It’s been a long time coming, but yesterday I think our politicians hit the bottom of the barrel – but they somehow seem always to be able to head further south.
The ABC reported an outraged Peter Reith and ran a clip of him being interviewed wherein he said that he was encouraged to run for the leadership of the Liberal party by none other than Tony Abbott – only to have Abbot abandon him and lose the contest by one vote. The TV footage of Tony smarmingly showing his voting paper to whatever his name is who was the incumbent (recumbent) showed naked skullduggery as far as I can see. Reith was ropable and embarrassed to the max. Ouch ! Poor diddums.
So to get square, Pete threatened to talk up Workchoices 2 – guaranteed to lose Tony the unlosable election coming. Nice. Party solidarity.
The sad thing is that there was no surprise here. I for one have come to expect no less than lying, cheating and whatever-it-takes to gain and hold power behaviour from Tony and his team. I described the lower primate as “a shit sandwich” – and got away with it in the olden days of Unleashed. The other half of the quip was that it didn’t matter how Tony changed the bread – the exterior appearance – the contents always stayed the same.
Worse than that, it’s the state of play for Labor as well. Kevin had his little snit with the proposed anniversary of “when I was knifed – a sitting PM assassinated” party, put on hold on advice from large men in dark glasses.
I have seen some serious political shit go down in my 40 years as a NSW voter. For a while I put my trade union son political beliefs into gear, joined the ALP, went to branch meetings (despite the risk of actual physical harm), voted on resolutions that went no effing where, handed out how to vote cards at election times and did my share of scrutineering. I had the dubious pleasure of seeing their woman (Dawn Fraser) do our man (Peter Crawford) like a dinner. It was a salutary lesson. Peter was a one parliament parliamentarian. So, it turns out was Dawn. She was and is a much loved local identity and a trusted NRMA board member. Both took their defeats on the chin and retired gracefully. Not a sore loser in sight.
But those were the days when people who ran for office actually believed in something other than their own self-interest and the headlong rush to grab power at any cost.
Stephanie Dowrick wrote in her 2004 Book ” Free Thinking” a few hundred words on public and private lying – and the corrosive effect of both. She talked about how it has become the norm and that bare-faced lying or as we have come to know it “offering non-core promises” hardly raises an eyebrow. Children Overboard, Reith’s mobile phone, No GST and the latest “No carbon tax” fiasco and reversal after reversal of policy as a matter of expediency if the polls even threatened to head south are all de rigeur today.
But not for me. I have had it with the big parties. I just don’t know about the Greens or the independents. I was imagining a day when parties become banned and that all elected representatives have to be independent. Did I hear a wail of “that way NOTHING would ever get through the parliament” ? Are you reaching for your favourite Steve Fielding non-sequitur or some pure and simple Bob Katter madness ? OK, you win.
Maybe a party-free every vote-is-a-conscience vote still is a better approach than the useless abuse and character assassinations that we see so often filling up our governments’ sitting time. It’s a disgrace. I’ve had enough. Time for Ten Gallon Bob and the rest to do us all a favour, take their hats and head off into the sunset.
Window Dresser's Arms, Pig & Whistle 
I’m still a member of the Silly Party. I started handing out how to vote cards from a shoe-box in the middle of the road before I was born in a noble quest to save humanity from itself.
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Did I forget to mention that I support the forces of Niceness and Goodness in their neverending battle against Greed and The Members of Other Political Parties?
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What can I add to that?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31FFTx6AKmU
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I’m a moderate socialist and always vote labor. I don’t read the polices etc. I just know that at least they will stick up for the poor and the disadvantaged. The libs seem hell bent on the free market being the cure for all ills however the market to me seems hell bent on greed.
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I think that we could get a clearer view of what we need to do if we dissolved State governments.
Politics is not clear cut any more, and I don’t see any poor people being addressed by the Labor State Governments. They should be abolished. It’s ludicrous and now that I am away and able to think clearly, I can see how laughable it really is.
Rules and regulations are crafted by corpulent bureaus, with their selfish agendas. I have talked to a few people here who feel the same way. The buggers are breeding quangos and committees. They need gelding.
The Liberal Party is not the slightest bit interested in disadvantaging people. I know that I, and others like me, are not. That’s just piffle. The miners are not dying of coal dust any more, as they were in Wales and Northern England.
They are interested in running a confident productive country. Any one who thinks differently is stuck in a time warp.
The state of the health, police and education services is the States responsibly and they are screwing it up.
Additionaly we need to nurture individualism: because we are, or should be that.
It’s time they put the teamsters out to grass.
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Julian I agree with you that State governments should be abolished. On top of that Local government should be as well and replaced by regional government. Local Governments are little more than sheltered workshops for unemployable people. Having dealt with many in Sydney only one I’ve found functions with any form of professionalism.
I think Julian that you are repeating a oftern used false Liberal mantra that Labor is not doing enough for the poor people. Here in NSW for example the Liberals did a very good job of demonising those in social housing and the building of new social housing. Our one legged arse kicker argued this very well before the last state election to give himself a very soild majority. I don’t want a local member who thinks its fine to destory those least able to look after themselves. I say this with a whole street adjacent to me which is social houing and two other developments that are the same. Most wouldn’t know who lived in social housing in this area or not.
