I had hoped to take Dani to Darwin in the Northern Territory (NT) next month when his end of term 3 holidays start. That is where he wanted to go. That will not be happening now.
NT Elections
They have just had state elections in NT. The biggest party there (Labour as it happens, but they are all garbage) increased its vote and will now rule for four years with an outright majority.
it seems that the party had hijacked the ‘pandemic card’ and instead of making loads of empty promises about all sorts of policies and agendas, the made just one (or is it two?) promise – ‘Life or Death’. Yes. The Labour party leader Michael Gunner actually said that. He made the election all about this bloody coronavirus saying that if he is elected (again) he will keep other Australians out of NT. These people make me sick. This bloke is a megalomaniac, but unfortunately the constant scaremongering has led to people falling for his bullshit.
It’s a common problem…
He even had the audacity to claim he was fighting for their lives but also for their jobs. Well as tourism is a main industry up there how the hell is that going to work? If this “pandemic” is so serious then why isn’t it being dealt with on a nationwide basis? What would people like this Gunner idiot say if, during the second world war the rest of Australia said “Ah, just let the Japanese invade NT. They can have it”?
Well I suppose this is (part of) the problem with the state based political system. It is similar in the UK with England, Wales and Scotland doing slightly different things. Same in Spain with the “regions” like Andalucia and Catalonia etc… Yet I thought this virus was the same in all those places. Odd that eh? Maybe it mutates when crossing borders? Don’t be surprised to hear something equally as stupid any time soon…
NSW it is then…
And so I will have to start looking around for other places to visit. Probably only in New South Wales. It turns out that all states have closed their borders. What a bunch of muppets!
I guess that’s the flip side of having places to yourself locally. The same stupid virus restrictions mean that you cannot venture too far away. I fear nothing will change until early November (at the very earliest) when the US election takes place. Love him or hate him, there seems to be only one leader of the (no longer free) Western world who will stand up to this nonsense. We shall see…
In any case there seem to be some interesting options in the state of New South Wales. I just need to plan and book…
State Leaders without Accountability
The (very) bad news for NT is that they have just elected a state government with no real plan and without a single significant funding commitment or policy promise to keep. Instead, they only have to be seen to be trying to keep their one and only pledge/slogan – ‘saving lives and jobs’. It may sound like a noble cause but it is so vague and superficial it is impossible to measure their success (or otherwise).
The virus has gone anyway and any so called “2nd wave” can be brushed under the carpet as it will be minor. They can claim to have been a great success. And probably will. Basically with no real set of policies and pledges to keep, it makes it hard for the opposition (who will be equally as shit anyway) to hold them to account. What can they gauge anything by? NT state leaders now have zero accountability. That’s just crazy.
These idiots are talking abut keeping the borders closed for eighteen months. Bloody fools. But of course they are just lying again. They are simply doing everything they can to drag this charade out until November…