You don't have to be a genius to know its a good idea for prison guards, professional fire fighters and many other careers to have not only random drug & alcohol tests in the work place but they also have to have very serious psychological testing when applying for the job.
You may or may not know that a growing number of Company Boards are not only considering "Psyche testing" as a part of vetting potential directors but some are already installing proper clinical style Personality Tests like the "OCEAN" tests.
But strangely, if you're looking at candidates for Parliament none of these apply. No they're not using heavy machinery. Its more serious than that, they're law makers & many of them are selected due to what some consider "appealing demographic traits" rather than life experience, involvement with small business, big business but the central aspect they are targeted for is "local prominence" and hopefully they're easy enough to teach some debating skills for the press. Not to answer questions but to not answer questions. Once elected they need to be able to deliver a tactical reply instead of an actual answer to a serious question.
Its the deflect/derail technique. Fill the air with somment that is profoundly vague but still loosely connected then pivot and point to another journalist for another question. If a journalist routinely applies too much heat, don't take their questions. Its referred to by some as the "freeze out". This is regularly coupled with the one on one pot shot or complaint to their line manager & then not long after take questions from them again as they'll generally get softened up & not make life difficult for the MP.
And this is why Cabinet members are very selective in how they speak to people. Many will avoid interviews on take back radio, its laden with traps & torchlight to truth. You might if you're in opposition try to get an interview but because a minister is not on first, TV & Radio are less likely to ge the opposition speksperson on. It would cause another freeze out.
Play the game, be happy with crumbs.
In opposition your best chance is to pick up the phone & ring into talk back radio. Only seen or heard of 4 MPs who've done it unannounced and guess what...they get patched through to the on air journo every single time. A lot of the lesser MPs won't do this of course & they maybe hope they will be forgotten for their absence or be mistaken for the few very good MPs who also rarely go on air.
With the level of Candidates routinely being so low, we have little to choose from. We can all list a number of dud MPs in every party. Its slim pickings on a good day.
In the end, we as a state or a nation suffer.
As a result we get people elected and the only contact with voters is one on one door knocking during campaigns & rarely ever any public gatherings where the public can ask questions. Like a TV interview, it cannot be controlled & manipulated by the MP. They're fully accountable & its in front of many people.
Time to bring back Politics in the Pub or every MP being required to hire a local hall for a Q&A sesssion with their electors to actually say what they themselves have actually done. My local memeber said they would be out voice in the McGowan Government. No word on what they have said on our behalf or why they voted on any given matter...nor what actual voice they actually put forward to the McGowan Government.
Lots of cutesy selfies at schools, civic groups, fun runs, life saving clubs maybe handing a giant cheque out to a group which is actually grant money, not a gift from any effort of the MP at all. It would be a serious breach of protocol and a borderline red flag for a parliamentary inquiry if the MP did arrange the money. Kinda sounds like over reach Burke Era style.
It is little wonder that MPs are not held in high regard, that mediocrity is either a hallmark or required job skill. That some appear to be people from stagnant go no where careers, they need some sort of public attention with an improved retirement plan or they need to restructure business or personal debt that their party's pre=selection committee didn't detect because they too are well below "fit for purpose" and didn't even look.
So yes, vetting needs to be a little more forensic, not just looking for electable traits on the facade level.
Until then actual Progressive or Conservative values are not required in a Progressive or Conservative party let alone any helpful skills as a legislator or life skills as a MP. You just need to be of a certain look in the respective electorate & hopefully half well known in sporting clubs.
Other than that you can be as smart as a bucket of fishbait with significantly less uses and you'll be snapped up as a Election Candidate. Compliance to up the chain of command whilst pushing money up the chain to have it drip fed back is not uncommon. Except I know one party candidate said he would meet all his costs himself & no money went up the chain. That party was happy with that when they thought they would have a candidate with deep pockets...which they did. They later were unhappy as they realised there was no pot to skim.
And that is just part of what we're up against as a society with faux legislators, theatre props. Some of whom do not read any bills put before parliament unless they're on a committee putting it together & just wait until they get the memo on which way to vote. You bet they do not want to stand accountable in their electorate. Then there are those party "lay members" who join to get either pre-selected & hopefully win a seat or get deeply involved in a party to work in a MPs office somewhere. To endear themselves they will get on lots of Party Organisation committees and positions that will give them some sort of vote or sway to get a job. Then once employed stay in those organisation positions, voting without ever putting it on a Conflict of Interest register. Yes, working for an MP or the government whilst sitting on what a judge would consider is the political party's board. And they think its 100% legit & ok...yeah, like a $3 note.
Corporate Governance in most parties is appalling & neck deep in non compliance or very poor process.
If you can't properly govern within a Not-For-Profit organisation how can you govern within a parliament?
They can't but they sure can pull off the acting.
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