Fixed Four Year Terms Seemed Like a Good Idea

Overnight here in Oz our NSW State Labor Government has been predictably routed after four years of disfunction and eight years of empty political policy announcements. The outcome reflects the infighting amongst Labor over the privatisation of 'electricity' in NSW.

They dumped a Leader then spent 3 years fighting over the decisions while about once a month a Minister resigned due to corruption, mismanagement or scandal [often undeserved but brought to light by enemies]!!

Even so it comes at the end of a period of total disfunction:

- Announced, re-announced and cancelled rail projects

- Electricity

- Parachuting of candidates

- Corruption amongst powerbrokers

- Colleagues turning on each other

- in house leaks against Ministers

- Cross City Tunnel

- Sydney Metro

- It goes on and on...

The problem goes way back to a perception we were sick of quick Elections and the bringing in of fixed four terms... which seemed like a good idea at the time... and even saw the Governor seeking legal advice 12 months ago as the public outcry to 'bring it on' dominated mainstream media...

Basically, the state has been waiting for March 26th to turf out a poor government which shouldn't have been elected four years ago but confirmed that every month since. Nathan Rees was a good Leader who was axed after infighting and Kristina Keneally would have made a good Premier. She is a person of insight, intelligence and gravitas who is well grounded and did a credible job of 'reinventing.' But as they say 'the people had stopped listening' and this was always going to happen. That to me explains the poor polling and lack of impact of the generational change.

Never in my lifetime did I ever expect to talk about "The Liberal Member for the State Seat of Newcastle"!! Jodie McKay has done a good job after being 'parachuted' in and causing major ructions last time around... to no avail in the end.

Prior to all this I had been thinking about 'getting involved' and had identified that the local branch meets monthly at a local Club... I'd love to be engaged in community political activity and have carried that since High School BUT my own future is suitably in flux at present and I didn't have the energy right now.... in any case the local Member Sonia Hornery has done well despite marching to a different drum than the party machine in advocating local issues!!

Finally, the Greens and Independents have shown how their fortunes are tied to public perception and 'the times'... Independents came in due to disaffected Nationals voters who showed their feelings about the decision to back Labor Federally and I think the 'carbon tax' cost the Greens...

Climate Change needs a big picture focus on language which allows the public to enter the debate and to clearly understand what measures will help and what they'll cost... the sooner the better, just not simply tied to the sometimes extreme 'green' view.

Hmmnn, interesting times... 'Liberal Member for Newcastle' are you mad!!!!

At the end of the day privatisation, failure to tackle long term issues like transport, health and planning show self interest, lack of compassion and people unable to translate their community minded motives into constructive change and progress across the state... "Blessed are those who use public office for their own advancement ahead of the future of a statewide group of people" I guess...

Wordle or Word Clouds

I notice this week that the mainstream media have just discovered 'Wordle' or equivalent Word Cloud software!! Wordle is an online site where you can plug in a whole lot of text and produce a groovy word picture where weighting is given to words mentioned most often. It's an 'at a glance' way of checking your emphasis. The weekend papers used it to compare a narrative about Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott and their key messages. Today they followed up with more on Julia [our new Oz PM, our first female PM]!! To illustrate here's a news story about the new PM in Wordle form!!

Aussie Politics, ETS and Malcolm Turnbull

Tough choice for Malcolm Turnbull this week if he chose to see it this way... principle and common sense or integrity and some gains vs politics, weasel words and unity of an inherrently divided Party which is yet to fully embrace it's comprehensive defeat last Election.
On Channel Nine this morning Malcolm Turnbull spoke passionately, coherently an honestly about his own outlook and the Party decisions around the Emissions Trading Scheme. He made it clear that despite close decisions, both the Cabinet and Party Room endorsed their work and his leadership. This does mean that at some point Nick Minchin and others finally had enough of holding the line and want to wreck the Party as climate change naysayers who haven't got their way. It must be true that not only would Joe Hockey be seen as a more palatable leader, but he'd have to toe their line, otherwise why change!!

Laurie Oakes tried to put the case that Turnbull would lose on Tuesday and that likely it would be to Joe Hockey... would it not be better if he stood aside for the sake of the party. The counter is of course that this would leave what remains at the whim of those who would take 'no position' on climate change [despite their claims its all about waiting until after Copenhagen] and would lead to decimation at the next election either way!!

Interesting territory for an interview between one persons principle, a pretty straightforward choice on a complex issue and whether politics or a persons real convictions will hold sway!! Ihave always been impressed with what I see and know of Malcolm Turnbull and that was only enhanced by this interview... whatever happens on Tuesday!!
The government on the other hand has done terrible job of explaining the issues to the Australian public and on this and so many other fronts the Rudd Government comes up short on susbstance and very busy with spin and grand gesture!! This is a shame because their agenda is sound and their perspectives are forward thinking... it's just gloss in so many ways however!!

