with anything Stanhope said no, the ACT wasn't going to allow search powers like that. He fought for the right to have gays receive equal marital recognition even when the Federal party, still festooned with tatt knuckle covered rusted on trade union members that will cling to their dated concept of society until dead in the cold, cold grave, refused to change the rules to allow it. He championed then built a correction centre based more on rehabilitation instead of punishment, despite pretentious bogans in nearby Jerra, in another state mind, whining that a prison within 20 kays of their plush semi-gated estate of narrow eaved monstrosities would somehow lower property values.

In short, he was a dude. And when I had moments where I disliked intensely what the Federal party does I was always reminded that I am a ACT ALP member and that we have had the most progressive, decent government in State or Territory political history.

I for one am sad to see him go. Though I thank him for his time on deck and the decency he showed. I also thank him for telling News Limited and Channel Nine on those occasions they attempted to monster him to fuck off.

1 comment:

  1. I liked Stanhope too. Awesome dude. Seems like all I heard in the few days after he announced his plan to step down was whining about the GDE and public art. I mean, seriously?


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