The Liberal party is no longer a Liberal party, in fact I feel its move beyond big C conservative to being almost fascist. Though their only interst hasn’t changed though thatis born to rule and rule at any cost.They are not interested in running a confident productive country only in power and buying the next election. Look at how they pissed $1t against the wall between 2005 and 2007.
I think also Julian you are arguing from an old theory as well. Australia is no longer that unionised theough I will agree that they exert a disproportionate amount of power within the Labor party. Labor needs to recognise this. One hopes they have recoginsed that in NSW. Given that this week marks 100 of an O’Farrell government and those 100 day are widely recognised as the most productive of any government you’d be hard pressed to see anything achieved in that time. Apparently its the same in Victoria and both are moderate Liberal regemes. I’ve agrued for some time that here in NSW and well before the last election that we’re in for a decade of substandard government and from both sides.
One day soon Julian in your part of the world there will be a catasrophic flood at least a 1:100 year flood. Massive chunks of Brisbane and half the Gold Coast will be wiped out. Why? Because a certain corrupt National party government allowed building and subdividing of land below the 1:100 flood level.
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The council set the building rules on The Gold Coast, and they are now better than 1/100. I know some of the engineers, plus I deal with The State Government.
If the warming trend continues it will be academic anyway: New York will be under water, but humans will have moved by then.
The Federal Govt, is owned by the Teamsters and in mortgage to The Greens.
You shouldn’t pick up this Mulgarised Mantra, of ‘Born to Rule’: it’s just jingoism, Algie.
Can you imagine that Malcolm Turnbull, wants to persecute the poor people. It’s just too silly for words.
We have about 15 years now to put Australia back into work mode so that we can create and expand useful things that we can export; be it technolgy or manufacturing. If we don’t, we will become like the villages around the salt mines of yesteryear. There will be NO income to share. Look at Greece, they have been sharing out Their EU loans. and now they are lending them more. They won’t next time. The majority don’t pay tax (they’re proud of it), and their only income is tourism, shipping and some agriculture. but they have huge government departmenst, paid for out of loans. Now they are paying the price.
I can see the EU falling apart. China dpoesn’t want that of course. Their Premier has just been here. They will keep propping up: just like having a patient on dialysis. ….Because we are their patsies.Selling them minerals and then buying them back with THEIR added value.
When it’s all gone they will start using theirs. The biggest in the world. The Teamsters are too stupid too realise that. We should be diversifying profits into new technology and business.
Unfortunately we have to balance housing commision developments with population control and budgets. The Chinese are paying at the moment, but eventually we will have to earn our own money.
A country is just like a business. You have income & you have expenditure. The high ideals are what you ‘have’, but are tempered with what you can do.
The whole world, except for Germany, and recently Brazil, is in hock to The Chinese.
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Julian, I’ll beg to differ on the 1:100 flood on the Gold Coast and Brisbane and I’ll take advise from hydroligists and or surveyors rather than engineers on that. The 1:100 isn’t a movable level and just doesn’t disappear for existing developments. There is one large development not far from where I think you live where the all the dwellings are 0.5metres below the 1:100 year flood level and the development isn’t that o;d. I agree though if the warming continues all of this is academic anyway.
I’ve used born to rule as regards Liberals since the 1970’s when Whitlam was removed from government. It’s not a recent thing. And no I can’t see Malcolm persecuting the poor after all he’s a moderate or some of the more decent people in the Liberals. What I find interesting is how he parrots words he doesn’t agree with for the party good. I can see many on the right using them as pawns though. It has happened both at state and federal level in my own seat Julian even little Johnnie Howard did yet gave a different view for the cameras. I’ve witnessed the fear put into the local communit by this vile talk. Last year our house was broken into. Went to warn the neighbours where I saw someone acting suspiciously come from earlier. They told me of the fear that the had with all this social housing in the adjacent street. This person has a social townhouse development with 16 units directly behind them. I asked if they had any problems with those people, no they’re all very nice they said. I told them we what makes you think these new houses are any different.
I would have thought the reforms from 1983 on have helped the country but anyway. I also found the Howard years very limited and pretty much devoid of anything that represented reform.
Now on Europe, I can see the Euro as a currency falling apart. Greece would be in a lot less problems if they were able to devalue their currency instead of the mechanism that they have now. Paying tax might help as well. The EU well you maybe right.
There is nothing wrong with borrowing money to build infrastucture, in fact governments should and then pay it back. Most businesses borrow money to fund expansion and use the tax mechanisms to pay it off. An old adage you have to spend it to make it. In saying that the only money my business ever borrowed was to buy a car. Everything else was bought through the profits and written down through tax. That would be a more correct model on how businesses work from my experience. What needs to happen is the stupid talk that both sides use when they do. Incendently the amount we have borrowed is insignificant in real terms.
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OK, talk again when I get back.
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I look forward to reading a continuation of this conversation if that happens and thank you both for the courteous energy you have put into it.
