Margo's happy again - sort of

Oh joy. Margo'’s coming out of her depression.

"“I sat in Judi Moylan'’s office on Tuesday reading a few of the 3,000 emails she'’s got from Australians since she became the public face of the Liberal rebel'’s plan to civilise our mandatory detention regime"

I wouldn'’t let it be too widely known that prime contender for the nation'’s most emotionally over-wrought journalist/commentators is starting to hang around the office, Judi.

"“As democracy cracks from side to side, interesting things are starting to happen."”

Hmm, not sure what that even means. Is it a good thing or bad?

"“OK, our government won'’t hold respectable open inquires any more, even into scandals like the kidnapping and deportation of an Australian citizen, and the 11 month incarceration and scandalous neglect -– perhaps even physical and sexual abuse - of a mentally ill Australian permanent resident."”

Kidnapping? Perhaps sexual abuse. Let Margo add some drama to the already cracking democracy, shall we?

"“Well, who needs the government, if that'’s their attitude."

Margo and cohorts are setting up the Nation of Margopia?

"“Don'’t get depressed at how powerless you are. Have a look around and work out how you too can defend your democracy. It'’s fun, and it'’s scary for those political “representatives” and business leaders who think they'’ve won their fight to crush our right to know what they'’re really doing for themselves at the expense of us and our future."”

Uhuh. Yes, I know Howard and Big Business gloat all the time over their brandies at the club about how they have crushed all knowledge of the stuff they are currently being pursued over by Margo'’s pack.

"“You can bet Howard and his heavies will try to destroy the careers of Moylan and her fellow rebels. So how about those of you who live where they do joining the local Liberal Party branches to keep them in politics?"

Margo approves branch stacking when it for members she approves of.

"“Anything is possible."

Except Margo writing a cool-headed rational commentary on the Howard government.

" We'’re only powerless if we think we are. And that'’s exactly what the destroyers of our democracy want us to think."”

Do the phrases "“straw man argument"” and "“conspiracy paranoia"” mean anything to Margo?

Democracy is working exactly as it can and should over this whole migration policy stuff, and in fact, I have also long thought that certain aspects of immigration policy were too tough and should be modified.

Margo, go and do and your stuff; it doesn'’t bother me at all to have such a healthy robust democracy demonstrated in part by the fact that you are not in jail, a gulag or even a readjustment camp for the perpetually outraged. But please, for the sake of any borderline credibility as a political commentator, stop trying to paint this (and the re-election of the Howard government generally,) as a dire threat to democracy.