Politics is not a game for the faint hearted

I hate saying it, but within the walls of Parliament House in Canberra, or APH to those who work there, lurk some horrible people, and in this serialised novel Straight Faced, were going to meet them.

You might’ve heard the term describing politics as a beauty contest for ugly people? In truth, at least when it comes to public appearances and on screen talent that’s not correct anymore.

They look good on camera, know how to shmooze voters, and portray themselves as upstanding members of the communities. It’s true for all sides of the debate. These smooth operators fall across party lines and political beliefs. Many are involved in happy loving relationships and have families who support and encourage them.

But they’re still horrible.

Now before you start complaining about the upstanding values of your local MP, or the party you support, I know from personal experience the description above doesn’t fit all them.

They don’t all have the moral beliefs of a dictators and drug cartel boss. Many do have higher moral standards than brothel owners and people smugglers, better hygiene standards than a poodle on a plush carpet, and more credible business principals than a convicted conman.

But imagine if they all didn’t? That they lived in a world where the normal rules of society don’t apply?

If so, then the world of Straight Faced and the characters who inhabit it is where you’re going to find it.

What’s the story?

This is the fictional story of the journey of Nick Fanning from regional journalism to the murky world of politics.

We’ll follow Nick from his job as a reporter on a regional newspaper, before he makes the leap to politics as a staffer on the conservative side of politics, but it’s a world where political and ethical boundaries are hard to identify. Those who are supposed to be his enemies are often more help than those he’s supposed to be working arm in arm with.

But Nick’s not some naive idealist hoping to change the world. It’s a world he jumps into headfirst, willingly, and with every intention of making it to the top, no matter who he has to throw under a bus or stab in the back to do so.

Here’s an excerpt:

It quickly became clear that the life of a regional journo was not the life for Nick. Bad pay and long hours, with little chance of advancement in a shrinking media world meant his dreams of making a fortune weren’t going to happen there.

Politics was the opportunity. Not as an MP, but as an adviser. But he needed a plan. First step was to find a first term junior member with a stated purpose to be the “voice of their electorate, not a mouthpiece for the party.” Even then Nick knew it was bit of bullshit designed to keep the locals happy, but he also knew that if he got in quick and convinced the party powerbrokers he had the skills and endurance to ensure the candidate would be kept out of the public eye, turn up in parliament on time and vote along the party lines, he had a chance.

That chance came in the form of Katrina Smith-Hyett. The youngest daughter of the local National Party scion was preselected as candidate in the next federal election. To hear the local party tell it young Kat won her place against a strong field of candidates, that she’d worked hard in the community in the past and was determined to bring that voice to Canberra.

In truth Katrina was a train-wreck and had been since her school days.

How (I hope) this works

I have created a Patreon page for this, which you can find here.

I’m not asking anyone to pay for this, and I intend to share the chapters here so what would be the point. , but down the path, maybe. Still that’s a long way off.

I’ll also be asking for feedback and comments. Something I’ll do occasionally as we continue with this story, and running the odd poll asking you for direct feedback and suggestions.