The Paradox Of Politics Or Why I Hate Everybody…
Actually, I don’t hate everybody. Let me be quite clear about this: I don’t hate actual people but I do hate their stupidity. Particularly, when it comes to politicians, the media and people with vested interests that try to pretend that they’re only concern is for others but this idea that’ll cost them several million dollars is bad for everyone and that their objection is not just out of self-interest but from a deep, altruistic concern for the whole universe.
Notwithstanding that, I must say that Labor are doing an excellent job at lowering expectations. I refer, of course, to their decision to leave the question about LGTBI+ people off the Census, only to reinstate some of the letters while ignoring others. This, of course, gave Dutton the chance to link those two words that can never be parted: “woke” and “nonsense”…
“Woke” is one of those wonderful concepts. It’s a bit like “communism” in that 98% of people who use it couldn’t define it… Or rather, they could, if one accepts “ideas I disapprove of” as just as valid as the Oxford Dictionary… (Yes, I know! Why should we let those academics who write dictionaries decide what words mean or even how to spell them. My spelling is just as vallud as the nexx guy’s and so wot if Trump got sumthink rong?)
Whatever, the general consensus is that we’re heading for a hung parliament where The Greens and Labor will have to work together and that will just be a disaster, according to people who completely ignore that more gets accomplished when they actually DO work together and don’t try to make each other look bad. Recently, in Victoria, The Greens and Labor agreed on a tax of 7% on short term stays which will go to social housing, as well as giving councils and body corporates some extra power about restrictions on such things. This, of course, led to several property owners ringing talkback to complain that it would just lead to higher costs which they would pass on to the holiday maker. My favourite would have to be the one who said that if this went ahead, she’d stop doing short term rentals and put a tenant in on long term lease. Oh no, someone being able to rent a place to live? What about those poor people wanting to go on holiday!
This lead to a predictable response from the Liberal shadow treasurer who suggested that this would lead to many people selling their accomodation, but no, lots of properties on the market wouldn’t make it easier for first home buyers because an increase in supply only brings down prices when the Liberals want that to be a problem.
Unfortunately, the recent legislation about the CFMEU wasn’t a situation where The Greens and Labor worked together. I say, unfortunately, because it meant that Labor negotiated with the Coalition, which led to lots of things that The Greens didn’t want.
While the ins-and-outs of the whole saga are complicated, it’s fair to say that the politics will be hard to read. On one hand, we have Labor fighting with a union while The Greens offer support. On the other, the fact that there are unions protesting what Labor has done may make the charge of Labor being under their thumb less convincing so it’s hard to know whether it’ll be a negative for them or not. Whatever, it was interesting that the media suddenly found John Setka a credible person worth interviewing… Now, I’m not saying that he’s not; merely that he seemed to follow a well-worn path of anyone expelled from the Labor Party where the media is calling for their head, only to find them a very interesting talking head once they’re on the outer.
So, according to the media, support for Labor is plummeting and we’ll have a very close election. As I always say, making predictions is easy; getting them right is hard because things change. However, I must say that I always find it interesting that political commentators place so much store in the polls, only to complete ignore large parts of them that don’t suit their narrative. The concern for Labor is that the polls are suggesting that support for them is dropping. The good news for Labor is that – in spite of recent mistakes – the polls are all suggesting a close election. As an incumbent government, there is always the chance to actually do something to boost your popularity, rather than simply promise it.
As for Peter Dutton winning back the “teal seats”, it does seem a strange strategy to be talking about cutting back on renewables and rethinking our emissions targets when a large part of the reason that the Liberals lost those seats was that while they were talking about net zero that was the sum total of what they were doing to combat climate change: zero. Who knows though, these seats may swing back because of the Liberals superior economic management. When Labor came to office inflation was over 6% and it’s now under 4%. The Liberals think that this isn’t good enough because – if they were in power – they’d have had a bigger surplus even though they haven’t had a surplus since Costello was Treasurer.
Whatever happens, I suspect that the morning after the election will have “Insiders” with Samantha Maiden, Phil Coorey and David Speers all talking about how this election would have been different if it wasn’t for the things that made it turn out the way it did and that one thing was whole story and that if it hadn’t been for that one thing then we’d have had a completely different result. Like I said, making predictions is easy; getting them right is hard because things change.
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13 comments
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Kerri -
Terence Mills -
leefe -
Phil Pryor -
OldWomBat -
Bert -
Truth Teller -
Bert -
Truth Teller -
Clakka -
paul walter -
OldWomBat -
paul walter
Return to home pageI am waiting for whoever does those politician artworks that say HOPE, FIZZER, etc to do one of Albo saying DISAPPOINT.
It seems that some in the media think that the Australian Bureau of Statistics and the 2026 census should be a means of hooking-up, an alternative to Grindr !
Honestly, Rossleigh, how do you expect us to take you seriously when you can’t even spell sumpfink properly?
