Our elected politicians?
Political factions?
Media bosses?
Civil servants?
Marginal Seats?
Minority Parties?
When we observe the antics of our political parties with a Federal election coming up it makes one wonder what has happened to the concept of a Democracy based on the wishes of the majority. What do the residents of countries with a different political system think about what we say in the name of Democracy and what we practise under the heading of political expediency? Just what has happened and what will happen after we have voted?
Our elected politicians: Make so many statements and claims the majority of which they abandon after they have been elected and we allow them to get away with it election after election. So many of us are attached at the hip to one political party or another that less than 10 to 15% change the government. It is almost like belonging to a football club where we can only see the bad in the opposing team and allow our team to get away with bloody murder. No wonder the statement that “we get the government we deserve”
Political factions: Very often decide the quality of the candidate that our preferred party offers and the criteria is based on their membership of that faction rather than being the best possible candidate for both that electorate or as government member. How come we still get monkeys although we pay a hell of a lot more than peanuts?
Media Bosses: Are fawned over by all political parties because they know the power of the media with regards to influencing people. Rupert Murdock built his United States Media Empire by championing the party frowned on by the established media. When you probe a little further into some of the polls used as a basis for powerful articles in our major media you have to question their validity. Any executive who has had to make expensive commercial decisions based on consumer research would not give some of these polls any credence what so ever. Particularly phone polls where dedicated party hacks spend all day ringing the appropriate number.
Civil servants: Senior members of the civil service most probably know more about running the country that the great majority of elected representatives. Sometime they continue to do so despite which ever government is elected due to the fact that some ministers are not qualified for the positions they are allocated and become totally reliant on their advisors.
Marginal Seats: The real political power base and if you need this confirmed just look at the time the party leaders spend in these electorates and amount of money spent on projects within their boundaries. If we all acted as these electorates do we would have a more accountable government? The politicians know that the majority vote as their parents did and their parents before them so they just don’t have to try in the majority of electorates. They don’t have to offer bribes via local investments, they don’t have to spend time addressing our local issues and the only ones to blame are us.
Minority parties: The true power brokers after an election have been decided. Democracy is no longer about the wishes of the majority but rather the demands of a well organised minority. So if a minority party can decide what legislation is passed and what is not where is the difference between us and other political systems which are decided by a minority group?
KME
