There is something both Monty Pythonesque and Groucho Marx-ist about the decision by two of the nine Climate 200-backed teals in the Parliament to register a new political party of which they are the only members and with no formal leadership structure.

Subscribe now for unlimited access.

Login or signup to continue reading

If the teals were crows this would only be an attempted murder.

While not quite dead parrot territory there has to be enough material here for a decent comedy skit. Where is Eric Idle when you really need him?

The Groucho Marx reference is, of course, irresistible. Every other Climate 200 teal, along with the rest of the non-party aligned crossbench, have made it abundantly clear they would not join a party that would have them as a member.

Despite the fact there has been background chatter for weeks about Zali Stegall's plan to turn what is a loose-knit alliance of independents - which, as the Coalition has repeatedly pointed out, tends to vote as a bloc along something suspiciously close to a party line - into the real McCoy, the member for Warringah has failed to convince an overwhelming majority of her partners in teal-dom to take the leap.

This is actually quite understandable. David Pocock, thanks to a combination of innate ability and his presence in the Senate where his vote can make a real difference, has proven to be the most effective of the Climate 200 beneficiaries by far.

He has the ear of the government, the respect of the opposition, the ire of One Nation, a working relationship with the........

© Canberra Times