There are many, many, things that seemed like a good idea at the time.

For example, booking third-class berths way below the top deck for you and your family on the maiden voyage out of Belfast by the Titanic.

Using all your financial resources to buy several one-hour photo-developing franchises just before news emerged of the world’s first digital camera. Or Kodak shares around the same time, for that matter.

Placing bets that Malcolm Turnbull could be prime minister for as long as he liked, on the mistaken belief that his amazing intellect, charm, charisma and connectivity with peasants despite their being way below his station would bewitch voters out on the hustings.

Okay, seeing we’ve drifted into politics, why do Peter Dutton and Clive Palmer have dunce caps on in the image at top?

Because, not that long ago, both thought it was a good idea to hitch their electoral hopes at the 2025 federal poll now under way by apeing the policies and slogans of Donald Trump.

And to be fair it seemed a good idea – a perfect fit – at the time. Trump had just emerged victorious after a bruising presidential campaign late last year by showing US electors he was a far-right wing, racist, misogynist, bullshitting, bragging, buffoon with a love of lying, so of course he was going to impress Dutton and Palmer. All three are cut from the same cloth.

They have rolled out similar campaign policies and slogans. Sure, they were fully aware they could never match the great showman that is The Donald, and to their credit they have refrained from giving hand and head jobs to a microphone stalk. So far. Ditto to 90-minute speeches where he did that weave thing, by which periods of rambling stupidity were woven together into unfathomable unwhole. Ditto for doing the fist-pump dance to an iconic gay anthem, although Clive might still have a twerk or two in his armoury, doubtful because he is not a candidate this time round.

But that did not stop Dutton and Palmer wetting their pants with delight as Trump appealed to the nation’s racists – illegal immigrant rapists and murderers were eating their cats and dogs – and misogynists – Cameltoe Harris had to put out to get ahead!

So what was their chief – and fatal – mistake. Assessing Trump with only the far-right cells of their brains, they missed the fact that by the time our federal election came to pass, Trump will have shown after some months back in the White House that he was just as stupid, lazy and arrogant as in his first term. More so, given the convicted felon, adjudged rapist, pussy-grabbing boastful blowhard with a barely detectable IQ had Republicans right in his pocket.

Only months ago, Dutton was doing so well he declared that some of his policies and costings would not be released until after the election.

It was not just Patricia Karvelas shaking her head in disbelief over that. And it seems so long ago now that Dutton declared that if elected he would live in Kirribilli House in Sydney.

But now he’s in a world of political pain a victim of hubris, arrogance, and laziness that has led to some poorly thought through policies and a woeful time on the hustings as he attempts to de-Trump his messaging.

A belief in a god-given right to rule, and listening to and believing SkyLNP News “commentators” banging on about how great Trump has, is, and will be can be fatal.

DON GORDON-BROWN

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