Omne Initium Est Difficile

MY dear Saint, all beginnings are difficult. Granted, fewer have been this difficult for a new party leader in Australian history. Or so we might be tempted to assume. There are no 'preferred prime minister' figures telling us anything about the true, country-wide viability of Frank Tudor and Matthew Charlton from week to week in the sepia days of old. We can more reasonably say that Dr Nelson has assumed leadership of the Liberal Party and the Opposition during one of the most crowded out political PR markets in recent history. The single-digit rating reflects that, more than it does John Howard's single digit to his own beloved party, thanks to WorkChoices. Inheriting a nation in great shape, Mr Rudd has been adept as ringmaster of media buzz, symbolism, and flimflam fluffier than the dice in his boyhood home. 'Sorry', Ruddapalooza 2020 and Cate Blanchett: nonsense but noisy nonsense. Another Latin theme: adde parvum parvo magnus acervus erit. Add little to little and there will be a big pile. Whether the pile is a grand edifice that rates well or a rubbish tip of foolishly abandoned principles is Brendan Nelson's responsibility, not John Howard's.