Mr X goes to Canberra, then goes home again
Attorney-General George Brandis’s official statement yesterday:
I was surprised and saddened to learn of Nick Xenophon’s decision to resign from the Senate. Although we represent different political points of view, I and other members of the government have always been able to engage constructively with Senator Xenophon across a range of important legislation.
Brandis continues in that nice vein:
On behalf of government senators, I take this opportunity to thank him for his service. Personally, Nick and I have always got on very well and I have enjoyed his company and quirky sense of humour. I will miss him.
Phew. Brandis returns to the eternal mission:
Although Nick leaves the Senate with my personal best wishes, those best wishes do not, of course, extend to political success in the South Australian election because I am firmly of the view that South Australia’s best interests will be served with the election of a Marshall Liberal government.
A Brandis colleague knows how to cut to the chase. Education Minister and SA senator Simon Birmingham at his news conference yesterday:
Well, the ultimate attention-seeker is pulling another giant publicity stunt. Nick Xenophon, who in 2007 cut and run from the South Australian parliament just 18 months into an eight-year term, saying that state politics was largely irrelevant and all the power resided in Canberra, is now cutting and running from the federal parliament just 12 months into a six-year term and saying he wants to come back to South Australia.
Birmo has a solid track record. Here he is on October 11, 2007, when Xenophon pulled the pin on state politics to head to Canberra:
South Australians who elected Mr Xenophon will rightly wonder why he would cut and run just 18 months into his eight-year term in a parliament with total jurisdiction over poker machines to run for a seat in a parliament with no real jurisdiction over poker machines. It is difficult to see this as anything but an opportunistic grab for more power by a politician not content with his inability to achieve anything meaningful in South Australia’s Legislative Council. After 10 years of Mr Xenophon achieving little more than cheap political stunts, South Australians need to question whether more stunts is preferable to people who can actually make a difference.
That was then. Xenophon explaining his plan on October 12, 2007:
The feds control more and more power, more and more purse strings, and the action is in Canberra. If you want to get results in gambling, if you want to push for a water solution in the state, I want to be able to use my vote in the Senate to push for that.
Sentimentality, thy name is not Tanya Plibersek. The Deputy Opposition Leader in action yesterday:
People know Nick Xenophon and the more they see of him, the more they know he’ll always do what’s in the best interests of Nick Xenophon … He’s putting No 1 first.
Benefit of the doubt. Bill Shorten yesterday:
So he’s a very decent, pleasant fellow to deal with although I do understand Nick Xenophon has done more dud deals with Malcolm Turnbull than anyone ought to put up with, so maybe he’s decided, no more of that, time to move on to greener pastures.
At last, a burn. Shorten musing on the Nick Xenophon Team’s future:
I don’t know what they are going to call themselves now: “The party who vote for the government whenever the government needs a vote?” I don’t know: “The Liberal Party more often than not people?” “A vote you can have voting for the Liberals but not quite vote for Turnbull?”