Aw… but everyone loves him?

At least, that is what I am told by a nauseating procession of Labor and Liberal politicians overcome by his niceness. Anyone would think he was a gender-swapped progressive Aphrodite with the way NSW Parliament fawns over Premier Chris Minns.

This love affair is drawing to a close with rumours circulating that the next state election ‘will be his last’ and he won’t be here for (checks notes) 2031.

Heck, there are entire countries that might not be here in 2031.

‘Well…’ Minns said, contemplating his dreams for the $27-ish billion MetroWest project, ‘I won’t be here, at least in this role, but look, as a citizen, I hope, I genuinely hope, that we can make a massive impact in housing affordability for young people … I don’t know what the future holds. I might get beat in 2027.’

How many politicians are thinking two election cycles ahead?

Certainly not the Coalition, who are desperately trying to claw back their Blue Ribbon from the Orange Wave. And not Albanese either, after it dawned on him that the Greens are no longer a margin bump at election but an active threat to city seats in a sort of Dark Teal phenomenon.

Why is the news cycle discussing a state premier with a longer half-life than the climate apocalypse?

Could it be to distract from New South Wales being ground zero for an embarrassing left-wing meltdown after a handful of professional Palestinian protesters switched flags and brandished socialist ‘no war’ signs (which is pretty rich considering the history of socialism).

At least one of the signs bore a ‘Free Palestine’ sticker. That’s what happens when you play hermit crabs with your moral causes. They all get a little jumbled. (Hopefully they are recycling their disused flags responsibly.)

The micro protesters don’t need me to make idle banter at their expense because they were dwarfed by 20,000 Iranians gathered in Hyde Park. They were chanting, cheering, singing, and happy … an emotion lacking in the perpetually outraged and tiresome pro-Palestine marches.

Older generations were comparing the outpouring of Iranian joy to the fall of the Iron Curtain, a piece of history that has probably been left off the university curriculum.

Unlike the Palestinian protesters, who take over the streets every other weekend, the Iranians were there to celebrate, not agitate. They were polite, friendly, and non-threatening to the wider Australian community.

To them, the assassination of Khamenei was not murder, it was justice.

The United States did not ‘invade’ Iran, they were invited by a desperate and oppressed population.

And yes, sometimes regime changes work. Hitler was a regime change. Japan had a regime change following the second world war. There are dozens of successful regime changes in European history. Thousands in world history. How many kings, emperors, and Caesars were brought down? It works more often than it fails. Regime change happens because of the limitations of diplomacy to solve urgent geopolitical issues. All those shouting about ‘international law’ remained silent while international law was violated by Khamenei and his terror network.

(Just quietly, I notice those complaining about national sovereignty have not had much to say about Pakistan and Afghanistan engaging in war against each other. The moral outrage is closely tied to the anti-colonial mantra rather than any genuine concern for global norms.)

Some of those involved in the tiny socialist protest were still wearing their Palestinian keffiyehs while holding Iranian flags. Lebanon is currently pelting Israel with rockets ‘to avenge the pure blood of Khamenei’. I wonder, how long before Hezbollah iconography wanders onto a Sydney street? Will the nearest university empty its dorms for the Houthi pirates? Where is the line?

What we do know is that none of Chris Minns’ protest laws kept pro-Palestine protesters off the street. It was mostly theatre that was tested immediately by activist groups.

So far, the only protesters in recent history strong-armed by police into silence were the freedom protesters during Covid. The people treated with the most ruthless barbarity were those who wanted their jobs back, body autonomy, and a return to basic humanity and civil rights. Done, we must admit, under a Liberal Premier.

There is no question that if the government wants Sydney’s streets free of Middle Eastern conflicts, it can be done. They could spare retailers and workers from the constant tide swarming the bitumen.

Minns’ legacy is a city overwhelmed by sectarianism, demoralised by mass migration, and torn apart by the dark side of multiculturalism. It is not the city most Australians were born into, and they are angry.

The only thing more depressing than Chris Minns hanging around until 2031 is he’ll definitely make it that far with a Liberal Opposition that made a deliberate choice in leader to pander to the Teal fringe instead of the silent majority of Aussies who just want a fair go and a nation free of endless activism.

We congratulate the Iranians. They have hope. What do the people of New South Wales have? (Other than mounting bills…)