Bronwyn Bishop: favouritism is the one thing hated and never forgiven in Australian culture.
Assembly after assembly at school we sang the school hymn Play the Game and I sang it with full belief, absolute trust. And then, commencing my forth year in junior school, I saw a lot of new kids arrive who attended outer suburban churches of the school’s denomination and a lot of them were wearing the colours of house leaders and one was a house captain; I couldn’t understand it, they hadn’t earned the stripes on their jacket pockets. And then I noticed kids whose parents networked with teachers did better and got positions, and I wasn’t very nice to some of those kids: call it envy and jealousy, but I saw if as hating favouritism, that they weren’t Playing the Game, and I became cynical.
Cynical is what the community is towards politicians and the one thing the community hates is politicians with their noses deep in the trough doing the wrong thing, not living by the spirit of public service – not serving the community – who state they are working within the rules (but not the rules of ethical, moral, decency).
The same goes for union leaders and bureaucratic public servants- including those commissioners who are paid to judge others.
Abbott needs to put Bishop somewhere where he can save face, even if it is to continue to indulge herself, be it a position overseas, maybe with a silly title, Baroness Bishop, whatever. To the public she is just a joke anyway.
Clear the decks, Tony; there’s a bigger game to win.
John Dobinson, Balwyn North, Vic.
