In which the pond marvels at the clever way Savva explains the Marie Antoinette agenda is taking shape ...

The pond just had to return to the Savva - even if we'd already wasted a couple of good cartoons this morning - because it's such a fun read ...

The pond has been following the fin de siècle, or last minute fin de Xmas-New Year federal pollie antics that have been going on in Canberra these backpacker days, with ultimatums, firm lines in the sand which are swept away in a moment by the incoming tide, grand-standing and carry-ons ... and much other nonsense ... as if it's impossible for politicians to work a day beyond the 1st December, such is their desire to escape Canberra ...

There's more than a smidgeon of this toffy essence of top-hattedd arrogance in Savva's reptile missive this day ...

Is that cartoon about killing the poor creature weird or what? Jung would have a field day with that one ...

Now it so happens that in its time the pond has done fruit-picking and corn-weeding and hay-baling and any number of other crappy jobs around the farm, and it didn't prove either morally uplifting or financially rewarding ...

But is Savva certain she's hit the right tone explaining how it's always been poverty street for bludging members of the lumpenproletariat, while doing an impression of a Monty Python sketch?

Is it the best way forward to encourage Malware to moan and whine about the moaners and the whiners? The keening noises from the reptiles and the Malware mob is deafening and embarrassing.

Why, it seems to sound  a bit like Professor Higgins, ... why can't poor people simply be happy going on being poor, and getting up at 4 am to start 25 hour day licking pebbles off tar road .... because that's the way it's always been. Harden them up a bit, let them do it tough ...

On the upside, it's a relief not to have to endure any more lectures about how the poor need to learn to be agile and innovative.

But it starts to take on the tone of figures familiar from ancient history ...

And the culture of grievance and dependency on the cross-benches just doesn't go away as Savva meanders on, no doubt reflecting the inner thoughts of Malware's sanctum of privilege, shocked that people aren't overjoyed that the Messiah has arrived to rule and save the country by making a totally cock-handed mess over negotiations regarding the backpacker tax.

Sure Shorten's been mischievous, but that's what, pace the onion muncher, opposition leaders do. 

The game is with the cross-benches and getting them onside. It can be done, it has been done, but this time ScoMo was spectacularly, singularly inept, and the only people likely to suffer are the poor bloody farmers ... and where was the top-hatted one while all this was going down?

Let's see Savva's guide to establishing good relationships with the cross benches ...

A slap on the bum?

A confused double-dealing rat? As opposed to the confusion that saw 19% as the last stand, until it suddenly turned to 15%?

Forget Shorten, you're dealing with the cross-benches Malware, and carrying on about the indolent workers and the bludgers and moaning about jobs Australians don't want to do won't cut the mustard - unless of course you intend to catch a train out to a berry farm and show the lazy bludgers how it's done ...

The pond would love to see that one go down.

Look, it's fine for the pond to make fun of the human headline... in his time, he's been comical enough ...

You'd be amazed how many people have turned up to view that walk down Hinchian memory lane ...

But this is a blog goddamit, not a government trying to fuck things up as hard as it can ...

And Malware, if you get your tone from Savva, it doesn't get any better in the last gobbet, still saturated with the punitive sense that it's all someone else's fault ... and by golly they're going to get a slap on the bum and a good licking, the lot of them ...

Yeah? Scribbling arrogant fetid nonsense about bludgers while enjoying a sweet lifestyle as a reptile who occasionally turns up on the ABC ... 

Or screwing up assorted industries before heading back to the eastern suburbs for a generous break?

Tell that to someone with their year's income rotting on the vine. See how you'd tolerate that, as you head off for a serve of imported avocado with crumbled Persian fetta on top, provided the Iranians give permission to keep on babbling about Persia ...

Well luckily there's always another cartoon, and if you head off to Moir at Twitter home here, you can buy the originals for a modest Xmas stipend ... no doubt right at this moment Malware and Savva have thrown away the Persian fetta, and are out fruit-picking to make enough moola ...