It makes for interesting reading and stimulates thought as everyday dry journalism more largely cannot. I’ll return to this and read it again. Thank you again, Algy and Julian.
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I’ve never belonged to a political party although I was a member of the Tasmanian Wilderness Society and was at the blockades in SW Tasmania before the 1983 election. I have met Bob Brown and work passionately with the protests and the marches that led up to these. The ideals of non violent protest appealed to me. I also didn’t mind driving those who were to be be arrested down to the protest sites for the daily game of cricket with the Police before the TV crews turned up for the TV clip for the 6pm news. We’d put the cricket bats away and after the TV crews left we’d head back to the camp. Essentially I would have called myself a Green then. It was how the TWS became the Wilderness Society that I didn’t like I moved in a different direction.
My oldest friend was a member of the Liberal Party and very good with the numbers. Was even on a Premiers staff. He stood for local council twice. The first time with another friend who just happened to be leftish Labor though not a member. Politically they were an odd couple and stood as independents. I had charge of a couple of rural booths. And spent the bulk of the first campaign handing out how to votes at Wisemans Ferry. Nobody ever bothered handing out how to votes there and polled 95% of the 130 or so votes there. It was the same at the other booth that I looked after. Every booth was covered and the friend was elected. They proved to be a very good grass roots reprentative. The second time they and the running mate polled just over 50% of the primary vote. Good as he was at organising the numbers for he tried his hand at State politics but couldn’t organise the numbers. He also didn’t go to the right school.
I lament the standard of politics nowadays. Still think of myself as leftish, could never vote Green in NSW as the are basically communists. I would vote for a good community based politition though regardless of their colour. Well it would be a huge stretch to vote what the call Liberal these days.
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Nice bit of reading, Mike Jones. Only time today to read one. Defeated by the slooooowwwwww speed of the internet.
Question Time in Parliament is evidence of the mental health statistics in Australia. Direct reflection. It’s the ping pong effect mostly pong.
We particularly need to invest more money into forked tongues research. 😉
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Thanks, ‘Shoe. I was loose ending and the frustration of such complete deadshits running the country overcame me on the night. I do feel better for having had a spray. But I’m afeared that it’s a short term relief. I tend to agree with the rather bleak prophesies of ‘Mou and Voice.
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Politics have turned Comedy, Emms!
Tony did to Reith (spit, spit!) what he had done to Turnbull, not too long ago; and what Julia did to Rudd and Hawky tried to do to Keating but succeded only once and what Hawky did to Cairns…
About the only time we had true representative democracy was back in 5th C. Athens when the population was so small that the polies couldn’t do much without the will of the people and when the Parliament consisted of half the citizenry (sans women and slaves, of course). It made some attrocious mistakes, of course but that’s what happens when numbers rule over education. You get persuasion by oratory and not intelligence. Had Athens been equipped with a good education system, where going to school would be as vigorously encouraged as going to parliament to vote, you’d get a perfectly operating democracy.
Nowdays we have neither: a good education system or a small population and we are left with horrible oratory, splashed at us from every corner of our audiovisual campus. Can’t escape the bad oratory and can’t find the good, intelligent, thought.
To do so, we must search the streets, like Diogenes, with a lit candle during the middle of the day.
I, too was a fervent member of the ALP. Twice their candidate. Many times their faithful servant and I remember all too well, Emms, those bloody resolutions that got effing nowhere! Delievered the bloody things myself, by hand, to their head office in Carlton… Beh!
I have not joined a party since I left them many years ago. Nowdays I help the Greens and hope that if they get bigger, they don’t get infiltrated by viciously ambitious opportunists with no ideas nor ideals, with no vision nor morals! Meg Lees stands a gruesome symbol holding me back from having too much faith in party machines… along with the Tonys and the Julias and the Hawkies, of course.
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Looking for a political system where personal advancement is reliably subordinate to the common good? Good luck with that.
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To think he thought to have priesthood qualities. He sure still has. It;s a jungle out there now, almost hopeless, but where is the uprising? No blood on the streets here! I remember Tom Uren and Paddy White walking arm in arm during the Vietnam war. The real problem is not the leaders but the sated voters lolling in front of TV or other remote controlled gadgets, including mouse and keyboards! I, like you was an ALP member, even a returning officer once and remember Peter Crawford and the federal Peter Baldwyn and all the bashings. There was passion, idealism and The William Wallace. When schooners were real and men were men and women with grit and girth with real tits and not a botox in sight. Where has it all gone?
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…oh, and how I liked walking arm in arm with the old charmer Tom Uren down the Duke Street…
Peter Crawford was a likable bloke, but I never warmed to Baldwin, they were all there at Gerard’s parties at our house. Even then to make it a real party, I had to invite my own friends and our neighbours; politics bored me then, and now I just detest our politicians…
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I’m with you Helvi, I’ve had enough of politicians. The problem with current Federal, and NSW Labor is that they try and be more like the the Libs, more divise, more dispassionate, and less representative of the good folk who put them there in the first place.
As for all independents, wouldn’t work, there’d more back room deals and skullduggery. Conscience votes, well, you need a conscience to do that!
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