Ahhh Election Time

Hello Dear Rambling Masses,

It has been a long time since last I blogged. The reason for this is that I have been swept away by mediocrity. The way in which the fine country of Australia has been governed has been a very steady does it affair. It has also proved to me that no matter what side of the old left-right spectrum of the political divide in which you reside, the modern era does not actually allow for any differentiation. The old adage has now become same shit same shovel. Whether you are labor or liberal does not matter - they both ineffectually stumble towards the same beige washed-out populist policies.

We are living in a time where the possibilities are endless. General levels of wealth are so high in this country that supposedly "unpopular" but needed policies that address such things as environmental sustainability, energy independence, long-term planning of infrastructure in major population centres, and the very concept of what Australia should and could be, could be implemented with only a modicum of forward thinking and political bravery.

However, the two major political parties in this country continue to race each other to the bottom of the barrel, providing no clear alternatives. Instead of viable and well thought out alternative policies, the Liberals continue to founder in their state of "what the hey - how did we lose the last election? Oh, and what promises and scare campaigns can we employ to win the next one?" Labor continues to pander, ever more, to the unions, now that they have gotten rid of Rudd and put the Cath and Kim-esque Julia Gillard in power.

The problem is that, as has so often been the case in this country, there is no forward thinking. There are only policy decisions made as far as the next election. The next 3-4 years in office is the only goal. What this means is that Australia is sold short by the people who are meant to have her best interests as their prime concern. Instead, they pander to what their media trainers tell them is the best bet at winning the next election.

Take for example the current major election platform of boat people. My God, how is it possible that such a non-event could make it on to the public radar, much less be a major policy differentiator? There are, what, 1,000 - 2,000 people that arrive by boat every year. What effect does this really have on the masses?

That is the question I apply to any political policy, and so should you all. I realise that there is only so much pie, and it has to be sliced up in a certain way. So, in the cold harsh light of day, I realise that not everyone will get their wishes whenever policy decisions are made. There is not enough pie to go around to please absolutely everyone. So, things like health, education, defence, public transport and the like should get the lions share of the attention. Most of these areas have fallen into a sad state in the past 20 years or so, and desperately need some REAL leadership instead of just rhetoric to fix them.

So, I ask you, how many people are affected by boat people? I would suggest that about 1,500 - 2,000 people are affected - and these are people who are gainfully employed to look after the boat people currently detained - so that's a good thing, right? They have jobs. This means that this particular issue affects almost 0.01% of the population. Hello? What am I missing. This has been announced as a major election platform by both of the major political parties. So, let's just listen to the scare-mongering cliches from both sides of the political divide, and hope that the government we elect is the best at protecting us from the "hordes".

Why the hell don't they spend their time coming up with some genuine (and I admit difficult) solutions to the problems that affect 70-80, even 90 percent of the population, such as the shithouse medical facilities, dodgy education, crap public transport in major urban areas, energy concerns, unsustainable practices, environmental disasters, etc.?

Because, dear readers, they are modern politicians. Big on promises, but lacking in actual ideas or forward thinking. The problems are many. The solutions are well within our reach to accomplish. They do require a real government, and that is something we haven't had in a long time. I don't hold out much hope, because no matter who wins the next election, it will be same shit, same shovel.