While Albanese looks to the future, Morrison just talks about the past
1 Currently, we find the two aspirants for the position of Prime Minister talking about “stopping the boats” of a pastime. A fight won and is now strewn amongst the rocks of many islands in Australia’s political history book.
What Australians want is vision. They want a leader who can illustrate Australia’s future in 20, 30, and 50 years. This, of course, includes cleaning up the current mess.
I began writing this entry for my diary in the early hours of Tuesday, 19 April 2022. I was somewhat downcast until I saw the latest Newspoll results. They showed that Labor’s vote had held up despite Albo’s blunder on the first day. 53/47 said, The Poll Bludger. I thought it might collapse under the weight of frivolous reporting by the Murdoch press. Morgan followed up with 55/45 to Labor, and Essential has Labor just in front.
2 On News24, Morrison was still going on about boat turnbacks, offshore detention, third-country resettlement, and how Labor’s policy differed from the Coalition’s. A factcheck quickly settled that in Labour’s favour.
“For better or worse, Labor has agreed with the Coalition that nobody who came by boat since 2013 will be resettled in Australia. There is bipartisan support for boat turnback’s, offshore detention and third-country resettlement.”
3 A little later on, I found a reinvigorated Anthony Albanese. He looked like he had had a blood transfusion; such was his demeanour. He was spruiking Labor’s climate and energy policy into the future. He was talking about the future, about electric cars and their manufacture.
But talking about the future and its endless possibilities is just talk without the means of enabling it. This means restoring trust in our body politic. It must be a priority for a new government.
“A better politics is one where we appeal to each other’s basic decency instead of our basest fears. A better politics is one where we debate without demonising each other; where we talk issues and values and principles and facts rather than ‘gotcha’ moments or trivial gaffes or fake controversies that have nothing to do with people’s daily lives.” (President Barak Obama).
4 Restoring our democratic processes:
Albo must advocate for many changes. Take the high moral ground. Not everything will be able to be done at once. Labor will need to win by a margin that ensures two terms leading into a third.
I am drawing on a post titled; I was right back then, and I’m right now, which I wrote in 2017 for the following suggestions.
There is no doubt that the Australian political system needs repair, but it is not beyond it. Albanese needs to advance ways of opening our democracy to new ways of doing politics: ways that engage those who have been in a political malaise to feel part of the decision-making process again.
How about fixed four-year terms with a set date? Genuine reform of question time with an independent Speaker.
Albanese needs to promote the principle of transparency enthusiastically, advocating things like no advertising in the final month of an election campaign, and parties should submit all costings in the same time frame.
The people are sick to death of dog-eat-dog politics, of politicians who cannot think outside their yearnings for power at all costs.
Labor has never been better placed to win a contest of ideas. It must vigorously argue the case for action against growing inequality. Instead of pretending it is a Socialist party, be one.
Present national interest policy in common good terms. Create a willingness for bipartisan decisions when the common good reason demands it. Allow the House to accept the kudos of such extraordinary co-operation.
Never in the history of this nation have we been overflowing with such riches, but at the same time, those seeking our capital have never been as numerous.
We need to exercise our fairness, reason, compassion, and logic when determining what is affordable now and into the future.
We must talk about what is best for individuals, couples, families, employees, the arts, charitable institutions, groups, employers, retirees, welfare recipients, the aged, the infirmed, and decide how this cake of wealth is divided and how it is grown into the future.
Albanese needs to convince people of the need for a genuinely collective representative democracy that involves the people and encourages us to be creative, imaginative and exciting.
In a future world dependent on innovation and ideas, the government will be determined by those with a better grasp of the common good and not the pursuit of power for power’s sake.
5 And folks, that’s where I will have to end my diary for today. Alas, I have come down with a bout of Shingles, which has bedded me with fatigue. I would have liked to have said more, particularly about the debate. However, I can recommend Katharine Murphy’s analysis in The Guardian.
Until next time.
My thought for the day
Wouldn’t it be good if in our parliament, regardless of ideology, we had politician’s whose first interest was the peoples and not their own.
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16 comments
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New England Cocky -
wam -
John Lord -
wam -
Keitha Granville -
Harry Lime -
Terence Mills -
New England Cocky -
Diane Larsen -
margcal -
Terence Mills -
Terence Mills -
Harry Lime -
GL -
GL -
lawriejay
Return to home pageGet well soon JOhn Lord. May the Calomine Lotion sooth your condition.
A good read this morning, lord, To start with hope as to vision. Vision is no strongpoint of the conservatives and extremists.
Keep strong and do everything the doctor says, Rest up and read
However much you feel like it don’t scratch.
ps Remember the rabbott’s joey’s home buying hint of ‘get a good job’?
How about Kimberley Hone, national for Richmond who wants to bring god’s kingdom into parliament (another pentecostal) her solution to domestic violence is ‘marry well’.
beauty NEC I got a lecture from the head master for singing “you’re going to need an ocean of calamine lotion” in his hallowed assembly hall
Yes the Calamine Lotion is very soothing.
