In the Sydney Morning Herald today is a reminder of where politics in this country has been heading.  At the end of a witty recollection of some memorable Australian political wit, Allan Ramsay says:

For as long as Howard remains in politics he will never, ever escape his "never, ever" insistence in 1995 that the Liberals would "never, ever" introduce a goods and services tax ("A GST or anything resembling it is no longer Coalition policy. Nor will it be policy at any time in the future": John Howard, May 2, 1995). Like "core and non-core", a miserable abuse of language that came into vogue after the Coalition came to office and began retreating from its promises, "never, ever" will forever blight Howard's name and blacken his word, just as his shameless behaviour over Iraq and the two Australian "non-persons" incarcerated at Guantanamo Bay will hound him until he leaves public life. Alan Ramsay  July 16 2003  

Howard deserves this hounding.  We all do, if we will not be true to our word. Ramsay is writing in the context of the furore over the incorrect intelligence used to get us into Iraq... intelligence apparently known to be incorrect by a growing number of people (except for the Prime Minister), rather like issues with the children overboard.

Ramsay writes "As Howard evades and grows more terse as more Australians get more insistent about why this country went to war for a lie..." it reinforces a sense in me that perhaps the tide is turning in this country, and people are coming back to a sense that our behaviour over refugees and the war is simply immoral.  One hopes so.  It would be a sign that we are not so morally bereft as recent history has suggested.  I hope we will stop, and never, ever do it again.... and that we will make it a real committment, not a non core promise.  

Jan