A song for Julia Gillard

Why the current government allowed itself to be shanghied by the opposition's humanly and intellectually incoherent stance on refugees arriving by boat is a question that defies all explanation.  The finding from the High Court last week simply underlines the arid worldview that has led the Prime Minister to defy even her own party's policy platform, which clearly favors onshore administration of asylum claims.

So far, the best moment in the rather breathless slather of press coverage was Tony Abbott offering to help the government legislate the Opposition's policy into place.  If you ever needed proof that the Liberals are being led by a complete stranger to the world of reality (as commonly accepted), there you have it.  Attempting to enact party policy in a permanent way when out of government is quite bold, even if the government has ended up capitulating to it anyway.

It's all a bit baffling, like the plot of an opera buffa or a court maske.  Which leads me to a musical free association that occurred to me while walking down the street today.

Nobody knows precisely why Dido fades out in Purcell's magnificent opera, although she does it with undeniable style.  In the modern setting, she'd probably find another boy to get infatuated with and carry on carrying on while carping about the iniquities of the male race.  Or, maybe, as a head of government (Queen of Carthage, after all!) she'd work on social policy and get hefty on border protection while wafting rhetorical nothings about people who set their alarm clocks in order to be up and ready for work three hours before they go to bed.

Anyhow, here's the result of my free association game from this afternoon.