Went off to the pool, lord, feeling sad, after hearing a ch7 autocue ‘journalist’ ask fryburger, why they had cut millions from aid to the solomons.
She was oblivious to his non-answer that he had increased aid in the Pacific to nearly $2b.
I could see her brain thinking was there another question I was supposed to ask??? This type of ‘interviewer’, plenty on the ABC, is lamb to the slaughter for disingenuous pollies.
Acupuncture for shingles, worked for my dad many years ago.
Yes!!! 4 years fixed, same date for election every time, get rid of Dorothy Dixers, so much reform needed to restore any faith in the quality of debate and parliament.
Another of your fine articles,brimming with common sense and necessary actions,John.One can only assume Albanese and Labor are playing a cautious game after the calamity of last time…you can’t change anything from Opposition,but they sure as hell better come out swinging soon.And especially if they manage to form government,minority or otherwise.There’s going to a mountain of cleaning up to do after the destruction caused by the corruption and gross incompetence of Mendacity Morrison and his henchpeople.May you regain good health swiftly.
BTW,article by Tony Windsor in the Saturday Paper well worth a look.
wam
Sadly too many of these so called journalists don’t do their homework.
The facts are that the Coalition cut foreign aid spending in real terms for six budgets in a row between 2013-14 and 2018-19. Annual aid spending fell from $5.5 billion to $4.1 billion over that period, after adjusting for inflation.
However, the Morrison government has substantially lifted foreign aid spending as part of the coronavirus pandemic which reverses some of the huge funding cuts made to poor nations during the past decade.
Australia’s aid expenditure was $4.4 billion in 2020-21 an increase of 9 per cent on the previous financial year.
Had it not been for COVID and pressure from the WHO and others it is quite possible that the coalition would have continued with its cuts to foreign aid.
@ Harry Lime: Tony Windsor article link.
https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/opinion/topic/2022/04/23/rorters-rooters-and-the-countrys-lost-decade/165063600013751?fbclid=IwAR0MFRjfphXIoxMEHVG15MJeDhbYcKWOHInPMYoa0cbx2PODN8psDoVD4f8#mtr
What a loss Tony Windsor was to our parliament his Common sense cut through, hopefully some of the independents if elected will show the same manner of cooperation to obtain good results to change the current disfunctional system
John Lord … May you win your bout with shingles.
It can get pretty nasty – I hope you stay at the ‘least worst’ end of the spectrum.
I’m door-knocking and handing out flyers for Monique Dwyer. Doing my bit to get rid of “that shyster”.
Hope that’s a little bit of a comforting thought for you.
Now is opportune moment for Mr Albanese to announce a far reaching Royal Commission into Housing Affordability in Australia.
The ability of the younger generation being able to afford their own home is becoming more and more remote and unless we tackle this growing social problem head on we will suffer the consequences down the track.
CC ; Mr Anthony Albanese
I’m not sure of the authenticity of this but it sounds about right :
A man walks into a NSW Liberal recruitment office and says to the receptionist,
“I would like to put my name forward for the forthcoming elections to be a Liberal M.P.
The receptionist replied, “Certainly sir. Please fill in this form.”
He was filling the form OK until he came to the question – ”Are you circumcised?”
So he asked the receptionist, “Is this question necessary?”
She replied, “If you are circumcised you are not eligible.”
He then asked, “What difference does it make if I am circumcised?”
She replied, “To become a Liberal MP in NSW you have to be a complete dick.”
Thanks NEC,I’m no good at all that technology shit…on purpose.Harry.
Very good Terence…for a Sunday morning.
We got well and truly caught in the bathroom with our trousers down around our ankles and now we’re desperate to clean the floor and cover up the whole matter.
https://www.news.com.au/national/federal-election/peter-dutton-denies-warning-of-chemical-attack-used-to-frighten-australians/news-story/ef608fb69d48b44dfa4fcea80620f47f
All this proves is the brown trousers desperation of Scummo and Crony Co. Inc. and their struggle with things blowing up in their faces left, right and centre. This is just pathetic and puerile attempt at trying to show how squeaky clean they are. No way would they sink to sink into the depths of sewer politics and vileness. Hmm, Sam Dastyari, Manchurian Candidate Marles, The Reichspud and his ongoing hatred of the Chinese easily spring to mind and I’m sure that we could find many more of the same filthy tactics of which they are accusing Labor.
@3.15 pm.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2022/apr/24/australia-live-news-updates-federal-election-2022-scott-morrison-anthony-albanese-covid-coronavirus-labor-pledges-500-indigenous-health-staff-katherine-deves-trans-womens-sport
How fortunate we are at this time of China building up its naval presence in the Pacific to have in POWer Scott Morrison a self styled fishing boat stopper of proven success?
We have no problem so long as Scott remains in Kirribilli a ferry ride to Admiralty House, Garden Island and Fort Denison – stop the boats headquarters ?
We will remember – they stopped the boats !