Anthony Albanese, a Johnny-come-lately in the extreme, declared his idiotic support for a Palestinian state just moments before Trump’s negotiations with Israel, Qatar, Hamas, and who knows who else concluded in the peace the leftist’s wanted until it happened.
It’s clear that our Prime Minister is a nuisance.
According to a close mate in Gunning, Albo should henceforth be known as the ‘Man of Lead’. Here’s why the metallurgical metaphor is so apt.
In the annals of Australian political leadership, metallurgical metaphors have often captured the essence of a prime minister’s mettle.
John Howard, dubbed the ‘Man of Steel’ by George W. Bush, embodied unyielding resolve. His leadership from 1996 to 2007 weathered economic reforms, gun control battles, and the post-9/11 world with a steely pragmatism that bent adversaries but never broke.
Howard’s Coalition government forged ahead with the GST implementation and the Iraq War controversies and emerged stronger. Much like tempered steel, Howard was resilient and reliable, having been forged in the fires of public scrutiny.
Then came Scott Morrison. For all his annoying faults, the 45th version of President Trump upgraded Scott Morrison, effectively the architect of the Aukus treaty, to the ‘Man of Titanium’.
Lighter yet tougher than steel, titanium symbolises Morrison’s adaptive strength from 2018 to 2022. He navigated the treacherous waters of internal party coups, the Black Summer bushfires, and the Covid pandemic with a blend of innovation and endurance. We may not be happy with his aftermath, but Morrison certainly was pragmatic in how he led a divided nation.
Ultimately, Morrison’s Aukus pact showcased a leader who could adapt under pressure without fracturing and also a leader who, despite their popularity issues, had a bit of steel in their spine.
Critics decried Morrison’s marketing flair as superficial, but titanium doesn’t rust and it can endure extreme conditions. Much like ScoMo’s ability to hold the Coalition together against Labor’s onslaught, he delivered electoral victories in 2019 despite dire polls.
His was a modern alloy. Strong, versatile, and resistant to corrosion from media storms.
Anthony Albanese, however, the current Prime Minister, will be remembered as the ‘Man of Lead.’
This isn’t a compliment.
Lead is a dead weight, dragging down progress with its burdensome density. Its primary use is for sinkers.
Since taking office in 2022, Albo’s leadership has felt like lugging a heavy anchor through economic headwinds. Inflation bites, housing crises fester, and energy transitions stall.
Yet his government plods along, encumbered by indecision and policy flip-flops. For example, the Voice to Parliament referendum was so poorly executed, it has left Indigenous reconciliation heavier than ever.
Lead folds any way you want and it is malleable to the point of weakness.
Albanese’s administration bends to union pressures, environmental lobbies, and international whims, reshaping itself without core conviction.
As the Prime Minister jets off for an undisclosed island holiday, sneaking away just before a high-stakes meeting with President Trump, Treasurer Jim Chalmers is left with the leaden legacy.
Mentored under the ‘Man of Lead’, Chalmers displays no true leadership ability, flip-flopping spectacularly on his superannuation tax policy.
After two years of defending the taxation of unrealised gains on balances over $3 million as the ‘most efficient’ approach, he abruptly backflips, abandoning key elements like unrealised gains taxation, indexing the threshold, and introducing a $10 million balance cap. All while the boss lounges in secrecy, leaving the nation to grapple with fiscal uncertainty without firm guidance.
Worse, lead melts under minimal heat. Albanese wilts in the parliamentary forge, his Question Time performances lacklustre (saved frequently by Chris Bowen as King Albo’s court jester), and his international forays embarrassingly forgettable.
The cost-of-living crisis applies ongoing pressure, yet Albo’s responses are subsidies here and inquiries there that evaporate without impact.
And the slow poison? Lead’s toxicity seeps insidiously, much like Labor’s creeping regulatory overreach and debt accumulation, eroding Australia’s economic vitality over time.
Mass immigration strains infrastructure, green tape chokes investment, and productivity lags. The Prime Minister is taking a break while most Australians live the economically toxic lives while he leaves Chalmers, the architect of Australia’s economic malaise, in charge.
Australia deserves metallurgical leaders of substance, not Albo’s leaden lethargy.
Howard’s steel enabled prosperity. Morrison’s titanium adapted to chaos.
Yet Albo’s incompetence goes over like the proverbial lead balloon. His leaden leadership risks a slow, poisonous decline.
It’s time for a leadership upgrade, but one with mettle. While we wait for the conservative side of politics to rediscover its bravery, we can only hope the nation doesn’t buckle under Albo’s dead weight.
Dr Michael de Percy @FlaneurPolitiq is the Spectator Australia’s Canberra Press Gallery Correspondent. If you would like to support his writing, or read more of Michael, please visit his website.
