Today’s View
What has happened to all the political leaders, the leaders that would govern by the principle that they served the people and did what was in the best interests of the nation or state?
It might be a myth, but this paper is under the impression that those people of vision stopped with Hawke and Howard. Statesmen that led the country and the taxpayers were eager to follow, maybe bygone days or people viewed through rose-coloured glasses.
Over the last few weeks, most of Australia’s mainstream media, through newspaper journalists, TV or radio commentators dissecting and disseminating information over the current Federal Government’s initiative of net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
It is noted that climate change policies have claimed many a political career, offhand the counts are three prime ministers and several ministers from both sides of the political divide.
The amusing part is watching the change in the party rhetoric and the justifying words that have come with their new policy. As little as 12 months ago the party machine and their minions filled the ears of the electorate with the reasons why ‘net zero by 2050” was a mistake, it would cost jobs, it would cost livelihoods, it would collapse communities, cripple whole regions.
Then suddenly the narrative changes, as authoritative as the conversation was against the change, it is now directed in the opposite, change must happen, and it will be devastating if it does not happen.
With the two major parties, why can it not be about what is best for the nation and its residents, not one side sees the sky blue while the other considers it white with a blue tinge.
Confused, welcome to life in Australia, where our leaders are driven by outside forces, in this case a meeting with the American President to announce a defence union and shared technology over a submarine contract resulted in a question on why Australia is not supporting the drive to arrest the climate change inflicted on the planet.
Now back to the confused part, how can the voter accept or expect any truth from a political machine that views its purpose, not to govern the country but to retain/gain power. The Australian voter over the last 10 to 15 years has shown an increasing intolerance of politicians and their party politics.
Prior to the last Federal election Prime Minister Morrison has been one of a long list of leaders (Turnbull, Rudd, Gillard) who had supplanted their previous leader by party room ballot.
This paper is unsure of the reasons that the voters have become more intolerant and eager to change a government. It could be that they have become more knowledgeable of the politics or less inclined to listen to insincerity or that their BS meter is more attuned to what is being said than ever before.
The last federal election was one case in point, our current Prime Minister and his team were long odds to retain their hold on power. It appeared that the Labor Party lead by the then leader Bill Shorten would be Australia’s next prime minister, the polling had him winning convincingly, but alas with several poorly directed policies mixed in with a failure to “read the room” he was consigned to the losing column.
In this paper’s view, maybe the problem is rose coloured glasses or looking for the good old days.