Imagine
Imagine if we had a leader who proudly declared that this country is doing well and is well-placed to face the challenges of the future.
Imagine if we had a leader who recognised our potential.
Imagine if we had a leader who understood that we are all different, a product of our individual circumstances and experiences.
Imagine if we had a leader who, rather than labelling us as leaners or bludgers or illegals, recognised that there are periods in people’s lives where they may need some help.
Imagine if we had a leader who embraced new technology and was keen to be at the forefront of research and development.
Imagine if we had a leader who identified the real dangers facing us – climate change, inequality, poverty, homelessness, disadvantage.
Imagine if we had a leader who viewed education as a right for all children and a priority in preparing our country for the future.
Imagine if we had a leader who understood the potential of high speed broadband.
Imagine if we had a leader who saw renewable energy as a competitive advantage.
Imagine if we had a leader who felt an obligation to help lift other countries out of poverty.
Imagine what we could be if we had a leader who inspired us to hope.
48 comments
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q41019573 -
diannaart -
Roswell -
JohnB -
MIssPamela -
Peter F -
Kaye Lee -
diannaart -
stuffme -
Sir ScotchMistery -
marg1 -
flohri1754 -
MIssPamela -
Keitha Granville -
Kaye Lee -
Jexpat -
mars08 -
diannaart -
Kaye Lee -
stephentardrew -
iggy648 -
myzania3350 -
Kaye Lee -
gangey1959 -
jimhaz -
Kaye Lee -
stuffme -
Kaye Lee -
DanDark -
Matters Not -
Kaye Lee -
diannaart -
Roswell -
diannaart -
Loz -
Don Winther -
MariaE -
Kaye Lee -
Kyran -
Wally -
Matters Not -
eli nes -
Kyran -
@RosemaryJ36 -
diannaart -
Sir ScotchMistery -
philgorman2014 -
Wally
Return to home pageWOW, reminds me of J’acuse.
Imagine if our leader believed in us, Australia.
Imagine if John Lennon was still with us.
The chances of the Liberals coughing up a good leader are as remote as John Lennon returning from the grave.
Where was I reading – can’t remember – a new leader would be installed in the government not for the protection of the country, but to protect the governments chances of being re-elected.
Imagine if we had a leader who put Australian citizens best interest ahead of trans-national corporate profits.
Kay – this reminds me of The Impossible Dream (The Quest). It must be possible.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KufFjcWOUQ
@ Miss Pamela —–Speaking of tilting at windmills.
I am so sick of the negativity and the blame game. If you can only get to the top by stepping on other people then you don’t deserve to be there. This country IS doing well and it’s time we took back the narrative and reminded our politicians of that. They play their own game, fighting for their own jobs, happy to drag us all down, when the truth is that this country is a magnificent place to live. Sure, we will always have things we could and should do better – that should be the basis for our action plan rather than a cause of woe. Life is an attitude and the attitude of our politicians needs rewiring.
Miss Pamela, I play that song on the piano and sing VERY loud 🙂
Exactly, Kaye Lee.
The way Abbott, Morrison, Hockey, Pyne et al speak of us is insulting, demeaning and shows a lack of respect and trust. Theirs is an authoritarian, punitive form of governance. Which is why it is so energising to imagine something better, something that has an integral truth.
Thank you Kaye Lee. We can at least imagine…
Imagine if we had a leader instead of a reframed ruler.
Imagine if he was Australian.
Imagine if he told the truth.
Imagine if he could speak and think.
Imagine. At the moment we don’t have many options.
Thanks Kaye Lee – imagine indeed.
Excellently put …. thanks for that …. John Lennon’s “Imagine” plea would certainly fall as a pearl before swine with the current leadership …
Imagine if Abbott believed (and acted) as a really great leader, Nelson Mandela, did:- “A good leader can engage in debate frankly and thoroughly, knowing that he and the other side must be closer, and thus emerge stronger.”
However, Mandela went on to say: “You don’t have that idea when you are arrogant, superficial and uninformed.” Hmm – Unfortunately the last statement sounds like the leader we currently have.
Imagine if we had a good leader!
