Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin is “the adult in the room” – ours, of course, are all kidults

The Republican Governor of Wisconsin, Scott Walker, deserves a mini-pageant all to himself for defeating the reactionary left-wing forces who tried to unseat him this week. Walker’s crime (apart from being a Republican) was to get his state’s spending under control by bringing the pension contributions of public sector workers into line with their private sector equivalents and by limiting their bargaining rights. (Sound familiar?)

According to the National Review, Walker:

“withstood a sustained (and expensive) onslaught from the forces of Big Labor and its allies on the Left that featured everything from the coordinated cross-border retreat of intransigent Democratic lawmakers, to the occupation of the state house by a band of radicals, bongo drummers, and high school truants, to ill-fated attempts to nullify Republican legislative majorities and pick off uncooperative judges. Walker’s enemies did everything but release the kraken.”

Big Government, Big Labour – the forces of Liberalism – amassed sufficient signatures to have the governor “recalled” – i.e. force another election – because, as we know, the Left get jolly upset when voters refuse to obey orders. His rainbow coalition of enemies spent an estimated $100 million trying to unseat Walker. And, for the first time ever in a gubernatorial recall election, failed! And failed spectacularly – by a clear 7% margin.

Weirdly, Obama said the voters had sent Scott Walker a clear message – yes, they did, Barry: they evidently appreciate politicians who have the guts to stand up to left-wing bullies and protect taxpayers. The National review came up with another reason to explain Walker's success - he was “the adult in the room”.

Over here, of course, our politic room is alomst entirely bereft of grown-ups. Cameron is Grabber, the Head Boy from How To Be Topp; Osborne is his grubby henchman – the school bully; Clegg is the nauseatingly sanctimonious Head Prefect, who tries hard to behave like a teacher, and whom no one can stand; Miliband is the geeky little social misfit who’s just become “Chair” of the school’s almost defunct Labour Club; Vince Cable’s the nasty, twisted old classics master who looks and sounds like a kiddy-fiddler and hates all the other teachers; and Ken Clarke is the eccentric old department head who, always passed over for the top spot, knows he’s about to be finally booted out (because all his views have been proved to be disastrously wrong), and has decided to create as much embarrassment and discord as possible before he’s defenestrated.

All of them are either determined to use their temporary power to follow their own silly little self-pleasing obsessions, or refuse to use the power at their disposal to do what they know to be right because, you know, it’s a bit, well, gosh!, awkward and might make them just a teensy bit unpopular with the  boys.

That isn’t how true grown-ups behave – but that would require courage and steadfastness, and they're in short supply these days.

Meanwhile, it’s no coincidence that the nation (well, England) has just spent four days enthusiastically honouring a woman who has always behaved in a truly grown-up fashion.

As for Governor Walker, he’ll be celebrating his splendid victory in a very kidult fashion, by taking off around Wisconsin on his Harley-Davidson – but he’s earned the right to indulge himself by behaving like an adult for the last eighteen months in the face of petulant, adolescent intransigence.