The inevitable loss of respect for essential institutions, public office and authority generally is, like truth, dismissed as immaterial. Effective, functioning democracy is unachievable while the public is uninformed or misinformed. Australian democracy is now not merely or even substantially a contest between political parties and their policies but an invisible struggle between the general public and an increasingly professional, deeply cynical, win at all costs political class. Although the public has the numbers, the political class dominates public discussion and is firmly in control. Not for the first time, Queensland is at the forefront. It is again effectively a one-party State controlled by a group who seemingly dont know, or dont care, that the use and abuse of a large parliamentary majority is not true democracy irrespective of what they claim the people want. For what its worth, my impression is that most Queenslanders dont want to revisit the dark days of political caprice and corruption and dont you worry about that. To me, it seems much more likely that the people want to live, and have their children and grandchildren live, in an orderly but free, ethical, tolerant society which is governed in accordance with established democratic principles which have evolved over centuries. A government which behaved in that way wouldnt be able to indulge itself and its cronies but might well find little difficulty in implementing any substantive policies which are genuinely in the public interest. Read more: brisbanetimes.au/queensland/power-and-the-inconvenience-of-truth-20131122-2y1et.html#ixzz2lT9OJpll
Posted on: Sat, 23 Nov 2013 12:03:23 +0000
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