Mediocre Sydney

Piers Akerman is dead right, Sydney is just not living up to its potential:

But the great natural Harbour and these two man-made structures divert attention from the reality that Sydney is otherwise mired in mediocrity. It should be a city to rival New York, Paris or Berlin - but without the Bridge, the Opera House and the Harbour, it could just as easily be Minneapolis, or any other undistinguished western city.

Sad to say, but Melbourne is Australia’s cultural and sporting capital, even though the major media companies are headquartered in Sydney. Melbourne is again trying to reclaim its title as the nation’s finance capital as well.

Akerman identifies one of the major problem New South Wales has, the best political leaders bypass State politics and go straight to Canberra. We get the time servers and leftovers. If some of the top NSW Liberals like Turnbull, Nelson or even Hockey or Abbott had gone into state politics Iemma would be long gone.

I like his idea of giving Sydney its own police force, policing is a local government function in the USA and I think a local police force would be more responsive. Perhaps we should follow the American part and all the Commissioner or Sheriff to be elected for the same reason.