Skin deep

Nothing is more disturbing to true democrats than apathy - you see it on the hustings and all of us who are there say "Please please... vote and think" ( The last thing any one of us we really don't want you to say is " blow the lot of you " )We all hate it when a donkey , and anti authoritarian or a breathing stone walks past . But its happening more and more .
The greens , while often having their hearts in the right place , capture part of this anti-authoritarian and reactionary mood by placing themselves apart.
Worse still, it seems , the Dem and labour can't distance themselves from the blatant reactionaries and antiauthoritarian message elements -Do they too prefer simplicity to practicality - if politics is not practical and building on the past -- its useless ( Their preferences go to greens with predictable monotony )

Playing up to skin deep amongst those who would rather not think or vote is treacherous territory . The Democrats show their ignorance of the vast majority of country people's common sense by choosing to go with the greens on all fronts - no diversity , no depth . Short term gain should be seen as short and shallow look-
The simple birdbath is very attractive,and you get a good splash effect, but there is nowhere to go once you get there.

The established opposition parties seem to think that simpleness is next to godliness -- the winning margin compromise that gets you over the line .But Does the labor party know what it stands for once it has got power this way ???? I hope they get clear message from Australians that they are not as stupid as the superficial margins may suggest.

Shakespeare ( Richard 3) got it right about when and why people really listen .
Seeking the superficial won't help Labor improve its credibility on environment in the country either.
What I can't work out is why the Democrats want to ride the greens ticket into oblivion ( Chipp would have none of this seeking after shallow stuffing stuff). Even Labor think they are going to win long term by backing the greens - great ideas, but no practical sound sense. It does labor no good to be so predictably reactionary .
If Labor took the liberals on credibly about the environment and stopped mimicking the greens and the wannabes --they could win votes in the country - where it really matters .

Labor could win on its own ( in key regions) if only its environ policy was more than skin deep . As it did in Qld in the early part of last century . If Labor wins on green preferences this year it will only be because the city is growing in influence and superficiality on tough complex earthcare matters is more satisfying for many, than substance.

As the dumb Kyoto call says so well - Thge big need is " something" that govts "should do" ... What????? so ...we we can just " " do what we BW like" .

2007 will be the year to see whether the breathing stones will say a word in the greens defense: clever 07 or coveritallupwithgovtshoulddosomethingcrap 07. 2007, now the people have some new antireactionary choices , could prove to be an election to show whether the greens are more than skin deep and are truly seen to be so.

They said not a word

No party more needs to take a lateral look at itself than the liberals; they are living in the past and failing to recognise the hypocrisy of talking small government while for 11 years they help create the huge bureautcratic burden across Australia that outstrips anything Australia has ever seen before.
Its the liberals lack of intellectual rigor that has driven this still monsterous paradox of policy and project madness that alienates public good driven professionals.
2007 will go down in Australia's history ( whoever wins the federal electionin 2 days)as a time when liberals risked their future on compromises they should never have made- On uneccsary compromises to their calling . On being diverted from the sound goal of good and efficient governance .

Howard should never have promised to play grandmother and father Christmas to the states and territories, but its a habit his govt can't see the cracks in . Cabinet should have been encouraging a stouter form of discipline than the states impose on themselves- intellectual rigor on sound public service expenditure .
While its not readily discuused even now , the libs had 11 years to prove their contention that they were about smaller government They have taken their heartland for granted and confused themselves about just HOW liberalism should work.

Never before have they thrown so much money at programs and projects that exist only on paper.And they are doing it right up until election eve.

The labour party too are unaware of the reaction they will get by setting their sights in policy on paper. The huge biased advertising budgets taken by the big boys is an obscenity in a country that still dares to call itself democratic .

.

Richard 3 thought his campaign was going down well. The speech from Buckingham was overwhelming, emotional and punchy .

Like dumb statues or breathing stones
They star'd at each other with deathly pale faces

We expect more - we have heard nothing but a lot of very expensive noise from a battlefield between 2 rivals who treat us like spolit children ( esp libs ) and refuse to allow anyone to speak the truth and break the silence on the wasted words .

Lets hope the small voices, who don't get their paper and posturing paid for - get some sort of hearing -----post this election