Toadying Lickspittles

Hi Zeitgeisters,

This is not a political blog. Astute readers will have surmised I'm a bit of a lefty, but this blog is about pop culture and personal observations. So just a brief detour today, promise.

Note my lovely photo-shopped image of Australian Prime Minister John Howard. He has been in the news over the last two days because the media have a whiff of a Federal Liberal leadership challenge. The Treasurer Peter Costello believes he had made a deal with the PM for a "smooth transition" and that it is time for the PM to make good. Fine. Whatever.

Sure, the sense of entitlement in this set-up leaves me a little queasy, but nothing produced an outright sense of nausea until today.

This event occurred outside the PM's place. He was returning from his daily walk and a couple of people had turned up to display a banner that said something like: We "Heart" John Howard. One of these folks even shouted "John Howard Forever" in support of the PM.

While it is this man's absolute democratic right to say this in public, I am left with the question, "What kind of d__khead shouts their support for the incumbent leader of the government?" Why would anyone in any democratic state do this unless unusual circumstances warranted it?

And by unusual, I mean something along these lines: there's an Earthquake; a recession; vicious extraterrestrials arrive and begin draining the populace of vital fluids...but then, with brilliant stewardship, leadership and administrative know-how, the Leader saves us all!

Then a banner would be the least we could do.

But short of this, why do some people insist on extraordinary support for politicians? Our elected representatives are people who have successfully pursued, and now excercise power and whose big salaries come from our taxes. They already have what they want.

Seriously, why encourage these f__kers?

Mr Trivia