Dear Mr Swan

Did you do as KRudd suggested and contacted your local member? I had only planned to write a few sentences asking my local member to listen to what the electorate wants and not what he/the ALP wants but it went for a bit more than a few sentences.

You may not agree with the actions of Kevin, or the actions of Julia or the actions of the ALP as a whole but there is two things that the federal politicians need to do and that is 1) stop acting like a bunch of bitchy year 9 girls and 2) start actually listening to what the Australian public says and wants.

I ended up writing close to 1000 words to my local member with my responses and ideas on the above two points. My local member is someone who used to be colloquially known as Swanny round these parts but after his this last week he has lost the nickname, he is simply Mr Wayne Swan now.

I made comments about why I’ve voted for him since I was old enough to vote, why I’m glad that my father is dead and hasn’t had to observe the mess of the last week and to a certain extent the last 20 odd months (he used to be at QIT with Mr Swan and spoke with regard for him, pretty sure his ashes are rolling over in their grave right about now), about honesty and the fact that no one is perfect so stop acting like some people are and others are not. As well as a few other points about the whole idea of acting for the entire Australian public and not just a small minority.

One sentence though I do want to share with you is the following.

To put it frankly “the light on the hill” is blinking like a fluro that needs the starter replaced and if you, your parliamentary colleagues and the wheels of the ALP don’t start listening to the voice of the Australian public today, “the light on the hill” will be knocked down and replaced with a glowing effigy of John Howard.

That’s probably my favourite sentence in my letter to Mr Swan. “The light on the hill”, that speech by Chifley was a great speech, full of ideas and the like and it’s given us a lovely little phrase to use about the ALP in relation to the Australian worker/public ever since.

I would like to think that irrespective of what happens tomorrow that come Tuesday they will be back to running the country and acting as a unified party but somehow I just can’t see that happening with ease.

In the next few days we will return our normal programming which consists of photographs, food and treasures of my life.