Is ScoMo our ‘Person of the year’?

Australia doesn’t need a show pony like Kevin Rudd or Malcolm Turnbull right now. It needs an ordinary bloke like ScoMo, writes Des Houghton. VOTE IN OUR POLL

How on earth did we end up with such an ordinary bloke for our Prime Minister? And how well did he serve our interests last year?

Scott John Morrison does not have Kevin Rudd’s gift of oratory, Tony Abbott’s intellect nor Paul Keating’s wit and devilish sense of humour.

And he certainly doesn’t have Malcolm Turnbull’s keen eye for footwear.

Scott Morrison in shorts and thongs from his Facebook feed.

But Morrison has John Howard’s candour, and what some people call the common touch.

Like Howard, Scott Morrison is ridiculed by leftist media elites for being ordinary.

Sometimes, however, ordinary blokes rise to greatness when huge responsibilities are thrust upon them.

ScoMo, the son of a Sydney copper, is doing a good job leading us out of the pandemic crisis. In fact, he has excelled at every job he has been given. He was an outstanding Minister for Immigration and Border Protection before being elevated to Treasurer and ultimately into the Lodge.

Although the polls are running against him, don’t write ScoMo off just yet. Like Howard, he was an impressive performer on the election trail as he proved in May 1919 with his “miracle” poll victory.

Morrison avers the style of gentleman but can scrap if he must.

I saw that when he fought back against “gutless … keyboard warriors in their mother’s basement”, who ridiculed his faith.

It happened when was photographed in church reaching his hand out to God, a gesture that some of his enemies likened to a Nazi salute. It was one of many disgusting cheap shots against conservatives on social media.

His road hasn’t been made easier with floods, bushfires, drought, a pandemic _ and even a mouse plague blighting his run. The virus from China forced lockdowns and border closures, job losses, business failures, family separations and mental illness.

As Covid tightened its grip, 1.3 million Australians lost their jobs or were stood down on zero hours.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Queensland Senator Amanda Stoker (far right) pose for a group selfie during a Women Enterprising event at River City Labs in Brisbane. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

Hundreds of thousands of Australians were forced on to income support.

The queues outside Centrelink offices were reminiscent of the Great Depression queues. Yet ScoMo stayed cool. While some premiers used the pandemic to spread fear, Morrison promoted a more sensible, optimistic view.

So, what has he achieved?

Plenty.

The Morrison Government’s response to the pandemic was swift. ScoMo and his team prevented 40,000 deaths weighted against the OECD average for performance.

The federal government boosted health spending by $33 billion, most of it flowing to the states.

Jobs and businesses were saved by the single largest economic rescue package in Australian history.

The Morrison plan worked. The economy rebounded with 350,000 jobs created in the five-week period after the lockdowns were lifted.

Australia maintained its Triple-A credit rating throughout the crisis and along the way we signed up to AUKUS, the trilateral security pact with the UK and the US. It may turn out to be the most important accord in our history.

Trade barriers between Britain and Australia were torn down. Under Morrison’s stewardship Australia’s journey to net zero status was on track.

The federal Emissions Reduction Fund will deliver 17 million tonnes of abatement this year alone.

Morrison has saved Australia. The ordinary bloke triumphed.

Australia doesn’t need a show pony like Kevin Rudd or Malcolm Turnbull right now.

We need a sensible leader whose feet are firmly affixed to terra firma.

ScoMo has done his best to plot a path back to a normal life, whatever that is.

Scott Morrison is my Person of the Year.