A vegetable-growing, politician in the badly fitted suit...OK? Yes.

Sorry to be talking about politics, but….
 ‘Jeremy Corbyn is the most unlikely of modern political leaders. His suits don't fit. He rides a bicycle and in his spare time he enjoys growing vegetables in his North London allotment.’
That’s what I read in Sunday’s newspaper.
Well, Hooray for all that!
May I ask WHY the above statement seems to be said in a manner that suggests Jeremy Corbyn is not a suitable person to lead a country?  Or even that he is a bit odd?
Grows his own vegetables? Wonderful!

In my humble opinion, if these characteristics of Corbyn’s are accurate, it shows a slightly more than adequate suitability for office – and decency - far more than the ‘born to rule’ puffed up arrogance displayed by many of the opposing team.

Meanwhile, in Australia, how do our Liberals/Tories stack up?
Here’s a surprising bit of history that I found on the internet:
‘The Liberal Party was frequently the principle party of Government in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These governments were radical, reformist and far sighted, they backed the masses against the classes, swept away vested interest and privilege, and secured increased rights and freedoms for the people.’
Excuse me? When was that? I obviously missed out on all those great times of Liberal rule. These governments ‘swept away vested interest and privilege’? They did? When?
Who or what is this statement referring to? It certainly doesn’t seem to fit into the latest rendition of the LNP.
All we see nowadays is a party that supports the already advantaged, so ‘out of touch’ with the real world that PM Turnbull didn’t even realise how perfectly he demonstrated this when he commented  that if the current younger generation couldn’t afford to buy a house, then Mum & Dad would have to step in and help!!!
 
In an attempt to find a similar piece of historical wisdom about the Labor Party, all I could find was this piece of promotional hyperbole:
‘Labor’s commitment to fairness at work, access to quality education no matter what a person’s circumstances and a firm belief that we should all have the same opportunities in life underpin what we do.’
Sounds great, but does it work that way? I suspect not. It would be so good if that’s what happened when the ALP was in charge.

Sadly, Australian politics is in need of a ‘kick in the pants’ similar to what some other countries are experiencing.
BUT, but, but, hang on….certainly not the same upheaval that has befallen the United States. I wouldn’t wish a Trump on anyone. In fact I can hardly bear to type his name as I wonder what the next ghastly move in that terrifying debacle might be.

And, sure Jeremy Corbyn didn’t win office, merely gave the Tories a fright – but a great big one, nevertheless.

France is looking hopeful. In Monday’s newspaper:
‘President Emmanuel Macron's fledgling party appears set to trounce France's traditional main parties in a parliamentary election and secure a huge majority, according to results from a first round of voting on Sunday.’

Is there even a slight chance that, as citizens of the ‘Western world’ become dissatisfied with current political shenanigans and discover an alertness to what ‘people power’ can achieve, is there a chance that politicians of all persuasions might start listening to the ordinary people?

Is there a chance that political parties will actually start to tackle such nasties as tax avoidance by corporate big names and, instead, focus on the people they profess to work for? To take climate change more seriously; to stop all underhand dealings and to think of themselves more as servants of the people, not as their own Number One priority?

We can only hope.

Sorry for getting all political, but it’s in the air lately!

​And, give me a bike-riding, vegetable-growing Corbyn style polly any day.