Carnival Barkers

It really wouldn't matter that our politics had degenerated into a "sideshow with carnival barkers" - if our actual politicians had some friggin balls, some integrity and some courage.

Both President Obama and ex Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner have been talking about these things quite a bit over the past 24 hours. Both complain about the fact that our media is dysfunctional and they say it abuses its position in our society.

Yes it does - So what?

Our mainstream media is an abomination. I watched Leigh Sales interview Lindsay Tanner the other night on 7:30 and I quickly realised that there is a major disconnect. He thinks our media is a crock. But she thinks that she is competent in her job. It's actually more of a generational gap than anything else. With a huge knowledge gap on the media side.

I don't like Leigh Sales - in the same way that I don't like a lot of ABC talking heads - they are doing a job that is very influential but they are simply not properly equipped. Because they just don't know very much. Asking an ABC presenter to interview competently is a bit like asking an electrician to do brain surgery. Or a plumber to do bowel surgery. It simply ain't possible Virginia.

In the same way that our teachers should spend a lifetime in the real world before they are entrusted with looking after the ideas of our children - then our political reporters should spend time in the rough and tumble of the parliament before they make political judgements.

And the press gallery doesn't count.

But these things would matter a lot less if we had politicians with the attributes that I mentioned in my first sentence. We don't because we have ended up with a bunch of time-serving lightweights in the parliament who are simply not suited to the job.

My question is - "So where to from here"?