Smokesgreen

“YOU’VE got to know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em, know when to walk away and know when to run.”

This classic American country/pop song was written by Don Schlitz in 1976. It went looking for a home for two years before it became a “popular” song.

The Gambler was recorded and released to no acclaim by artists like Bobby Bare, Don Schlitz himself and the one and only Johnny Cash. But none of these versions caught the public imagination.

Then in 1978 Kenny Rogers took a pass at it and with the right orchestration, the right tempo and the right voice ... the stars began to align. Rogers named his album The

Gambler and the single went to No.1. This crossover hit teaches us that patience is a virtue and in all things, timing is everything.

You need more than patience and a healthy dose of emotional intelligence to read the mood of the nation. You need to be in the right place at the tight time, with the right arrangements and the right ideas.

A great leader knows what it’s like on the breadline as well as in the boardroom. Hawke and Howard are the two modern day standouts.

Each had the capacity to present radical ideas and retreat and regroup or push forward with the confidence of the national psyche.

Hawke’s plan for The Australia Card could have been his Hewson’s birthday cake. But he let it go. Howard’s GST election could have been a Mark Latham handshake moment, but he steadied the ship.

Both walked with the people, talked in town halls and understood what the voters wanted and what they were prepared to accept.

This week the Greens leader Dr Richard Di Natale, pictured, stood in front of the cameras and launched his party’s policy to legalise marijuana.

The former GP said the “war on drugs has failed” and it is time for Australians to get behind the idea of establishing an “Australian Cannabis Agency”.

Talk about timing, talk about gambling. According to The Greens, the Australian Cannabis Agency will be responsible for supply of cannabis to retail outlets. The “war on drugs” will be replaced by the “tax on drugs” and Australians will reap the benefits from the influx of cash from the stash. This may be a great idea. It may be a terrible idea. But this country is not ready to have a serious discussion about legalising weed. Right now, there are bigger problems occupying the adults in the room. An election is in the air. On Monday the ACTU launched their campaign to “change the rules”. The Melbourne Town Hall was packed with delegates bristling for a generational confrontation. Their movement is driven by a fight or flight response. Despite never-ending increases in our costs of living, our real wages are stagnant. The divide is getting bigger and this perception of reality was reinforced by the release of a significant social assessment.

Foodbank is Australia’s largest food relief agency. It has just published a research report on child hunger in Australia.

The Foodbank report finds that 22 per cent of children in Australia have experienced “food insecurity” over the last 12 months.

Almost a third of parents who are living in food insecure households have reported that their children have gone hungry at least once a month. About 11 per cent of “food insecure children” go to bed without eating dinner every seven days.

The Australian Cannabis Agency is not going to address these problems.

It is an academic social notion. Social progress like this can only occur when society is stable. When people are not in fear for their jobs, when people know they can pay the rent or get a mortgage.

Right now, this country is not in the mood for the conversation.

The fact that the Greens have prioritised this policy is a reminder of their internal disputes.

Individual policy agendas are important, but the nation is crying out for leadership right now. Dr Di Natale has disappointed again.

Reading the mood of the electorate is an unquantifiable skill, but it separates ordinary party leaders, from important figures in our national history. Ross Mueller is a freelance writer and director.