Saturday, August 21, 2010

mick jagger elections

If you vote for Abbott there is a huge risk you'll get Gillard. If you vote for Gillard there is a huge risk that you'll get Abbott. If you vote for the Greens there is a huge risk you'll get Gillard (preference deals).

Since there wasn't much difference between Labour and the Coalition to start with and since Labour then backtracked on most of the small differences that did exist, then this election is even more strongly tweedle-dum and tweedle-dee than usual.

Democracy means something in countries where religious fundamentalism is a real issue (if the Taliban becomes government again if Afghanistan then religious fundamentalism runs that government) but has become a bore in countries where modernity is clearly established . Democracy is something people are literally dying for in undemocratic or recently democratic countries (Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Burma (Myanmar), North Korea, China, Zimbabwe, South Africa) but is something people are bored to near death with, at least in Australia, since we are given no real choice on election day. Britain recently was no different and in the USA Obama has turned out to be just another Democrat politician. All the major parties are Mick Jagger parties: "I can't get no satisfaction"

Some brief thoughts on some of the "issues" of the campaign:
  • The economy - both parties pretend that the crisis is over and have promised a quick return to a surplus; this won't happen
  • Boat people - it's disappointing that it is an issue at all but it would not be such an issue if we felt secure economically
  • Mining tax - nothing wrong with taxing the wealthy more but the fear factor exists again because of  economic insecurity
  • Climate change - a realistic political solution has been worked out by Pielke jnr but hasn't filtered through yet to the mainstream parties; the reactionary Greens on the other hand want to turn the productivity clock back
  • Broadband - one of the few issues where Labour's policy is superior but, on the other hand, Conroy also wants to censor the internet, so he needs to be censored himself
At some point the political boredom will turn into something else. When the economic crisis really hits then the promise of both parties to restore the surplus will look particularly hollow. Which in the end brings home that capitalist democracy is limited by the system which it serves.

1 comment:

Chris Harvey said...

Nice post Bill. I can't get no...Sat is faction. no no no