Parliamentary Patience

It's the first sitting day of the Federal Parliament for 2024, and our politicians should be ready for work after the summer break.

That's not to say some of them weren't working over the summer, but most were on pretty relaxed duties, often serving their constituents from remote locations.

You can read whatever you like into the word serving.

To be honest, I think we are better off by not having parliament sit. At least that way, they can't legislate more damaging ideas into reality.

Others may think the debate within the parliamentary chamber is essential. In one sense, it is because it provides a formal record of the hollow promises of politicians.

In every other sense, the debate is pointless.

No minds are changed within the parliamentary chamber. The tribes generally do as they are told, and the crossbench votes are temporarily rented using your money.

Incredibly, some of the independents don't even understand how powerless they are. The 'teals' make collective statements of how they intend to vote, even though they know it won't make a difference.

That's because the government has a majority on the floor of the House.

There are no teals in the Senate, although they couldn't be worse than Lambie and Pocock.

They are the two votes the government requires once the Greens are on board. (I include the lamentable Lidia Thorpe as a Green for this purpose.)

I can't think of a single instance in which either Lambie or Pocock has failed to eventually agree on matters important to the government.

The rest of the mob up there might as well be playing patience.