[Lightspeed]

I feel it might sound like I'm contradicting myself, at least somewhere along the line.

But competence exists somewhere, right? Keeping a country running doesn't just happen. And it takes more than luck to respond to a pandemic effectively. Which it has been. There are plenty of stark failures to compare with.

It's just the competency isn't with elected politicians. Corrupt politics do eventually chip away at the civil service|deep state. And all politicians who enjoy extended stints in power can be expected to become corrupt, which we're seeing in Aus.