Man of irony

I have a sneaking fondness for ABC Radio National presenter Stephen Crittenden, currently sitting in for regular Fran Kelly. Stephen's trademark is the 'ironic' insight: "Isn't it ironic?...." is usually his lead in to some observation on an apparent contradiction, which only ever turns out to be a contradiction to those trapped in the ABC-bubble mindset. Discussing the recent polls with Michelle Grattan this morning, he compared the various areas of approval and disapproval of Howard and Beazley, which fall along predictable lines: Coalition strong on economic management, etc. Confronted with the disapproval for Beazley on defence and national security, Stephen was moved to observe "Isn't it ironic...that Beazley rates poorly in this area, given his interest in defence issues, etc."

While acknowledging the Bomber's general common sense regarding national security and defence, reading lots of books about the American Civil War and getting your photo taken sitting in a tank doesn't necessarily translate into an ability to make the right decisions, especially if they happen to be unpopular, when those decisions have to be made - for real. Even the respondents to opinion polls seem to grasp this distinction without difficulty.