I do not hate everybody, just like others say about their attitudes for public focus. Hatred is self defeating, if you lose ground. Love one another, and lose over time. About hating, there are exceptions, because, one can never, (nobody) be clear of hatred, for fear, suspicion, threat, oppression, coercion, revulsion, all actually exist. So, Rupert? Donald? Scott? Elon?
I am so tired of the negativity coming from every side. Ten years of neglect were never going to be corrected in 3 or 4 years. When labour assumed government every organisation, every interest group, every issue suddenly was everyone’s top priority. Everyone had their hand out for more funding, or less taxes, and so it goes. Labour could do more, they could do better, but they are making some progress which we haven’t seen from a government in 10 years. Yes their low target strategy sucks and they should be more aggressive and ambitious. I fear that this constant negativity from the lnp, the greens and the media, will only serve to put the government out, resume the lnp announcements but no actions mode of government and an unrolling of the good things that have been achieved. I just find it so disheartening.
Going back just a few Prime Ministers, to say, Julia Gillard….. hung parliament, yet passed a lot of very sound legislation, to be undone by the Abbott government.
The idea of a hung parliament has its upside, that legislation has to be negotiated, debated, scrutinised in committee.
Good government is dependent on good opposition and a will to seek out what is best for the ‘governed’, not what is best for which ever vested interest is propping up the government of the day.
“The likelihood of a hung parliament after the next Election is probably higher than it has ever been.” A common thought lately.
Oddly enough though, every Liberal Party Gov’t since 1949 (except 1975, 1977 & 1996) has been a coalition that forms majority government due to elections resulting in a ‘hung parliament’. That is, no single party had won more than 50% of the seats.
It’s very strange how the media and politicians never point out that the ‘LNP Coalition’ is a grouping of at least four separate parties. Should Labor need one or two Independents/Greens/Other to form a majority, it is seen as the end of civilization as we know it.
It’s a trivial detail, I know. But it pisses me off whenever it pops up.
Keep up the good work.
Truth Teller,
A coalition agreement is not a hung parliament. It is when parties come together to form government, sharing ministerial portfolios, effectively acting as one party.
A hung party is where no single party or coalition of parties has the numbers to form a majority government.
The two are distinctly different.
@Bert,
The two are absolutely not different in any way. The Liberals and Nationals have merely short circuited the process of trying to form a government after an election process by having a “ready to go” grouping of at least FOUR separate parties. (Liberal, National, LNP, CLP, etc.)
The seats held in Federal Parliament Upper and Lower Houses are only held by Registered Parties – Labor, Liberal, Greens, Independent, etc, etc. The only REGISTERED LNP party is in the state of Qld, where there is no Liberal or National Party. The Liberals and Nationals officially merged many years ago.
Any party in the Federal LNP COALition can leave at any time. Which would probably lead to a motion of No Confidence in the remaining coalition, as they then would probably be in minority.
You may find a short explanation of these points on Wikipedia, or somewhere similar.
Yes OldWomBat, I agree,
Does anybody really know what they want, vs what they need, vs what they can squeal about and perhaps get their mits on? Ha ha ha haaar, rights vs responsibilities, perhaps initially implanted via the gobs of protectionist pathalogical parents who have no inclination or time to obtain varied insights or wisdom – after all it’s a race. And as for forming ‘community’ as a marketplace of humane interaction, nah, stranger danger. With the blood thoroughly saturated with colonialism, there’s a bias towards enclaves from which warriors can launch incursions, and perhaps gain medals, as in sports clubs and their hard taskmasters, or the constant stream of divisive brutal dribble from the mainstream media and inane conspiratorial absolutist dross from social media.
What use of hating those so affected and stuck? I much prefer having disregard for those peddling the diversions.
I came across a phrase yesterday, seems very much appropriate for today, “a `multiperson solipsism’ – that we create the
world by our own imaginations.” A term coined way back by Robert Heinlein. Perhaps, it could be revised to “… – that we create the world by our own imaginations, or not.”
OldWomBat.. Haven’t read you for ages. Welcome back to the land of the living. Largely agree with what you say but think you unfair to lump the Greens with MSM and dog in the manger Tories.
HI Paul. I lump the Greens with the LNP and MSM in terms of their long-term negativity towards the alp – which is, in fact, bi-directional. It seems that the Greens just can’t accept that in many instances a small step forward provides the basis for further improvement, whereas rejection means nothing happens. While I agree with many of their aims, I find their approach to achieving them often counter productive. Perhaps it’s the nature of our whole political environment and a minority government might be a step forward to improving it. But for that to work, more compromise and working together will be required. For it to be successful and lasting will require education of the general public to overcome the land-slide of abuse and negativity that will surely flow from those festering sores the lnp and msm.
Phil Pryor made a good comment. Not so much individuals but their policies and the damage to come…you do wonder at the mentality of some of these people.