Questions about submarines

Many questions appear to remain unasked, let alone answered. Why did this person wait until after the selection process was over to make the leak public? Why sit on it for years? Is it true he was paid for supporting the German bid through the tender process? Why has everyone gone quiet, including the Opposition? Is it hilarious that Senator Xenophon is calling for an inquiry? Why is there such an effort to pretend the leak doesn't matter? Is it all too embarrassing for everyone?

Is the plan to dump this sub design in a few years time and go nuclear, or to dump the French completely and get back to the Japanese who by then will have something to sell?

And then there are the old questions. Why is the sub we have demanded so absurdly big? If it is so we can wander the northern Pacific as an add-on for the US Navy let's say so. Do we really think the Chinese have failed to notice? And if that is what the subs are for then what about our own region? Are we now convinced we will have no local problems for the next forty years? It will be interesting to compare the upcoming white paper on Foreign Policy with our defence priorities.

But perhaps the question that will interest journalists concerns Ministerial responsibility. Who is going to take the heat for this mess when all the questions are finally addressed. Defence Minister Senator Paine doesn't seem to be responsible for anything. Defence Industry Minister Pine is new to the job. Turnbull's lack of subservience to the US will probably be used against him by the usual suspects but the origin of the mess goes back to Abbott's time.

And what of Bill Shorten and his Defence shadow minister Richard Marles? Are they too busy saving slippery Sam to worry about holding the Government to account?

So many questions. So little effort to provide answers.