If an idea enters a hollow head, it fills it completely, because there is no other that could dispute its rank.

Montesquieu (1689 – 1755)

Have you seen the old man in the closed down market
Picking up the papers with his worn out shoes
In his eyes you see no pride and hanging loosely at his side
Yesterdays paper, telling yesterdays news
So how can you tell me you’re lonely
And say for you that the sun don’t shine
Let me take you by the hand and lead you through the streets of London
I’ll show you something to make you change your mind

This 1974 song by Ralph McTell is always relevant but especially now as some of us find it so hard to cope with a lockdown. We may feel lonely at times but real loneliness is something very different.

When a nation is in an emergency, clearly, all leaders – irrespective of their political association – must stick together and support each other in order to protect the nation and to ensure that correct decisions are taken. A pandemic is not a time for for divisiveness and criticism and certainly not a time for pursuing political gains for individuals or for political parties. Leaders must lead and focus on the need of the hour and refrain from pursuing their self-interests.

Not so, with the federal government of Australia, run by the liberal party. While Victoria was still very busy fighting the spread of infections, Scott Morrisson saw it fit to exploit the situation for political gains. Instead of standing by Daniel Andrews he kept on harping criticism about matters that are neither urgent nor pressingly important at the current time marked by ongoing infections and fatalities. It is easy to be “clever” in retrospect with “should haves” and “why nots”. The need of the hour was to fight Corona and to take the right decisions. But instead of offering his support, Morrisson kept on distracting our busy Premier with inflated demands for easing lockdown, contradicting expert advice. And who is Morrisson to be critical here ? Has he not holiday-traveled to Hawaii when ferocious bushfires were raging in NSW ? An inexcusable and outrageous behaviour by the prime minister of a nation.

And now that Daniel Andrews’ hard and tireless work and his brave and focused strategy is very successful – in spite of all the back-biting by Morrisson & Co – there is no sign of recognition of the Victorian success by the liberal government.

No “well done” or “good on you”. How poor and childish is that ? True leadership by the federal government would be to set aside differences and work together towards what is the best outcome for the nation.

It is the nature of the virus to return and infect people. It can happen in any state – unannounced and suddenly. We see this just now in WA. Finger-pointing is never right. It reveals the dark and ugly abyss in the soul of the finger-pointer who does not know that he may tomorrow need the help from others.