The morning after the democracy sausage sizzle

Vietnam was Menzies' playground. Against American advice he announced the sending of fighting soldiers to Vietnam, without any request having been made by the President of Vietnam. In his grand vision he would thus win America's commitment to Australia's national security against the Red Menace, the smarter younger brother of the Yellow Peril. Sadly, we now have thousands of PTSD Viet Vets among us, mostly unseen.

AUKUS looked like Morrison's snake oil bid for a second miracle. Hopefully no South China Sea PTSD vets from this grand delusion.

Tragically, the Greens and the Teals suffer from delusions as well. They failed to recognise that their unprecedented success in 2022 had much to do with the ugliness and hollowness of Morrison's reign rather than anything else. Thus in 2025 they made heroic efforts to increase their numbers by doing more of the same.

They failed, but survived the day: the Teals to face the hangman's noose in 2028; the Greens to face the ghost of Don Chipp's Democrats.

The passing of "Donfather's Law" and the "salmon corporations protection law", rushed through at the 11^th hour by the two colluding Parties should have dispelled their reverie. The first Act will legally strangle the Teals in 2028; the second made clear that both Labor and Liberals are in fear of offending corporations reaping millions from our economy - salmon, coal, gas, critical minerals, et cetera.

To be blunt, what the Teals and Greens have achieved is akin to renovating the interior of an old heritage mansion, while leaving the rotting foundations untouched.

Had they spearheaded Proportional Representation in their campaign to fix the rotted foundations of our two-Party-Preferred electoral system, as a priority, they might have attracted enough new converts to prevent the loss of Adam Bandt and Zoe Daniel.

There is no certainty in that. But Proportional Representation is the best insurance we have against the winning-is-everything mentality. Two or three parties sitting at the high table of minority governments should see to that. It has worked in New Zealand for 30 years.

I am hopeful.

Malcolm Turnbull's assessment in his memoirs of Peter Dutton as a national leader is now vindicated. Given the state of the Liberal Party, Malcolm might create a new genuinely liberal Party that commits to legislating Proportional Representation at first opportunity and to reforming the monarchic war powers still vested in the Prime Minister. No more election winning with lies; no more Vietnam or Iraq to prolong the life of the reigning gang; no more war-mongering that bleeds our treasury to appease the foreign big brothers still dreaming about stewarding a re-birth of China.

After all, it was Malcolm who democratised the gang-ensconcing Senate voting system, making it hassle-free and easy to vote for individual candidates listed Below-The-Line on the Senate ballot paper.

Amen.