Wake-up call ... political satirist Tim Ferguson,
author of Left, Right and Centre, rises from the
cross-benches yesterday.
He was raised in Canberra and once
contested Andrew Peacock's seat in a
general election. Could the political novel
Left, Right and Centre: A Tale of Greed, Sex and Power, by the comedian Tim Ferguson, be a
touch autobiographical?
"Well, there's a little bit of me in Luther," he said in Sydney yesterday, referring to his book's
seductively handsome, power-hungry protagonist, Luther Langbene.
But which bit?
"Unfortunately, the muscular physique isn't mine," said the lanky 33-year old. "That's a little bit of
Arnold Schwarzenegger. Luther's a little bit of Margaret Thatcher, the Messiah and a naughty
boy."
A former member of The Doug Anthony All Stars comedy trio, Ferguson was snared by Channel 9
to host its frenetic 1995 series Don't Forget Your Toothbrush. A second series was not
forthcoming and Ferguson has been "working behind the scenes" since then.
His first novel was born two years ago as a script for a six-part television series about "a mad
renegade politician who takes over Australia".
But, said, Ferguson: "I thought, "Hang on, if it's ever going to be a series, it has to be a
best-selling novel first'. I ended up with a bevy of characters, a reckless economy, money flying
backwards and forwards - and morals flying all over the place."
On a more serious note, Ferguson hopes his tale of ruthless political ambition may serve as a
wake-up call to apathetic voters.
"Most Australians front up at the ballot box as though they were at the Melbourne Cup," he said.
"They know nothing about the horses and haven't looked at the form guide in 12 months. But they
sniff the horses, kick the poo around, ask someone next to them, and walk in and place their bet."
Left, Right and Centre offers a particularly merciless portrayal of Australian politicians.
As its author explains: "The Prime Minister is the voice of conservatism, the leader of the Left is
everything that's bad about the Left, and the Greenies are a pack of communists."
He isn't expecting any lawsuits, because the book is set 10 seconds in the future and most of the
characters are "larger than life".
Having finished his political novel, Ferguson is still busy.
"I've already got a second book under way, which is about crime," he said. "The leap from politics
to crime wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. In fact, it's frighteningly similar."
