THERE is one reason Mike Baird felt confident enough to announce a fortnight ago that his government would ban greyhound racing in NSW from July 1 next year: he knew he had the numbers in Parliament.
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Baird probably did not foresee the threat of a handful of Nationals MPs potentially crossing the floor or abstaining from the vote on legislation required to enact the ban, but his large majority in the Legislative Assembly means that is no real threat.
In the upper house he knew he would have the support of the Greens, meaning the Coalition did not have to rely on, and deal with, as it usually does, the remainder of the crossbench.
Emboldened, Baird and Nationals leader Troy Grant declared the shutdown timetable, effectively relegating Parliament to a rubber stamp.
The approach says a lot about where the government is 16 months into its second term and raises the question: is Baird experiencing a version of WorkChoices syndrome?
Unlike former prime minister John Howard at the time he pushed forward on the unpopular and politically fatal WorkChoices legislation, Baird does not enjoy a clear majority in both houses.
But he emerged from the 2015 election with immense popularity, despite losing some skin over electricity privatisation.
It's widely accepted that he is in politics for a good time - in terms of achieving his political bucket list - rather than a long time.
Right now he is spending his political capital like a drunk in a casino exempt from the lockout laws.
The greyhounds decision reflects a similar approach to council amalgamations. When it became apparent there was not sufficient support in the upper house for his agenda, Baird bypassed Parliament in favour of a friendly version of the boundaries commission process.
If we are to believe the Premier, driving each policy is a genuine belief it is for the greater good. It's an attitude commonly described in two ways. One is strong political leadership. The other is arrogance.
How Baird is ultimately judged will be determined on his ability to achieve outcomes - or at least the realistic promise of them - within the four-year election cycle.
But in his brash push for what he believes is right, he needs to also be aware if you upset enough people you pretty quickly run out of voters willing to give you their support, regardless of what you achieve.