Within the context of the brouhaha of travel expenses incurred by the current Federal Speaker, the redoubtable Bronwyn Bishop, namely a $5000 helicopter trip from Melbourne to Geelong, and a $90,000 two week European trip for herself and two staffers, (including $14,000 for limousines); I am absolutely gobsmacked by the way in which this sort of mad spending is being defended  and downplayed.

Now, I don’t think for a minute that Bronnie is the only one doing this, and I don’t care if the spending is ‘within the rules’.  Frankly, if it’s within the rules, then the rules are patently wrong.

Also, I don’t care what side of politics the pollie comes from, where, in the overall scheme of things is it ‘right’ to throw away taxpayers’ money in this way?  Surely there are more economical ways for pollies to travel than this?

Also, is it not something of a joke, that at the same time she was going to a ‘fundraiser’, Bronwyn was flushing 5 grand down the toilet.

What really smarts, is the sheer arrogance that comes from pollies when they justify this sort of expenditure….how divorced from reality are they that they cannot acknowledge how bad this looks to Aussie citizens?

Yes, I expect our pollies to look smart and travel in reasonable comfort when travelling and representing electors; I don’t expect them to ride in the freight cars with the tramps and chickens, or to eat at Macca’s or KFC; but in what mind-boggling Pythonesque universe can they on the one hand target the poorest and most disadvantaged in Australia’s community, while at the same time carrying on and justifying this sort of  display?

The terrifying thing is that this only comes out when one of the major parties decides to use it to take a shot at another – most of the time they ALL keep it to themselves because those on ALL sides of politics do it!  I shudder to think of the $$$ down the drain that we, “the dross” as I think this attitude demonstrates towards the citizenry, may never know about!

I would compare them to pigs with their noses in the trough, but I think that pigs are more honest, and therefore it would be derogatory to pigs!

They say we get the leaders we deserve…but I certainly did not vote for ANY of these people, and like many Australians now, I am starting to wonder how representative this democracy of ours really is!

For me, on a sadder and more personal note, I used to quite admire Bronwyn, even though she’s a Lib, but for me that bubble of admiration has been, well… pricked! 🙁