Thanks Kaye – we have to keep imagining, we have to keep on striving for better leaders. It’s in our hands to put people into parliament who believe in a decent future, instead of those who keep carping about the past and how bad it was. It wasn’t, and it can be brilliant. Keep on bringing us messages of encouragement and hope. By the time of next election there will be enough of us who do IMAGINE.
Our politicians are NOT the best brains in the country (and nor should they be, it would be a waste). They are NOT the people who contribute most to society – I put nurses top of that list. They need to shut up and listen and stop trying to tell US what the problems are because a number on a balance sheet sure isn’t one of them, yet they are changing our lives for this silly goal – a number printed in black.
As I wrote about recently, our debt after WW2 was 120% yet they decided to build the Snowy Mountain Hydro Scheme. I was born the same year as Tony Abbott and I can tell you that we grew up during halcyon times. We did not feel burdened by the debt or even aware of it and we had no trouble getting a job (or several in fact). I refuse to let him make me fearful so he can keep his job. He doesn’t have a clue.
You might be casting your net a bit too broadly there, Kaye Lee.
Imagine if the vast majority of Australian voters were well informed and DEMANDED real, compassionate, principled leadership!!!
Imagine a 4th Estate without Murdoch.
Jexpat,
Not sure to what you are specifically referring but I agree that I cast a wide net. It is the best way to catch ideas.
Imagine if we strive to make it that way with compassion and kindness.
They may say you’re a dreamer, but you’re not the only one.
Exactly.
Funny, I said something similar yesterday on the blog….
I’m added this article to the list of ones that prove my point at the bottom.
We can only imagine.
I hope some day you’ll join us, and the world can live as one
Imagine who TA is going to blame when he is the first one up against the wall when the revolution comes.
Imagine if we had a population able to properly recognise truth twisting, lies and propaganda
Imagine if we had a population able to properly recognise that greed does not bring happiness
Imagine if we had a population able to properly recognise that cooperation and openness brings safety and productivity
Imagine if we had a population able to properly recognise that US lead plutocracisation of politics and capitalism generally is out of control and needs must be severely moderated
Imagine if we had a population able to properly acknowledge overpopulating the world is dangerous
And just for me
Imagine an Australia where kids were taught to understand themselves and others and to think rationally via the teaching of philosophy throughout their school life
Tony has always been against a wall all his life. He has been encouraged to believe that he is more capable then he actually is which means he has never really fitted in. No wonder he is so aggressive – he doesn’t have the skills to deal with his situation and that leads to frustration. He can’t understand why we don’t like him.
Spot on Kaye. I’m a bit older, only once did I go more than a couple of weeks with out a job. That was when Howard was in, the man who did nothing for Aus.
You make a good point jimhaz that it is the population that has the power to direct the politicians. We must demand better if we want it. We must inform ourselves (and others) and understand how important our one little vote is.
Imagine if we didn’t have a ‘leader’ at all but nevertheless had a great surfeit of ‘leadership’.
The notion that we need a permanent ‘leader’ belongs to yesteryear. Sure we may wish to designate a particular ‘leader’ to tackle a particular task at hand but the same ongoing ‘leader’ for each and every task is just a nonsense.
We need much more emphasis on ‘leadership’ and less on the ‘leader’.
Just observe a high performing ‘group’ and notice how ‘leadership’ comes from each member. In different amounts and at different times. And how it’s moved around.
stuffme,
I was given a Commonwealth Scholarship for my last two years of high school, a teachers scholarship for uni, I had several part-time jobs whilst studying (and after) and was guaranteed a job at the end as I was bonded (they pay my tuition for four years, I promise to work for them for four years wherever they say…if I don’t then I have to pay the money back).
Our needs were simpler in those days but our possibilities were endless.
Matters Not
Absolutely – look what happens if a single leader is completely and utterly barking mad.
Imagine the 5th Estate without Kaye Lee.
Too horrible to imagine.
Roswell
Scrub those words – not even thinkable.
We had that leader in Julia Gillard.
“Imagine if we had a leader who felt an obligation to help lift other countries out of poverty.”
We have done a lot to lift China, Korea etc as almost every thing we own has been made or grown overseas at an enormous cost to our own skilled and unskilled workforce. We cant and dont all want to be accountants and lawyers or to work as topless barmaids. There used to be something in between.
