Politics is a dirty word

I wanted to do a rant about the state of Australian politics after the Federal election but restrained myself. Now that the State election is over, the restraints are off and I'm fueling up on rant power. I will happily state upfront that I have never voted Liberal or National in my life. I've usually voted ALP with a mix of other voting preferences eg Democrats and Greens thrown in. But I have to say that staying loyal to the ALP just gets harder and harder. The turning point for me was the Tampa episode. Watching Kim Beazley toe the Government line made me see red. I hate the way both major parties push and shove to occupy the middle ground. I hate that only the conservative vote counts. I hate that only the opinions of middle class white blokes matter. And here was Kim Beazley toadying up to the middle class white bloke vote despite his convictions.

Watching this year's Federal election was horrifying. Poor old Kev was dispatched too soon because only the latest poll matters. Then Julia Gillard was shaped and moulded to resemble a piece of meringue. Her gestures, her voice, her speeches, they were all aimed at placating and mollifying the voters. Where was the fire? The passion? Sadly convictions and beliefs have disappeared from Australian politics. Nowadays pollies avoid extremes but spend all their fire trying to belittle and monster their opponents. And this occupation of the middle ground has resulted in two almost hung Parliaments.

So what do I want? I want politics to mean something and for pollies to stand for something. I want them to stand outside the bland middle ground and cause waves. Seeing Penny Wong finally speak out in favour of gay marriage warms the heart but we need more of it. This desire for more passion and for politics to stand for something has seen the Greens do well. Hopefully their vote will get larger and larger as people, desperate for meaning, move away from the major parties. Or maybe the ALP will remember some of their history and stop looking and acting like a Liberal Party wannabe. I'm not holding my breath.