Ghostly Prime Ministers

With apologies to Charles Dickens

The Ghost of Prime Minister Past

And it came to pass that tony abbott lay upon his bed and worried about knives and assassinations and plottings. Eventually he fell into a troubled sleep.

In that sleep there appeared unto him a vision of a portly yet respected previous Liberal Party Prime Minister.

“I was Prime Minister just before the Second World War, ” Sir Robert said. “I sold iron to Japan and it was going to be sent back to us as exploding bombs and naval vessels. My popularity was almost non-existent and I saw I was not going to take the Nation into war with me. So I resigned and I waited out the war and then I took the Prime Ministership back and I held it for many years and many elections.”

tony complained, “But I don’t have a war and I don’t trust the Opposition.”

Sir Robert faded and in his fading he spoke his final wisdom. “Learn from what I said and stop destroying my Party.”

 

The Ghost of Prime Minister Present

It came to pass that tony slept on and in his dreaming he saw himself at his desk and on his desk were memos for his actioning.

Among those memos were suggestions on how to improve his standing in the electorate and he screwed them up and threw them away because he scorned popularity.

He said to himself in his dream that popularity was a worldly sin and that accomplishing great deeds would ensure his re-election.

He slept on and was at peace with himself.

 

The Ghost of Prime Minister Future

As he slept on and the alarm clock approached the waking time, the shade of Wyatt Roy appeared in his last dreaming.

“Oh tony,” Wyatt said. “Why did you not read those memos. Why did you dismiss popularity in a game which depends on popularity?”

“Because what you do is more important than how many people like you.” replied tony. “How many of my colleagues went on to become Prime Minister?”

“Only me.” replied Wyatt’s shade.

“Well done,” smiled tony. “You must be the youngest Prime Minister in Australia’s history.”

“No. Alas I am not.” explained the man who was once the youngest member of the Parliament. “I’m the first Liberal Prime Minister since you were voted out of office. I am now 55 and it is 2045.”