It is a strange planet we live on now. Truth is considered first casualty of war, but seems its a pretty massive casualty in in peace time too.
Donald Trump made all sorts of claims whilst campaigning that he's stepped away from since becoming President elect. Maybe no wall between USA & Mexico with Mexico paying for it. Hillary would be in jail. All puff n bluster he's stepped away from but all silly comments at best.
And he's not the first or the last to say things that clearly were false with little or no accountability, correction & worse still regret.
In 2012 the then PM Tony Abbott said “What you’ll get under us are tax cuts without new taxes,” and “no cuts to education, no cuts to health”. He won the election 2013 & what was his first budget move? He cut funding for schools and hospitals by $80 billion & introduced a new deficit tax, plus a $7 GP tax.
Non Core Promise I guess.
When Abbott was health minister in 2004 before the election Abbott gave “an absolutely rock solid, iron-clad commitment” not to change the Medicare safety net then after the election raised.
His apology? Well close as it got was... “I am very sorry that that statement back in October has turned out not to be realised by events,”
John Howard was the creator of the "core" and "non core" promises. He also said no GST "NEVER EVER" and once elected promptly brought one in.
Bob Hawke - In 1987 prior to the election said “By 1990 no Australian child will be living in poverty.” - Never happened, still waiting. Perhaps what he said was “By 1990 no Australian child will be living in politics.”
In 1993 Paul Keating promised & delivered two lots of income tax cuts, which he famously spruiked as being "L-A-W LAW". He then repealed the legislation so perhaps he meant "L-I-E LIE"
Gillard & Rudd share some dubious commonalities. Whilst both were PM's both knifed each other to get the position whilst the other was in the Prime Minister's office. He's notable for promising a carbon price and then dumping the idea, she's notable for opposing a carbon price & then introducing it.
It is a strange part of the human condition that more we expect people to lie, the less upset we are about it. If the Dalai Lama or a nun or an Australian of the Year sold you a low mileage car which turned out to be a high mileage lemon they turned the speedo back on, well you'd go nuts and so would anyone else. A used car dealer does it and yes you'd probably be peeved but there won't be any community outrage. It'd be half expected even if unfairly so.
We more than half expect a politician to lie. A statesman no, but a run of the mill pollie, well yes.
This is why when questioned politicians use tactics they've been soundly coached in. Up pops a questions, ask another question to deflect then turn head to another reporter before being held accountable. Don't give an answer, give a tactical reply, apportion blame to the opposing side of politics and attack their angle, be sure to find, create or infer an angle, deliver the blow, then turn the head at the door stop and take another question...or scurry away. There is always one reporter there who is sympathetic, who'll ask a less harrowing question, always one trying to get a door opening relationship going by not being to "investigative"
Strange twist is, we're currently enjoying a time when more journalists & reporters than ever (not all though) will tackle an MP head on without fear or favour. This is diminished somewhat by the fact many press gatherings are staged, managed and heavily pre-planned. The agenda is largely set by those aligned with the MP, only the sudden door stop allows proper sunlight to flood in but generally they're fast, quick matters and can be walked through by an MP under the pump.
MPs are more managed and indeed owned and operated by their party machine than they are by the electorate. More often the MPs represent the party in the electorate rather than represent the electorate in cabinet, the party room, the parliament. Stop and look see, if a candidate is really good then why does he or she need to wrap their name in tribal colours of a party?
Having said that, One Nation rose this time & last time due to the protest vote. Ricky Muir was elected to the senate from a protest vote, so too all the Palmer United members.
For now, the protest vote is here to stay. Liberal and Labor Duopoly have made sure of that as more people leave them they seek out an alternative.
Next state election Greens may rise in total votes a little, One Nation might get one MP up & running but think the big losers will be Libs & Labor. I think if Colin Barnett gets re-elected he won't do a full term as Premier. Think his plan is win power or if he loses government he'll retire from office sooner. I think the big winners, all things being equal and ignoring unforeseen things, will be Shooters, Fishers & Farmers Party and ironically The Nationals (WA). Even though both are at odds with each other greatly in the eastern states. Here the SFFP maybe the same as over east, but the Nationals have unique differences with their eastern brethren.
Whilst the Nats were handed an absolute belting in the NSW seat of Orange by the SFFP it may not translate to big seat loses in WA. SFFP main man in WA is Rick Mazza who has a very good, very respectable parliamentary record after just one term. In his first 2 years in the Upper House he sat on 4 standing/sitting committees and the RSPCA one he instigated & chaired. Many MPs managed just one committee in the same period of time.
For country people, these will be the 2 main parties for traditional country voters but the Liberals & Labor both have very large and solid foundation in some non Perth seats.
I'm keeping tabs on a couple of notable MPs and seeing how they go in the "Post Truth/Post Fact" stakes.
Whilst time will tell a couple of things are well assured. We have tough economic times ahead. We're likely to see hung or near hung parliaments as a norm not an exception and the biggy...if you seek political how to vote advice, just remember this...
Now more than ever, your vote DOES count so think seriously for a lot more than a minute and cast it wisely. I'm leaning towards a larger number of voters leaving the Labor/Liberal duopoly and heading towards Nats WA & the SFFP and One Nation being the Wild Card full of unknowns. But your dart board is as good as mine and being a Post Truth era being completely incorrect doesn't make you the least bit wrong it seems ;-)
Funny old world
No comments:
Post a Comment