Every good crime story needs ‘motivation’. Why did he/she do it?

The thing about motivation is: the person being motivated doesn’t feel it like it’s some dastardly thing. He/she wakes up - has their favourite breakfast, feels great.

If you’re waiting for them to keel over in shame forget about it.

They’re justified on a ‘higher level of truth’ that you wouldn’t understand. That inner-knowledge provides immunity to your ‘external noise’.

In Dan Andrews case the motivation was just the normal one - power (which can then be used to make the world a better place etc - if i’m not too busy - (which I was)).

The road to that power - in Andrews's case, is a road. It’s a BOT Transurban Tollway in fact. Otherwise known as ‘big infrastructure’ and 'getting things done'.

On Nov 24, 2018, Dan Andrews rode this bandwagon to a comfortable re-election victory. Four more years. Fair enough. Melbourne’s infrastructure was/is an international fucking disgrace. It still doesn't have a train from the airport. (kid you not). Susanne from Dulan used to say - 'I always judge a city by its transport from the airport to the city.' I think she'd like some things about Melbourne but she'd smell a governmental rat with that straight off the bat.

The Victorian government gouged on the torrent of money pouring in from immigrants (p29-31) and foreign students (2nd ref) for decades to drive the economy - but then blew that money on pay-rises to ‘the experts’, while churning out cyber-loads of self-justifying literature to entrench their fiefdom existences.

The building of infrastructure to cope with this population explosion that boomed the economy and got me elected? (remembering Labor Party has been in power for 17 of the last 21 years) Yeah-no - fuck that - why build a modern railway system which won’t even be completed in my term? Why let some other bastard get the glory?

Andrews at least had the brains to know that the public was crying out for a big picture guy. Just spend the fucking money and build a normal transport system for a city of 5 million people already!

Since his election, Andrews has embarked on, in his own words, “the biggest infrastructure agenda the nation's ever seen” Spending on infrastructure “has tripled since Labor came to power in 2014". Photos of Andrews wearing hardhats have quadrupled.

The result: record popularity.

Popularity = equals power.

According to ex-Pm Malcolm Turnbull, (a rare political outsider - cut down by his own party - now back in private life), that simple equation "power for power's sake", is motivation enough for "most politicians".

The next question is: What is Andrews prepared to do to get it - and hold onto it?