The gift that keeps on giving

A few months ago when some wily public servant leaked a confidential State budget document outlining potential savings measures, the cynics suggested that said leak was a clever “spin” tactic by the Rann Government. While this may have made some sense in the short term, a Government will never benefit from the public disclosure of such an extensive and explicit costing document, especially in the context of a “horror budget” scenario. The Opposition, by having access to said document, is able to highlight any perceived extravagance that was spared the knife, and contrast it to any number of harsh measures implemented in the previous budget. Even the laziest opposition can do a Mary Poppins and thrust their arm into this bag of tricks and pull out a scandal. The current Puglia debacle engulfing the Premier is an example of such a scandal.

At the outset, let me say that I have no idea how beneficial the Puglia-South Australia trade relationship will be. One thing I can say, however, is no electorate will take kindly to being treated as second fiddle to a bunch of “outsiders”. Why should our taxes be spent on the abstract doodles of some I-talian when you are making me redundant? The Premier has always been a fan of his high-profile “gimmick” policies, such as bro-mance with Lance Armstrong. In a comfortable budgetary environment, such indulgences can be tolerated. As public sector unions quietly sharpen their daggers in darkened rooms, however, publicly funded ego stroking is not on. When you add the ingredients of improper motives to the pot, you have one spicy meatball.

The two biggest scandals to have stricken Mike Rann during his term in office have involved his sexual partners, alleged or otherwise. The factor that transforms the Puglia affair from standard Government wastage to high blown scandal is the fact that the Premier’s wife hails from the region. While I sincerely doubt that Rann was operating under any improper motives, the political judgment made in this policy initiative calls into question whether he has completely lost touch with the community he professes to serve. This will be the question that the faceless men within the party are asking.

Internal ALP figures are undoubtedly united in the view that Rann will not be the leader taking the party to the polls in 2014. The question about who will replace him has been fertile grounds for discussion in this blog in the past and can be summarized by the following; nobody knows and we’d prefer not to think about it for now. They would prefer put off this decision for a year or so, but the current Puglia affair may accelerate their thinking. The Right knows that they won’t support Weatherill. By adopting this stance, the faction is following in the foot steps of the NSW Right, who bypassed the obvious successor (in the public’s mind) and installed Iemma. If this action is taken, it will ensure that the anointed will be saddled with the baggage of their ascension from day 1. This is only the beginning of their problems.

In an environment where there is no clear successor (or the clear successor is ignored), the anointed leader will be bedeviled by a caucus and/or cabinet room rife with ambition. By promoting mediocrity, you encourage the mediocre. For example, if the Right appoints John Rau as leader, any number of cabinet members would feel that they are equally as capable. Ensuring unity and loyalty will be difficult, especially if the new leader is struggling. Loyalty from Weatherill can only be achieved by appeasing him with a deputy position, which places him one step away from the throne. The complexity of life after Rann is the very reason why the faceless men don’t want to act yet. Continuing to allow Mike to rot from the end of a rope tethered to the lamp post, however, may cause such a stench that even the freshest smelling leader won’t be able to clear the air.