Filed under: Government and services, Politicians | Tags: Nathan Rees, NSW Labor Government
Responses by readers of the Sydney Morning Herald to reports of in-fighting in the NSW Labor Government:
John Greenland (Letters, January 29) says, in relation to the apparently insolvent health system, that “this is the Government, for goodness sake, not some shonky fly-by-night outfit”.
I’m afraid, John, that it is far worse; it is a shonky fly-by-four-year outfit.
Henry Hirschhorn Ballina
Nathan Rees would not want to be admitted to a NSW hospital to have the knives removed from his back as they would not have any morphine to ease his pain.
Patsy Lloyd Cromer
“Is it true that Baz Luhrmann is working on a horror flick called New South Wales?”
John Blackhawk Umina Beach, letter to the SMH.
“The working man carries the country but they screw us. We have to pay fees and charges everywhere just to make a living. They’re sticking it up us every day.”
Bricklayer Denis Dalbon expresses his view of the Mini-Budget.
“JACK Lang may have been a loopy socialist but at least he didn’t have to sack half his cabinet for being useless, corrupt or criminal.
Nine ministers sacked in two years would have to be some sort of world record.On any normal reckoning of statistics like these, the NSW Labor Government should have lost its right to govern, if not constitutionally, then by ethical necessity. After Tuesday’s disastrous Budget, there is little doubt they no longer desire to govern and have gone completely, barking mad. “
Several Daily Telegraph readers express strong feelings about the state of New South Wales and its beleaguered Labor government in today’s paper. “There is no doubt that the NSW government is a shot duck at the next election and deservedly so,” writes Greg Ryan of Maroubra. Other contributors argue that the electorate only have themselves to blame.
“It’s hard to have any sympathy for the voters of NSW because they re-elected a government which was obviously the worst in NSW history,” writes Mick Whybrow of Birkdale in Queensland, while Jennie Morris of Wollongong echoes his sentiments: “The people of NSW have had 13 years in which to sack an increasingly incompetent Labor Goverment but have instead chosen to believe the spin doctors who appealed to their hip pockets.”
Bruce of Hornsby is cynical about the possibility of change:
“Let’s put Barry O’Farrell into office right away – we will all have a seat on the train, we will all have a space on the road, we will all have a bed in hospital and somewhere for our kids to be educated. Dream away Australia – if you want to live in Utopia then you have to pay more taxes.”
Tom Daily of Green Point argues that there is a strategy behind the State Government’s plan to cut funding to road upgrades: “By cutting funding on the Pacific Highway upgrade, the brilliant minds are planning to slow down the exodus of those anxious to move to Queensland.”
Three letters from SMH readers on the state of the NSW government:
Yesterday’s Moir cartoon is wrong on so many counts. The clown is way over-qualified for a job in state cabinet. He brought his suitcase, which implies he intends staying for a while. The clerk refers to “a possible vacancy”, when in fact there are many immediate vacancies. However, it did have one redeeming feature: it was very funny.
Max Perry Maroubra
The clown should forget about the suggestion from the man behind the desk. My advice is to stick to the real circus and at the end of your career retire graciously. The last thing you need on your résumé is “former cabinet minister, NSW Government”.
Allan Gibson Cherrybrook
The state flag flying on the western arch of the Harbour Bridge is indicative of the state of NSW – it is in tatters.
James Merrington McMahons Point
“Arrogance, narrow-mindedness and ignorance share the same head space, and NSW Labor is loaded with them. How sad that the light on the hill has been overwhelmed by the narrow darkness of the tunnel.”
SMH reader Alph Williams.
Paul Daley on the NSW government which, he says, can also be likened to lipstick on a pig. With the photograph of the new cabinet splashed across the papers, Labor spin doctors were trying to fool voters:
“What they were saying was: forget about the fact that the joint is broke, that the trains don’t run and the hospital system is groaning. That was the old team and we’re the new team. Even though half of the old team is still on the side.”
A collection of thoughts on the NSW government:
“Come on all you doubters, what could possibly go wrong? We have Sergeant Schultz (“I heard nothing; I saw nothing”) running the State, we have the Invisible Man running the Treasury, Constable Plod has Transport, Rambo has Health and Tinkerbell is in charge of Education. As I said, what could possibly go wrong?”
Sunday Telegraph reader J Forwood of Medowie. In the same paper, David J. Syme of Mollymook writes:
“If our new Premier (what’s his name) wants to make a fist of running what’s left of this once-great state, he should stay away from things politicians don’t understand – such as working for a living – and concentrate on what they are all good at: blinding us with science and baffling us with bullshit.”
“What a train wreck this State Government is. It’s the worst government in state history, that’s 154 years. And remember you people from Newcastle. You voted them in.”
So writes Telegraph reader Gary Pierpoint of Dubbo. Sun-Herald reader Phil Herd of Kangaloon has a slightly different perspective on who’s to blame:
“NSW may have the worst Government in Australia but one of the reasons for that is it also has the worst Opposition.”
Some Daily Telegraph readers voted Labor. Peter J of Cowan is definitely not one of them. He writes:
“This seems harsh, and it it were anyone other than an extremely well paid public figure, I would not support it., But thos ecommentators who do not understand why this paur seem to be the lightning rod for so much public anger are just out of touch with all the depth of ill-feeling in the community towards the useless, stinking NSW Labor Government.”
