Lively in Parliament

I have been very critical of Tony Simpson throughout the local government so-called reform debacle, but for him, alone, to lose his job, as Opposition Leader Mark McGowan appears to suggest would miss the main target.

The fact is that this whole shambles came about because Colin Barnett said one thing before the March 2013 election (you remember the famous "no forced amalgamations" statement and his forcing Simpson to retract a statement saying the party favoured forced amalgamations) and acted contrary to those statements within months of retaining government.

It is Colin Barnett who has driven the fiasco.

It is Colin Barnett who should resign his position as Premier.

Simpson certainly hasn't covered himself in glory, but his primary failing was one of not standing up to Barnett's bullying.

It all comes back to Barnett, as Paul Murray so eloquently set out in his Opinion piece in the morning's West Australian. To single out Simpson, while in some ways satisfying, would let the principal culprit get off scot-free.