A friend pointed me towards a political blog called Desert Rat and told me who the author is.
The Desert Rat doesn’t identify himself on the web site; just gives this description: “The inside-out on politics: politicians, political parties and policies in Western Australia from an outsider – once on the inside.”
The gentleman obviously doesn’t wish to reveal himself, possibly for legal reasons, and I’m not going to blow his cover. The content is too good to risk having the site shut down.
I’ve met the Desert Rat and was impressed by him. He’s well connected and has a deep knowledge of Western Australian life, society, industry and politics.
He’s obviously no fan of Premier Alan Carpenter or Attorney-General Jim McGinty.
It’s a shame that people like him have been squeezed out of mainstream politics. All political parties benefit from internal diversity and should aim to keep people with contrary views inside the tent.
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A deep knowledge of Western Australian life, society, industry and politics perhaps, but a poor knowledge of Franz Kafka, whose main themes were alienation and madness, rather than power and authoritarianism.
In fact if anything is Kafka-esque, it’s Desert Rat’s own alienation (from the ALP, very obviously) and subsequent madness. Are you sure you’d want this man in a political party? You don’t think he’s maybe just a fraction too bitter and institutionalised? It’s good to have politicians with diverse views. It’s better to have people who are open and flexible, and can listen to those views. I think the ALP has both.
And I will add, by way of disclaimer: I love Alan Carpenter and I’m a big fan of Jim McGinty – I loved him too until he cut off his mullet and sideburns.