Wow! History in the Making

Congratulations to Barack Obama!!
Apparently 'Yes We Can'!

Defence Department Document Leak

As avid newspaper readers a standard line at our place about suss stories is "we'll hear more about that!" e.g. the teary husbands appeal for information about his wife's disappearance, strange government information, erratic behaviour by celebrities or business figures etc etc...

How come when people all across the country are frustrated that despite Freedom of Information [FOI] Legislation they can rarely access sensitive information they are seeking... the name of a troop entertaining actress and tv host and the rumour of 'who knew what' is leaked to the aussie news media!!

Tania Zaetta [former co host of 'Who Dares Wins' and recent bollywood starlet] was named in a document alledging she had sex with troops in Afghanistan while touring with other entertainers. Angry Anderson was listed as source of the inuendo and denies this also... "we'll hear more about that!"

It seems Tania received $70,000 from a current affirs show to 'tell her story' and the government and military have at least four lines of enquiry underway... tremendous!!

'Things Older Than John McCain'

The Republican Presidential hopeful John McCain [some would call moderate, war hero, 72 year old] has recently been forced to make his medical record public in an effort to allay fears about his health as what would be the oldest elected US President!!

Here's a fun blog to catch up on things younger than McCain!!

For example:
The Magic Eight Ball
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Penecillin
The Postcode/Zip Code
Jack Nicholson
and the humble shopping trolley

Interesting Momento from the Howard Years

Four weeks ago I was walking through Eastwood and a corflute political poster had come free from the telegraph pole in Benelong. I grabbed it from the footpath thinking 'if I drive past the campaign office I'll drop it in, if not I have cleared up some litter from the street and it'd be an interesting piece of political history [pictured above].

Former ABC journo/presenter Maxine McKew seems to have created history where boundary changes over recent years have increasingly moved this electorate west and made it more and more marginal. Maxine was described by Kevin Rudd as him 'messing with John Howard's head' and she meant he had to spend weekends at home and not touring marginals!!

She just may have won the seat and saved the trouble of a by-election from John Howard's resignation!!

Oh Dear!!

This is what happens when you "tow the party line" for over 3 years and basically have to pretend to be someone your not!! I'm not talking about Peter Garrett's latest kerfuffle over the "we'll change them all when we get in" comment... although thats part of it!!

It's more how someone so articulate, informed and coherent can become a media target repeatedly!!

To me that's because if you set your agenda, form your views and stick to your guns you can't say the wrong thing!! BUT if your task is to make yourself and your mob the 'smallest target possible' then you have to constantly watch your p's and q's... almost impossible for someone so vitally interested in making the world a better place!!

Disowning your own lyrics as a compilation or the views of others in your band
Tip-toeing around strong 'green views' for the sake of party policy
Endorsing a new Pulp Mill thru gritted teeth


Yes, I'm sure Bill Leak's 'lost voice' cartoon has some short term accuracy and pain attached!!
But hopefully PG can keep an eye on the bigger picture but use that energy to steer clear of further gaffe's [stuff up's]

Perhaps he's missing the impatient count in or foot tapping of Rob Hirst as another sweat soaked rant hits the air in any pub you name BUT Hirst fires up the drums to signal its time for a song Pete!! Maybe he should be on your front office staff!!

Here's the Problem

I have no problem stating on the record that as a person interested in politics [with latent ambition to stand for preselection in my mid twenties] my personal standpoint has radically changed over the years!! I was once a radical capitalist based on the premise of reward for effort, small government and the market forces being enough to provide for a country so isolated as Oz!!

Only after my teens did my ethics, faith and life experience convince me of the need for social action, siding with the poor. We need leaders with long term vision. Since Keating floated the dollar we have not been in danger of real decline and our attention should turn to how we spend the huge tax windfalls coming the way of Federal and State Governments!!

Here's my dilemma....
I cannot vote Liberal/National because of:
My commitment to reconciliation
A belief that work choices is based on the wrong assumptions and goals
Iraq
University funding cuts
Privatisation of key public utilities
Our dreadful treatment of asylum seekers

BUT...
neither do I particularly like what I see and hear from Kevin Rudd!!
I'm with Dame Edna... do we really want a Prime Minister called "Kevin"... no offence!!

I could vote for someone with a genuine long term vision for sharing wealth with all
Usable public transport
Strategies against global warming
A policy about social capital and the ability of people to serve
An index measuring the health and well being of our community alongside our GDP
A 25 year plan and vision for the values we might espouse
to name just a few things...

Saw Kevin on TV today with his polling [so to speak] and it all seems a bit hollow to me!!
So I guess what I hear is a poll driven and safe campaign banging away at what research tells them makes the government vulnerable and no straying into potential minefields just in case your ideas don't gel!!

C- for me, can do better... and that includes the shackles currently attached to the Shadow Environment Minister...