Whew! Australia’s federal politicians are on a break; a
break the public probably needs more than they.
 |
| Winston Churchill. |
The modern 24-hour news cycle might pile hitherto unseen
pressures upon our Canberra conquistadors, but those demands pale compared to
the confusion their verbal cut and thrust brings to the body politic.
Watching, and listening, is tougher than being actually in
the game, particularly when the discussion and decisions are impacting on you,
your life and that of your family, community and nation, and, in a practical
sense about which you can do nought, you are forced to sit impotently by and simply
wonder.
Looking on from any vantage point beyond the immediacy of
Canberra’s Parliament House there is some doubt as to whether or not our
elected federal representatives are conscious of how Australia, and the world,
is evolving or they are they simply responding to populist ideologues and the
values they tenaciously cling to?
Whatever, the image portrayed through our media is less than
encouraging and leads inevitably to thoughts of “Nero fiddling while Rome
Some would argue that Rome is not burning and so the
behaviour seen in Canberra is as it should be, for they profit as our
legislators “fiddle”.
Many others, seeing it through a different prism, are simply distressed with those reputedly administering
our country seemingly obsessed with finding a weakness in their political
opponent’s veneer and appearing do little actual “governing”.
Our politicians appear to be sadly distracted by what is
colloquially known as “muck-racking”, most of which is absolutely unrelated to
national concerns.
Much to the delight, and profit, of a few, democracy in
Australia is wobbling toward a distinct difficultly – the façade appears
wonderful, but behind this comforting façade is a moneyed clique edging us
toward inverted totalitarianism.
Writing in “Democracy Incorporated”, Sheldon S. Wolin
explains how sweeping corporate power masquerading as democracy has convinced
us that contentment is to be found in consumerism and entertainment and together
they see many of us bow willingly before values that are alien to the democratic
intent. Democracy is presently being sold to the highest bidder.
Democracy is noisy, meant to allow room for the contrarian
thinker, those who challenge the status quo and those who want to disagree, but
it is not about the pointless squabbles that until now have preoccupied our
nation’s best.
“Democracy” according to the former British PM, the late
Winston Churchill, “is the worst of all forms of government, except for all the
others that have been tried”; an idea that Australia’s politicians appear intent
on testing, until now at least, as they, and we, have a break.
