Interesting times ahead.

August 23rd, 2010

Well the weekend is done and dusted and we all now await the result of some more counting. I am sure all of us have our political leanings for whatever reasons. Maybe we prefer a party because of our family upbringing, our student experiences, or make up our own mind based on TV adverts etc. Maybe we like a candidate or maybe we actually take the time to peruse policies but whatever our reasons for voting as we do I think this past weekend has sounded a clear message or two.

The first message to the Labor Party is “we will follow where you lead as long as you deliver on your promises and don’t stuff thinks up.. including your leadership”  I thought that in 2007 Kevin Rudd was offering a chance for change and some real vision for our nation and it’s place on the International stage. I think he was daring and reacted well to the financial crisis that followed his win but the delivery of his promises left a lot to be desired. None of us wants to see our hard earned taxes squandered and we don’t want to see mates of mates profiting at the wider communities’ expense. Maybe programmes failed because of our political and bureacratic systems but at the end of the day, the politicians have to face the music. Sadly Kevin didn’t even get the chance to do that!

The Liberal party had a few goes at finding a leader but settled on Tony. Tony grates on my nerves for many reasons (as does Julia..) but he galvanised the country with his down to earth attitude and he did gather party support behind him. I think we need a Government very separated from religion and I want a National fast broadband scheme. I also worry about the Liberal preference for profit rather than environmental care and concern.

So for me the choice this weekend past was more difficult than at some previous elections. As a small business owner and Councillor and someone contemplating retirement without much of a Super saving, I am worried about how we finance both my personal future and the future of this region that I love so dearly.

 I wish we could do away with the adversarial (predominantly 2 party) political system that we have. Why is it a case of point scoring and who can criticise the other side the best rather than working positively to make our lives better?

So to our future. While I would like to think that the 4 non ALP/Lib reps will put our collective needs first, expereince tells me this may not be likely. I have heard Bob Katter already say ‘what’s in it for me’ or more correctly quoted, ‘my corner of the country’ rather than ‘what can I do to help the entire country’… and shouldn’t that equate to one and the same anyway?

Independants, like Bob Katter, hardly ever have to actually go to work and attend Parliament. You see, in the last term of Government, what Bob thought or voted made utterly no differnce and I’m interested to peruse attendance records and hope I’m proved wrong.

With a minority Government Independants will have to attend every session I believe. Now I can’t help but wonder if their own future workloads will influence what happens next. Will they all buckle down and work hard to Govern in the best interests of all of us and possibly this could see the country benefit enormously or will we all be trotting off to the polls again some time soon?

I hope that our political leaders can cease the bickering and the ‘she said he did’ rhetoric which I find so off putting, and concentrate on making decisions that they believe are in the best interests of the majority of us. In other words truly represent us and get on with governing us respnsibly, efficiently and effectively.

2 Responses to “Interesting times ahead.”

  1. # Matt Murphyon 23 Aug 2010 at 5:45 pm

    Sounds like we’re singing off the same hymn sheet Cr Brooks. What I cant fathom is that only a few weeks ago we got a Prime Minister we didn’t vote for, now we are still going to get a Prime Minister we didn’t vote for. Although rules are rules when it comes to elections, it seems as though we will now have a Prime Minister for the next three years that is voted for by a handful of independents and a green, and not by Australian Citizens….We’ll looks like my vote, your vote, and the votes of millions of other Australians, didn’t say much did it?

  2. # Colin Burton 23 Aug 2010 at 7:21 pm

    I am hoping that the ‘hung’ Parliament remains hung long enough for us voters to discover that the world keeps turning, the country is still, as always, run by the senior salaried Public Servants, and all the thousands of junior Public Servants, just keeping on doing their jobs and we really DONT NEED politicians at all and could well do without the lot of them.

    Maybe a pipe dream, but we could certainly do with a quarter of the number we have now, elections every ten years, no State Governments as such , and all aspirants to Federal Parliament or to Councils to fund their own advertising expenses or find backers. Australian candidates, and the winners, almost all ( near present company excepted !) suffer from ego inflation – “Australian Idol” complex, “Master Chef ” Syndrome. We are electing too many ex pop singers, ex tennis players, ex TV personalities, and people barely of voting age. And we pay for the privilege and then have to put up with them ,

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