It is said that ‘be nice to the people you pass on the way up, because you may live to pass them on the way down’. Yet even his fiercest rival, the more credible of the media pack are the first to admit than Daniel Michael Andrews, is a man who knows how the system of government is played and not only does he know but more importantly he is a master of the art.
From the start when Andrews arrived in the Parliament in 2002 he immediately became a Junior minister ( four years), a minister for Health(four years), opposition leader(another four years) and then became the Premier in 2014 Never a back bencher a distinction that few Australian can lay claim to he has enjoyed a relatively comfortable ride to the top. He also enjoys the distinction of being the highest-paid state premier in the country,namely$441,000.
Recently in the growing tide of suppression due to the disastrous second wave outbreak of the Corona virus, Andrews was asked “will you resign?” which was met with a smooth response ‘I am not a quitter’, aimed squarely at his Minister of Health Jenny Makakos, who had just announced her resignation from the Cabinet and Parliament, “ I intend to finish the job. The short answer is No!”
Andrews has a demanding presence, that aided by what appears to be a slight cast of the eye can be quite intimidating. Keen observers have witnessed that this ‘intimidating presence’, has created a small team around him that have a loyalty to him that borders on a fear. Devotees, if you will, who would sooner die for the Emperor, than to the inspection of an Inquiry set up under their leader, with the narrowest of terms of reference. Andrews did not come down with the last shower. This man who plays his cards close to his chest emits a fear that enables him to control without the sort of inspection that does not challenge the rules of convention.
There is much of the rise of Adolf Hitler aura that has handed Andrews that arrogance that enables him to reject with aplomb, the idea that he or his closest people have the blood of nearly 800 people on their hands, due to what they will glibly tell you is due to the pandemic, that hit Melbourne. Pandemic numbers in Andrews State, but mild epidemic in the States that listened to wiser national council.
The pundits knew that the Inquiry was always going to serve two purposes, push back on any serious accountability, but eventually serve the purpose of being seen to quell the concern of the masses to the question of who made the decision?
The gang played their part and were blessed with memory loss. What grew was a sense of judicial frustration and the lack of scope to move within the terms of reference.
It all took a different path when a former Chief of Staff of a former Prime Minister, Peta Credlin who not only knew how the mechanisms of the party system works , who not only knew a little bit about the law, highly credentialed, but outstandingly with a razor sharp mind that took on Daniel, the untouchable and applied a blow torch that saw a control master lose the armoured composure that had given him the cloak of invincibility .
Today Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet secretary Chris Eccles resigned. The heat in the kitchen is becoming unbearable and as they leave and bid farewell to their once supreme leader, those left standing are beginning to sweat.
Years ago the media gave an accolade to Jana Wendt. She was christened the ‘perfumed steamroller ‘
I suspect that Daniel Andrews may live to rue the day that he had misfortune to run into the 2020 version.
