AWB continues to feed fantasies

A lot of Labor supporters and assorted Howard haters are depending on the Cole Commission to bring about the decline of the Howard Government. I’m sure Caroline Overington fantasizes about basking under the warm glow of public ovation as she steps up to centre stage to receive a Walkley Award while ‘Tricky” Rudd, in his dreams, struts the world stage as Foreign Minister of the new government. Caroline Overington’s latest expose crashes from a leader of “Cole orders Downer to reveal all” to senior counsel, John Agius SC quoted as “We have written to them and asked them for statements,” he said. “If I need to call them, I will” in three short paragraphs. The Australian editorial asks alot of questions but the public are wearying and are starting to ask whether Canberra can get on with governing the country rather than spend a lot of energy looking for someone to hang over the AWB doing what it was charged with doing – selling wheat. I’ve seldom witnessed such a storm over an inquiry before the findings are published. The bizarre episode this week where it was revealed that Howard and Cole shared the same Alma Mater and had both been present at a reunion is just an indication of how desparate the anti-conservative groups are. They can’t get within cooee of the government on things that matter like fiscal management, interest rates,unemployment or defence and yet they pontificate about “fees” when the whole counry knows, or should know, that corporations and businesses have done the same thing under Labor governments. As a general bench mark, if the ABC and the SBS are heavily into a subject then the general public aren’t; likewise, if the readership and comments on Lavartus Prodeo are going beserk over a subject then you can bet all the dollars paid in “fees” that the public’s attention is elsewhere. I’ll pass soon. The inquiry will finish, Cole will make a submission and if there are steps to be taken then that will happen. In the meantime, it’s all wishfull thinking. The hardest aspect to call is listing every player’s agenda. Some, like the ALP, simply want the keys to the treasury, I presume the Australian wants Downer out of the picture; The US Wheat farmers want more trade and the local wheat farmers are split between wanting a single desk sales mechanism or their own personal interest sales mechanism in place. Interesting theatre but I’m waiting for the final act. I think several players and organizations are going to be dissapointed – at least I hope they are.