The Rules: Glass Houses of Representatives

The world barely blinked when we changed prime ministers late last June.  But now that there's an election campaign on, the world outside Australia has started to notice things are happening here.

So far, the moments that have been the most noticed internationally have been...

Some poor muppet who didn't know what his own party's policies were even though he was holding them in his hand.

A candidate for the loony right One Nation party being compared to Sarah Palin.  This is most unfair.  Even Sarah Palin isn't so stupid as to think Islam is a country or that Jews follow Jesus.

And Tony Abbott's suppository.


Many may point out that this is nothing by trivia and a distraction from the real issues.  And they would be absolutely right.  But a trivial and distracted world is watching.

Australia, it's time to stop laughing at the United States.

Back around the time the offensive menu story broke, one of my US correspondents remarked to me that Australian politics had become even uglier than the US.  He was right.  Now we're pulling ahead of them in the idiot stakes as well.

I know Australia likes to punch above its weight and beat the rest of the world, but could we let somebody else win this one?  Please?