You have to feel sorry for the opposition. Any opposition. Constantly having to feign indignation, outrage and chortling disbelief.
But having said that, the latest press release from Senator Ron Boswell’s office sets new records for destructive blinker wearing and pointless wannabe point scoring.
Basically, his release seeks to lampoon Ross Garnaut’s suggestion that more land be turned over for kangaroo meat production.
You’d think a guy like Senator Boswell, who’s constituents include professional roo shooters, would be all for the idea.
You’d think a Nationals senator would want to encourage a fledgling industry out in the bush.
You’d think the Boster would be bang-up for a drought resistant livestock option, one which doesn’t require as much clearing and so doesn’t produce as much erosion – not to mention leaves more CO2-eating trees.
And having seen pictures of the Senator’s gut hanging over his belt as he lambasts from his Senate perch, you’d think he’d be happy to learn that kangaroo meat has considerably less fat.
And given he belches out so much hot air, you’d think he’d be happy to know kangaroos don’t fart and so produce the massive amounts of ozone depleting methane that cows do.
But oh no. It’s gag time in the Senator’s office. It’s time to turn the brain off and flick the spin doctor’s knob all the way to ‘lampoon’.
And so came the ‘hilarious’ zingers at the bottom of his release.
In spelling out the damaging affects of Kangaroo meat production he tells us Woolworths would have to re-badge themselves as “The Fresh Roo People”.
He predicts facetiously we’d have to invest in new advertising to market the product overseas with slogans like “Put another roo on the barbie” or “Where the bloody hell are roo?”
Seriously funny stuff. I wondered where those Chaser boys had got to – clearly they’re now churning out the side-splitting japes for Senator Boswell.
While Boswell can be forgiven for trying to make something of the powerless doldrums of opposition, jokes are something he should leave to the professionals.