“Its all for sale” thanks Tony.
“Imagine if we had an opposition who planned to vote AGAINST Abbott’s metadata laws” At almost 70 y.o. and a life-long Labor supporter, am angry and disillusioned.
Matters Not,
Leaders should be someone who can delegate while they do the PR. Unfortunately ours can’t do either.
To my way of thinking, a leader is inclusive, not exclusive. A person who can understand common aspirations and encourage us to achieve them. Not seek fears or divisions and exploit them. Matters Not, I think the leader is the spark that ignites the conversation. Then listens to the conversation. These days, I have George Harrison’s “While my guitar gently weeps” in my head, and yearn for John Lennon’s “Imagine”. I seriously hope the circus in Canberra has the internetty thing so they can see this site. Hey ASIO, you awake? Take care
Great article hit the nail right on the head but unfortunately I don’t think Tony Abbott has the intelligence to comprehend your perspective Kaye Lee and that is very worrying. I wonder how this clown finished primary school, he obviously bullied others to do his school work in secondary school and at university.
Kaye Lee said:
While Kyran said:
While I agree, ‘sort of’, I think I’ve failed to get my point across.
In short, the emphasis on the ‘leader’ underplays the importance of ‘leadership’: a concept that goes far above and beyond what a particular leader provides. In a ‘real’ democracy, ‘leadership’ comes from the ‘many’ rather than the ‘one’, or even the few. And it must happen constantly. On an ongoing basis.
Radical? Probably. But if we believe in ‘democracy’ in any deep and meaningful way, then we shouldn’t limit same to a decision made once every three or four years.
Do we believe that ‘education’ however defined should only happen between the hours of nine to three? Etc etc
such a person doesn’t exist outside of a cave in tibet.
Imagine if we had journalists who were informed and honest?
I may have put it badly, Matters Not. I don’t believe a leader has to be another god. We have more than enough, and have a look at where that’s getting us. I was referring to a leader as a quality, not a celebrity. And I fully agree, leadership is far more important than the individual leader. There have been great aspirational leaders, Martin Luther King, Gandhi, Mandela, Whitlam. I’m sure many posters can add to this list. What made them leaders was that “they had a dream” and could bring we, the people, with them. They must listen, every day. I think that is why this parliament is so sorely lacking. They have no dream, and no ears. Take care
Kaye rated nurses first. I would add teachers to that. Education and good health provided by caring people are the key to open minds in healthy bodies. We all have our additional and often essential skills to add but without the basics we will not be able to question the status quo and seek to improve life for the less fortunate. And I fully agree that leadership is essential and can be shared by a team.
I agree Rosemaryj36, MattersNot
Leadership can be done by consensus, collaboration – while we continue, as we have for centuries,to continue with the anachronistic idea there must be only one leader we will continue to have problems when, inevitably, a leader emerges who simply cannot lead.
People are wanting change – old, ancient systems of a single dominant (too often alpha) over the rest of us is no longer working (unless the leader is a rare creature such as Martin Luther King, Gandhi, Mandela, Whitlam and I am going to surprise everyone by adding Gillard – she progressed under extraordinary circumstances – people such as Oakeshott, Windsor speak of her communication and negotiation skills – definitely a collaborative leader.
Imagine if the LOTO and the PM (not the current lot, obviously) were granted equal power and had to work with each other.
Imagine a couple of leaders who actually did represent most Australians.
http://www.shrm.org/publications/managingsmart/pages/spring-2013-collective-leadership.aspx
@Maria E and everyone else really, imagine if the opposition actually were an opposition, planning on Australia being wonderful again, one day. An opposition who aren’t paid by exactly the same people who pay the current government to get laws passed (think CSG, think mining companies, think generators, think oil companies, think alcohol companies, think grocery companies.
I asked the now deputy premier of Queensland a couple of days before the last debacle (sorry – election), whether she would refuse a job with a coal company or other major donor the next time she isn’t in parliament.
A quiet “no”, was the response.
Imagine what our children’s future could look like if only they were taught to be compassionate, creative, co-operative, caring people.
@philgorman2014 your comment has a lot of merit but I would also include “common sense”. Imagine if young adults actually accepted responsibility for their own actions, would be a much better world.