I GREW up on a quiet street in a little West Australian farming town.

We lived at number 7 Elizabeth Street with Mr and Mrs Scott on one side and Mr and Mrs Close on the other.

Joe and Margaret Close had a chookpen. I remember the day I saw old Joe take the head off a chicken. Well, maybe not the actual beheading, but I will never forget what followed.

This chook emerged from behind the shed running and flapping its wings, but without its head. I was wide eyed and speechless as, it seemed to me, the chook knew what it was doing.

The only other thing I’ve seen like it in my 46 years on the planet was the Federal Labor Party’s non-leadership spill.

The ALP looked very much like Joe Close’s headless chook, in that as the frenzy began it appeared that this creature knew where it was going. It didn’t.

Before too long it was running into trees and the sides of buildings before coming to rest in a heap, pretty much where it started.

Political watchers were thoroughly entertained by what was, quite possibly, the most unstructured game of “Simon says” that ever was.

You have to feel for Simon Crean don’t you? A number of Kevin Rudd supporters obviously inspired him to jump out of the aeroplane. He took the leap in the belief that others were coming with him. They weren’t. I don’t think Kevvy even undid his seatbelt.

It was a long way to the ground for Simon. I received reports the day after the non spill that Mr Crean was spotted on Blake Ferguson’s roof at Nicholls sharing a pineapple Cruiser with Josh Dugan and giving the finger to KRudd.

I’m not sure if there was any truth to that, but I understand that calls were made to the police, to David Furner and Albo.

Federal Labor, in theory, reaffirmed its leader but, in reality, looks as lost as a headless chook.

Mark Parton is the breakfast announcer at 2CC.