One of the really big issues Australia faces is the apparent disillusionment with the political process. In the last election 3,000,000 people decided not to vote. Why? My guess is that they were sick of Labor’s infighting and detached from anything Tony Abbott had on offer.
They couldn’t forgive Labor and, despite having major misgivings about Abbott, decided to give him a go. After all he had promised a no surprises, no excuses government that would govern for all. Competent, and above all, trustworthy. When eventually he was elected and the electorate had vented their anger at Labor he announced that the adults were in charge and set about “reforms” never mentioned in the election campaign.
We all know now that that was nonsense. Those who were of the right dutifully gave him their vote whilst the non-political, although a tad suspicious, took a chance. Those of us more politically circumspect sat back with fingers on our keyboards ready to type ‘I told you so’ in the boldest typeface.
The question will not be answered for some time yet but in my view Abbott will be a one term government. He has squandered so much political capital that he won’t be able to recover. Although if they were to change leader it might be a possibility. Even taking into account the complexities that can arise from the political process it is difficult to imagine a transformation that might turn things around. The electorate is heartily sick of the endless sound bites so suited to the Abbott style of gutter politics.
The Prime Minister has been branded and proven to be a malicious liar. He has to carry that with him to the next election. Ask Julia Gillard how difficult that is. Not only that. People have formed a profile of their leader and it isn’t pretty. He represents all that is wrong with our political process, discourse and the illusive notion of the democratic ideal. In fact they see him as having vandalised it.
One of my Facebook friends put it like this:
Our system of government has reached a critical low point where the value of every aspect of humanity that is supposed to embody political representation as a tool of collective representation has been eroded, destroyed and devalued beyond relevance.
Abbot has trashed trust, epitomised incompetency, legitimised lying, validated vindictive vitriol, beget bad behavior, betrayed bipartisanship, destroyed democracy, eroded equality, divided diversity, killed consensus, sidelined science, and is contemptuously corrupt and erroneously elitist (Ricky Pann).
It has been a leaderless dysfunctional government of unfairness, more intent on undoing than doing. Vindictive and ideologically obsessed with self-interest. A government with ministers seemingly out of touch with the electorate and their expectations. More focused on their expense accounts than servitude. Instead of governing for the common good it has been intent on serving those who voted for it.
Now on Christmas Eve the Prime Minister has grudgingly acknowledged some fault in presentation, conversation and explanation. He cannot however bring himself to the point of admitting gross errors of judgment. That he has been wrong, instead insisting he is on the right track with the right policies.
“A year of great achievement”, he says. The polls say otherwise.
His answer seemingly is to have a bells and whistles cabinet reshuffle take a long break over Christmas, reset the political agenda, sticking with the same policies with some re-working and everything will be fine again.
This of course is a fallacy. The New Year will begin with most of the same problems, an unresolved unequivocally unfair budget, doctors co-payment, revised family welfare, RET, emissions target, university fees, etc., not having been resolved, another budget to cope with in a matter of months, and many more unpalatable decisions on the way. In fact events of a world scale seem to be creating a set of almost insurmountable problems. He cannot possibly hope to be an emissary of good news.
Yet he thinks this can all be resolved with a holiday, a natural sun tan and some fresh faces. The ministry re shuffle has some positives and negatives. Participation for women in the ministry has doubled. I’m glad you cannot hear my laughter. Science has been reinstated but that might be in name only.
“Sometimes it helps if you put these things in the title”, Mr Abbott said.
The appointment of Josh Frydenberg as Assistant Treasurer was a no brainer. Kevin Andrews as defence Minister is a mystery. If you were looking to be rid of old wood then he would be the first to go. Dutton out of health was a necessity.
And the appointment of Scott Morrison to the Social Services Ministry will be deeply unpopular with the electorate. The budget failed on the basis of its unfairness. 41% of LNP voters agreed. Now he will be asked to sell the next one having a reputation for draconian demonization. A man who personifies the word unfair. His character is already stained with the word cruel. Remember Morrison recently blackmailed the Senate with the lives of children.His appointment contains a sinister message.
Giving him a portfolio that requires the ability to show firmness together with empathy, in my view lacks political intelligence and the implication is about more inequality.
“He is very tough and competent political operator but he is also a decent human being”.
The inference, I think, being that only tough people can do humane things.
The Prime Minister has so branded himself in the personality of an unmitigated liar and fool that no amount of re branding will earn the electorate’s forgiveness.
