His annual scorecard is out, and Mike Smithson has gone hard on rating SA’s top pollies saying there’s been “so many cringe moments during the year that it’s hard to know where to begin”.

Calculating the annual end of year scorecard for our most prominent state politicians has been kookier than watching National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.

There have been so many cringe moments during the year that it’s hard to know where to begin, especially judging the state Liberal Party.

So, let’s start with the government and the Premier.

“Perfect Pete”, as some in the Labor Party call him, continues to climb in popularity despite his keynote broken promise to fix ambulance ramping and the failure of his so-called $500 million hydrogen “vanity project.”

He’s also battling public service pay disputes and the algal bloom.

Malinauskas has the luxury of a strong and disciplined team and an Opposition resembling the famed and dysfunctional Griswold movie family.

Given the Premier’s skill in avoiding elephants in the room while also securing big events for the state he rates a healthy 9.5/10.

If politics is about results, optics and popularity it’s hard to rate him any lower.

Two others also rate well; in fact, both have scored 9/10.

Treasurer Tom Koutsantonis takes all before him, almost begging for a bigger and harder workload.

His decades of experience can’t be underestimated in executing his job with apparent ease.

He’s easily the government’s safest pair of hands, aside from the Premier, and the state will be all the poorer from his inevitable retirement, at some........

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