A pet hate of mine is the facade of democracy we have here. Either the ALP or the Liberals will be put in charge of the country. Sure, it looks like
Howard is on the way out, but does it really matter?
Take your pick of comments I've heard recently:
- Why don't we just merge the ALP and the Liberals and stop spending billions on elections pretending that they are any different?
- Which half of the party are you going to vote for?
ALP policies one-up the Liberals. The Liberals one-up the ALP. Rinse. Repeat.
Oh, and it's not like the party members get an individual voice any more, it's all about the party line - read
this extreme, un-reported example and be shocked at what goes on.
Some people join politics to make a difference. I just don't see that difference if you are towing the party line. Why bother?
With
your vote, think about picking an independent, or perhaps a party that gives a stuff about more than being re-elected in three years. Maybe one that isn't going to bribe us with $billions of tax cuts while hospital waiting times reach record levels and public transport serves only a lucky few, and badly at that.
(I don't care if different levels of government have responsibilities for different things - we're all Australians, and if the states don't have money for something the Commonwealth should give it to them).
If you at all care about climate change,
see what your local candidates' stances are. You might be surprised.