與世無爭

剛看完一本書, 隨手在書架拿了Michael Dobbs的House of Cards, 3部曲的第一部, 政治驚慓小說, 序言這樣講:

Nothing lasts, not forever. Not laughter, not lust, not even life itself. Not forever. Which is why we make the most of what we have.

活在當下, 不問世事。前些時有朋友問我對會否開戰的看法, 我是廢老一名, 又怎會懂這些,  可以看下閒書, 吃安樂茶飯, 一天又混過了。 病毒未滅, 烽煙又起, 生靈塗炭, 情何以堪!

這兩天都吃深海鱸(Deep Sea Perch)的魚柳, 這魚另一名稱是橙鱸(Orange Roughy)或Red Roughy, 一度因為過份濫捕而禁止捕捉, 幾年前才解禁。這魚出沒於澳洲及紐西蘭, 肉質口感有點像東星, 屬高質素高營養的魚, 但因為這魚是深海長壽魚, 所以含鉛較高, 孕婦及小孩不宜多吃, 廢老當然不怕。

昨天和今天分別花點心思做了兩種蒸法。I made the most of what I have. 買了超過10斤有多(6kg+)的魚柳, 分成6份, 5份分給朋友, 留1份給自己。

昨天蒸了龍鳳呈祥:

把魚柳切成方塊, 一半用意大利火腿(proscuitto)包裹, 另一半以意大利火腿墊底, 另外放些竹笙在空間裏。這裏沒有金華火腿, 否則當然用金華火腿。我這些proscuitto, 包裝說cured up to 12 months, 只醃了12個月, 香味當然不足。上星期弄了蝦蟹肉冬瓜茸, 也只有這些火腿可用, 聊勝於無。  

鋪完魚就把開邊老虎蝦鋪上去。蒸好放蔥絲淋上滾油就完成了。

今天做的是3菰麒麟魚:

魚柳整條不切斷, 斜刀切開, 把冬菰片及火腿片放進每一個切開的地方, 雞肶菰切片煑稔, 在菰片身上打橫切個開口, 塞入金菰、紅蘿蔔絲及火腿絲。蒸完放葱絲淋滾油及生抽便成。

老伴認為這個比昨天的更好吃。Nothing lasts. 狂風掃落葉, 頃刻間片甲不留。 

選舉年

選舉年, 趣事多。星期三晚澳洲國會為了討論Religious Discrimination Act而開會至通宵達旦, 傳聞有位執政黨議員沒有現身會議廳, 卻宿醉在自己的議員辦公室裏, 還失禁至浸淫了一衭子(in a pool of his own urine)。當事人否認其事, 只承認睡着了。宿醉至未能投票也有前科的, 前首相Tony Abbott就試過(當時並未非首相, 當時的首相是Kevin Rudd)。

Mor Sir最近因洩漏短訊事件已萬箭穿心, 扭轉選情劣勢的方法就是打中共牌, 本博近日已不談中國和香港任何事情, 根本也不關心, 所以連香港法庭的裁決也不評論, 這次提到中共, 是從澳洲聯邦政府執政黨選舉策略去看而已。Mor Sir為了轉移一衭子醜聞, 利用恐共國情, 誣捏反對黨獲中共垂青:

China has “decided” to back Labor at the forthcoming federal election, Defence Minister Peter Dutton told a fiery Question Time on Thursday.

Mr Dutton made the comment shortly after Prime Minister Scott Morrison launched a personal attack on Opposition leader Anthony Albanese, calling him a “sook and a snarler” and accusing him of being willing to put up with coercion from China.

”We now see evidence that the Chinese Communist Party has also made a decision about who they’re going to back in the next federal election … and that is open and obvious,” Mr Dutton said.

Peter Dutton says China has decided to back Labor at the election

雖然是誣捏, 事實上中澳關係的死結, 也只有改朝換代才可打開。至於怎樣改, 就只能各自演譯了。反對黨(工黨)一向都沒有像執政黨那樣親美, 加上工黨前首Kevin Rudd是能說流利普通話的中國通, 他可以是復修兩國關係的橋樑。雖然他當年身為首相的時候, 不慎被錄到罵過fxxking communist, 但政治就是這樣, 一時下海, 一時從良, who really cares?

Politics is a brutal business

到了選舉年, 醜聞特別多。Mor Sir 被黨友螫到滿身傷痕, 本來是黨同伐異的, 現在卻同室操戈。繼上一篇講Mor Sir被新省前省長及不知名的內閣部長形容為terrible person 及psycho, fraud等, 現在又流出副首相Barnaby Joyce在去年3月, 曾經形容Morrsion為"a hypocrite and a liar", 不是匆速的定論, 而是經年觀察的心得:

“He is a hypocrite and a liar from my observations and that is over a long time.

“I have never trusted him and I dislike how he earnestly rearranges the truth to a lie.”

這內容傳達了甚麼訊息? 這短訊發出的時候. 兩人在政壇已共事了14年, 真的屬於長時間觀察的結果。為了聯合政府的執政前途, 為了選票, Joyce立即發聲明道歉, 還說要請辭云云, 有文為證:

“While the text message was supposed to be private, what I said in that message was wrong; and I have unreservedly apologised to the Prime Minister for my comments. It is common knowledge that in the past the Prime Minister and I had not always seen eye to eye.

