The last few days must have John Howard and Kevin Rudd wishing, praying, that their charges would stop having moments of madness.
Tony Abbott, Minister for Health, has been called "the mad monk". His madness erupted this week, with public abuse of Bernie Banton for (trying to) deliver a petition for PBS support for a drug to treat asbestos-related illness. Mr Banton will die from such an illness, and campaigned with unions to get compensatin from James Hardie.
Then there was the the debacle at Mersey Hospital: the Federal Government was supposed to take control, but somebody forgot to arrange for federal supervision of state doctors, and to solve the problem of not using "Workchoices" on the new emeployees. Workchoices is a particularly sensitive area for the government, and it is desperate to retain seats in Tasmania.
Then, in Victoria with Prime Minister Howard for a "policy launch". John Howard was having such a good time he kept Tony Abbott waiting to return to Canberra for a televised debate with Labor Health spokeswoman, Nicola Roxton. He was overheard saying "that's bullshit" to Roxton's taunt that he could have been on time.
All he could do was "grin and bear it" - and apologise ... often.
Today, a radio shock jock reported Labor's Peter Garrett saying to him that, if elected, Labor would "change everything" - presumably its promises and policies. And the Liberal Party wants to (as a Federal Government) take over Grafton Hospital. They haven't yet solved the (Workchoices) problems at Mersey Hospital.
Madness ... sheer madness!
John
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