The world needs more than thoughts and words

The thoughts of a friend and the words of a writer suggest more Australians should be aware that we live in the political slums of mediocrity.

Anthony Giddens
 book, "The
Politics of
Climate Change".

Shepparton’s Alan English just recently said, “The present political noise over asylum people is a great distraction from (the) lack of policy on essential services, not to mention climate change which is being put in the too hard basket.”

Alan did not mention “the political slums of mediocrity” and nor did Anthony Giddens in his book “The Politics of Climate Change”, but both were suggesting we inhabit something of political shantytown in which the poverty of considered thought is rife.

Alan, who is among those who gather Beneath the Wisteria each month in Shepparton, is another concerned about the quality of discussion among our politicians and often writes to our local representatives airing his disquiet.

The arrival of Alan’s note coincided with the reading Giddens’ observations about the inadequacies of present day pugnacious politics in addressing the most overwhelmingly difficult problem the world community has ever faced – climate change.

Writing in his book, “The Politics of Climate Change”, the British sociologist, who has been a prolific writer, said: “One should remember that global warming is no ordinary risk. It is an awesome prospect to acknowledge that, as collective humanity, we are on the verge of altering the world’s climate, perhaps in a profound manner.”

Giddens argues that the complexity and implications of climate change exceed anything we might consider normal and so any worthwhile response supplants the usual political paradigm.

Any success we might have in countering the evolving climatic changes that will bring an array of extreme weather events, hinges on us stepping beyond our usual confrontational and point-scoring politics to reach a concordant style through which humanity can muster its resources to address a climate that is quickly slipping beyond that which is adequate for human survival.

Giddens talks about the need for societal planning at a state level, aware that such is an anathema to many, but feels a workable solution depends upon us intellectually, emotionally and physically crossing ideological boundaries.

“Responding to climate change will prompt and require innovation in government itself and in the relation between the state, the markets and civil society,” Giddens wrote.

He writes: ‘It is normal and acceptable for political parties to claim that they, rather than their opponents, are the one to turn to for firm action on global warming.

“Yet beyond a certain area, and beyond the rhetoric of immediate party politics, there has to be agreement that the issue is so important that the usual party conflicts are largely suspended or muted”.

Rather than thoughts and words we need innovative society-wide alliances free of political pretence.