“But I have worked extremely closely with the Prime Minister over the last seven months since I returned to the role of Deputy Prime Minister; and the Prime Minister is a person of high integrity and honesty in what is possibly the most difficult job in the nation.”

把市民看作3歲的笨小孩, 白癡才會信這些說話。 Joyce原本的短訊才是肺俯之言, 訊息的對象是投訴在國會內被強姦的女職員, Joyce不滿Morrison的處理方法才會說他是虛偽的大話精。現在為了政府的前途才說開脫的話, Morrison被各方貶斥個人誠信(外國總統、前首相、新省前省長、現任聯邦政府的部長及副首相), 還沒有包括反對黨在內, 已可以說prima facie guilty as alleged。

Barnaby Joyce也不見得可信。這聯合政府由兩個政黨Liberal及National組成, 前者黨魁是Morrison, 後者是Joyce, 兩黨的凑合也不是很協調的。為了此事, Joyce "offered his resignation", 當然也是在演戲, 真的請辭, 就會做戲做全套"tendered his resignation", 而不是"offered"。 他這樣做戲也引起National的黨友不滿, 他們覺得要請辭也應向自己的黨請辭, 而不是向Liberal的Morrison。

抓爛了臉皮後, Morrison和Joyce又怎再共事下去呢? 別擔心, 搞政治的人自有政治EQ。今早Morrison去完崇拜後公開面對傳媒, 講了以下一番大道理:

Politics is a brutal business.

Anyone who pretends it’s not, and anybody who pretends that from time to time people don’t get angry or bitter ... if you can’t accept and understand each other’s frailties and be forgiving in those circumstances, then, frankly, that says a lot more about you than it does about others.

Human frailty. It’s real. We all share it. We all live with it. And we all need to be more understanding of it. And politicians are no different to people watching me now.

What people send around in texts, I, frankly, could not care less about. And, frankly, Australians are far more interested in their jobs and their lives than what people are sending in text messages to each other.

,,,,,,

沙士比亞出場: "Frailty, thy name is woman", 改了一個字: Frailty, thy name is human. 人總有軟弱的時候, 在Morrison眼中, 在他背後發短訊貶斥他的人就是弱者, 他不terrible, psycho及fraud, 也不是hyprocrite及liar。如果不是選舉在即, 不是民調不利, 他就不會使用這種打圓場的口吻了。他也很清楚, 兩人再共事的機會也很渺茫, 選情十分不利之外, 就算能再當選, 兩人都頗大機會被自己的黨友扯下馬來。 Politics is a brutal business.

Bor Sir與Mor Sir

Boris Johnson與Scott Morrison一時間同時落難, 成為難兄難弟。兩人的共通點是大話連篇, 誠信掃地。 疫情期間, Bor Sir在首相府開「工作」派對太多, 解釋到詞窮理屈, 圓謊乏力, 黨友也倒戈, 相位難保了。Bor Sir負擔重, 幾段婚姻, 當然要戀棧權位, 否則怎養得起幾頭家。大家都被covid搞得慘, 怎容你獨樂樂。Sue Gray (Cabinate Office Second Permanent Secretary)報告一出:

(INVESTIGATION INTO ALLEGED GATHERINGS ON GOVERNMENT PREMISES DURING COVID RESTRICTIONS – UPDATE)

 

直指Bor Sir領導無方, 警方已接手作刑事調查。在數碼時代, 數碼足跡難以掩飾, Sue Gray交代了怎樣調查(methodology):

We carried out interviews of over 70 individuals, some more than once, and examined relevant documentary and digital information, such as emails; Whatsapp messages; text messages; photographs and building entry and exit logs. This has also included searches of official records.

Bor Sir這一劫難逃了, 倒他的聲音越來越大, 他下台後可以繼續專心發展感情事業了。

位處南隅Down Under的Mor Sir, 近來也四面受襲, 日子也很難過。聯邦大選雖然日子未定, 無論如何也不會遲過5月。於斯時也, Mor Sir民望下跌, 在疫情下怨氣特別多, Mor Sir的瘡疤也特別多, 累積起來足以「奪命」。 Mor Sir不單止面對反對黨, 連自己友都對他也貶斥貽盡。早兩天Mor Sir在National Press Club演說, 毫無疑問他想乘機爭取民心, 可惜事與願違, 這一段新聞就看得到「狙擊手」把他殺個措手不及, 記者(van Onselen)這樣提問:

“I’ve been provided with a text message exchange between the former NSW premier and a current Liberal cabinet minister. I’ve got them right here. In one, she describes you as ‘a horrible, horrible person’, going on to say she did not trust you and you’re more concerned with politics than people,” van Onselen told the Prime Minister. “The minister is even more scathing, describing you as a ‘fraud’ and ‘a complete psycho’. Does this exchange surprise you? And what do you think that it tells us?”

Mor Sir表情十分尷尬地回應, 說甚麼也沒用, damage is done。繼法國總統在潛艦事件指責他說謊後, 他再一次被公開指為騙子。雖然搞政治的人難免不行騙, 出自自己友的口未免太難堪了。不是對手球技好贏你, 是你自己出錯, unforced errors太多, 打敗自己。

這農曆元旦, 可見證這兩人完蛋了。