© Getty Images / Darrian Traynor
Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews looks on during the daily coronavirus (COVID-19) briefing on August 05, 2020 in Melbourne, Australia.
The premier of the state of Victoria, who's instituted some of the most draconian lockdown rules in the world, is under mounting pressure and calls for his resignation are mounting by the day.
There is an old political adage that politicians should never establish an inquiry unless they know the likely outcome.
Evidence presented this week at an inquiry into Victoria's Covid-19 second wave, established by Premier Dan Andrews, suggests that
he may have failed to heed this advice. That evidence was so damning of Andrews that calls for him to resign have reached fever pitch and the Victorian opposition has foreshadowed a motion of no confidence in him.
Andrews is due to give evidence to the inquiry on Friday, and only an extraordinary performance can end the crisis that has engulfed him.
Andrews established the inquiry in July in a cynical attempt to shut down criticism of his government's decision to employ inexperienced security guards to supervise Victoria's Covid-19 hotel quarantine regime. It was the catastrophic failure of this regime that led to Victoria's second wave, despite Andrews instituting some of the most draconian lockdown restrictions in the world.
These include police being able to enter properties without a warrant, and arrest people for not wearing their face masks properly or for posting things on social media that contradict the dear leader, as a
pregnant woman found out.
Comment: Health Minister Mikakos has
resigned. Dan Andrews threw her under the bus and claimed she was the one 'accountable' for the hotel quarantine scheme. He should follow her, but that is unlikely.
At least the opposition is still calling for his resignation:
Meanwhile, Victoria's opposition is calling for Mr Andrews to follow Ms Mikakos and resign. "It's about time this Premier took responsibility for what he's done to this state. It's about time he followed Jenny Mikakos out the door and give Victoria a fresh start," opposition leader Michael O'Brien said on Saturday.
Mr Andrews, however, dismissed the calls, stating: "I don't run from problems and challenges".
More like, "I don't take responsibility for being a spineless tyrant."
Sure, this inquiry uncovered stunning incompetence at all levels, but still, it is operating on the assumption that someone needs to be held accountable for causing this "second wave" (which amounts to more of a pond ripple caused by a small pebble than a wave), not the stunning malevolence of a government adopting totalitarian policies and treating its own citizens like chattel in some communist hellhole.
Comment: A 'Trump win'...raises the possibility of "mass unrest and political violence across American cities." How is that different from now?