The Nuremburg Offense
Peter Phelps, the Chief of Staff for the “Special Minister of State,” Gary Naim, attended a public forum recently and criticised a Labor candidate’s service as a soldier in Iraq as incompatible with ALP policy, which is to withdraw Australian troops, should the Opposition take government at the next election. In response to Colonel Mike Kelly’s response that he did what he was order to do, Mr. Naim invoked the Nazis: "Oh, like the guards at Belsen perhaps? Are you using the Nuremberg Defence?" Mr. Naim has faxed an apology to the Colonel. (Faxed? Couldn’t make a personal apology, could he? Couldn’t even make a public apology.) Labor has responded by calling on Mr. Naim to sack Phelps, but he has resisted these calls, claiming Mr. Phelps was attending the event in his capacity as a private citizen.

This wouldn’t be notable, particularly, although I think such comparisons are odious, except that it illustrates a significant problem in the Liberal Party: they refuse accountability. Mr. Phelps cannot attend an event hosting the Opposition candidate for his bosses’ seat as a private citizen, because he’s Chief of Staff to the sitting member, but if he wishes to attempt to avoid any appearance of conflict of interest, he should at least keep to a more modest behavior than attacking the usurper. Mr. Naim should indeed sack Mr. Phelps; in fact, Mr. Phelps should be removed by John Howard from whatever position a “Special Minister of State” may be.

Where have we seen this before? Didn’t read the AWB memos that revealed their bribes to Saddam Hussein in the lead-up to the present war? Well, that’s no biggie. Didn’t reveal and discharge stock holdings in companies whose business was under the oversight of your portfolio? You shouldn’t lose your job over something so picayune, should you? Knew all along that nobody was throwing their children overboard but said so anyway? Re-elect that man!

It’s all gone on long enough, and yet the Coalition trails Labor by only 10% in the opinion polls. Their approval ratings ought to be in the gutter, right along with their actions.