Lessons learned

Last Friday as I was making the 230KM drive back to Perth I stopped at Bunbury for some lunch and a refill of petrol. The petrol station at the main shopping centre complex was reasonably priced but absolutely chaotic. All the bays were full and I had to wait in one of them but which one?

Option A: Grandpa filling up an old Holden (looked to my untrained eye like a 60's car). Definitely a V8.

Option B: Young guy filling up a tiny Ford Festiva.

No brainer. I pull in behind the young guy.

Sure enough a few minutes later the young guy finishes filling his car and I smugly look over at the person waiting behind the Holden to my left. Yep, pays to have brains around here I thought. It's getting hot waiting out here in the sun and I'm keen to get moving.

Then the unexpected. The Festiva owner proceeds to open the hatchback and pull out 4 giant drums out of his tiny boot. My jaw drops and I scramble to find my keys, turning around in horror to see that I am hemmed in by about 7 cars behind me.

I scream but no-one hears and no-one cares.

15 minutes later when the Festiva drives off I remember that it's dangerous to go with conventional wisdom.

Tzarkoth posted in comments yesterday:

Jonny will win again, hand over to Costello and then they will lose.

This is conventional wisdom - but I'm not conventional anymore and the longer time goes on the more unlikely I think this scenario will be. Don't write off Malcom Turnball just yet.

Looking Back, Looking Forward

Two years ago (Thursday, October 07, 2004) I wrote on this blog:

Been listening to Philip Adams tonight. He's actually conducted a reasonable and relatively unbiased interview. Quite impressive really.

The subject of his questioning is Kevin Rudd, Rudd is someone that I like. Let's hope Latham loses on Saturday and opens an opportunity for Rudd to take over.

Put Rudd in charge and they might even be able to convert me to the darkside. He could make a great Prime-Minister. I respect the way he thinks before he talks.

(Put Julia in as deputy and I'm sold)

How prescient.

While my Dad thinks of Rudd as a smarmy gitt I applaud the ALP on their change of leader. Beazley's capitulation to the anti-war intellectually bankrupt populist crowd meant I could not treat him as a serious alternative prime minister (next election I'm a one issue voter - do they get the war right?).

Rudd (to my knowledge) has not made any foolish proclamations. He has always appeared to me to be a sensible guy and I'm happy to once again be offered a reasonable choice.

The last election was a joke. Latham was not a serious candidate for prime minister and all the lemmings who voted for him simply out of blind hatred for Howard will forever hide their secret shame.

The next election is shaping up as a true contest and I think this can only be good for our democracy. I look forward to hearing their respective platforms. Bring on 2007.