Wrestling with his conscience has been a constant since John Halligan took up role

John Halligan is simply not suited to the job of being in government, writes Michael Clifford

John Halligan must be exhausted from wrestling with his conscience. It’s one thing to have to compromise on one’s principles for the sake of power, making internal accommodations for a bigger political project. But how much worse it is to be told that there will be nothing for the folks back home.

Halligan’s torturous wrestling has been a constant since he took up his role as the minister of state for training and skills. He’s like a man who’s suffering from altitude sickness, unable to come to terms with the rarefied altitude of executive power, when he was so accustomed to a laid-back life down at ground level.