Not that we ever meant it to be anything but 4 weeks work --standing out in the rain was fun because in the strangest of ways - I was among friends .The sort of friends who will give it back as hard as you giive it them but who care in ways that you do - agreeing to disagree . People who were passionate about how to change the world for good .All the important people were there ( almost and for a while ) although our mate Grant wasn't there and Natalie would have been busy elsewhere, talking as we were though about how to look after our kids, the environment and the path to common good in governance .
The greatest paradox of the day was that all of us agreed intensely that the environment needed better administration and the party that claimed to represent that issue was not to be heard all day on the subject . Did we all agree about what to do after hours of constant talk about the details of better administration of environment ? ( landcare , planning ) - of course not . Did I push my case for the Libs to be the best env party ever too hard - probably, because the Libs have been far too slow to take competent advice seriously . If they win ( which was our point in pushing for them to) they will have to face the enormous task of having to deal with an incompetent and poorly skilled spin fed Public service that won't want to go back to square one and do the job properly . I know I was there .
Good luck to them I say . It was so wet I had to put corflutes over the convertable to keep the rain out . The windscreen wipers stopped working on the trip there . I did a panic - one thing you can't do is go across the 3hour wide electorate without windscreen wipers PG the motor was Ok ; wire loom to the steering column had dropped out - the car is 36years old . Everyone loved the bike .
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
The 3 amigos
We got canned in the local paper for taking every opportunity to trash Green Party policies . The other two, can you imagine it, were funnier and more succint than me . Mind you even the audience had to interject to stop the incumbent defender from long speeches from written notes . Was a good night and people from the audience went away saying " they learnt something " which meant most of us passion fanatics were pleased saying " one of the best candidate meetings we had ever been to " That might not have included some parties .
Sunday, November 21, 2010
We still talk
Its November 21st 2010 . Its a beautiful sunny Sunday in Polwarth SW Victoria . The Labor people are on their bikes , the Libs are everywhere, some chose a place of worship , they are so very rare.
But numbers they mean nothing, cause in between those hours ( 3 hours across the electorate ) at the extremes from end to end the people are a praying, God's blessing for to send .
Despite the opposition , they know its possible, they sing and shout His glory "His works are wonderful " ."He does not lack of power, His feet not made of clay , he will right the wrong and makes things good , whatever men may say."
I met someone I do respect form one opposing group and told him of my grave concern about Journos we did know . The democracy that we both did love was no easy thing to keep , when papers like the Echo kept the people fast asleep.
But numbers they mean nothing, cause in between those hours ( 3 hours across the electorate ) at the extremes from end to end the people are a praying, God's blessing for to send .
Despite the opposition , they know its possible, they sing and shout His glory "His works are wonderful " ."He does not lack of power, His feet not made of clay , he will right the wrong and makes things good , whatever men may say."
I met someone I do respect form one opposing group and told him of my grave concern about Journos we did know . The democracy that we both did love was no easy thing to keep , when papers like the Echo kept the people fast asleep.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
The Last Days
Its 20th August 2010. We've been at for 3 weeks and the southerlies have nearly killed us as we stand around waiting in the strong winds and sleet ( been around zero for days and we have little shelter ) for the polite people who take a card from each of the three parties represented . The forth party, who are expected to hold the balance of power in the Senate, and maybe even in the reps, are not often represented . The Labor blokes hand the Greens cards out . (Labor having 1st preferences to the Greens in over 50 seats in the country ).
As usual we husslers enjoy the chance to talk politic and practical stuff --most of the passers by would clearly rather talk about absolutely anything else . The big thing affecting the mood of the mob this year seems to be the flood of letters and ads they get bombarded with from the media . One of the blokes in our workshop said his young son was going to vote for "so and so...."party because he hadn't got one annoyance letter from them .When told that that party produced as much as anybody he said " who am I going to vote for now?" That's one big grizzle we share with the public - the outrageous waste of money and only available to the bigger players-- those who get more than 4% of the vote .
For the first time in my memory we haven't had a candidates forum organised by an independent body like our local community radio station . When Jaycees stopped doing it we kept the tradition going until I was stopped by the very station I helped found . ACL offered to help too but my impression was that so few would come, it would not help the business of making sure people knew who they were voting for. The only place to get people involved, sadly was through the paper so i spent my time writing letters and standing on the hustings .Labor organised their own candidates forum but didn't invite everyone. What a mess . Most of us were very surprised to hear that Colac business Inc is being accused of not being independent . More here
Its clear that without how to vote cards most people do not know who they are voting for ( everyone on the hustings agrees about this and many other issues ) - that is, they might know one or 2 people and the party they prefer but the form in box requires them to give numbers to people they don't know and who aren't clearly identified on those sheets . Those people who get numbers 2 and 3 could make all the difference to the outcome.
Never before has the danger been so clear . Unlike the time Steve Fielding got in, the major parties showed good sense by not risking a hung parliament or one held by a strong controlling minor party. If Labor win this election ( seems unlikely to me ) they certainly won't win the next when the people realise how they are prepared to compromise to keep power . Sometimes we are protected politically from our own stupidity and arrogance and sometimes we get the government we deserve . It won't surprise me if this time , its the later.
This year Labor are so desperate and unthinking that they are prepared to try and hold government when there is every chance their preferred party will control them if they got in. I have struggled to hold my tongue on the hustings over this because I find Labor party members unwillingness to discuss this quite disturbing ----considering what an ineffective and unworkable parliament we are all likely to face over the next 3 years .All the good things we could have got on with on a bipartisan basis - instead --made into more footballs.
Where does the boundary exist with proper engagement with the passers by ? Thankfully by the honest friends there I have got a bit more careful in what I have been saying recently -I have- been there most days for long hours . If I say " Are you are interested in the balance of power in the Senate?" it is more off the party ticket and perceived proper process than most who just say the name of the candidate and the party . Its so much harder too when you know so many people and you know they want to know how to vote against the minor parties like the Greens but may not ask you( some thankfully do but not nearly enough ) The natural great Aussie tradition of ribbing with the public is stifled there.
Always fun though to talk amongst ourselves ( we agree on many things and disagree strongly on others )One local great Labor supporter and teacher quoted my favourite political piece from Churchill . We have shared much that is precious to us all and regret openly that most of those who pass us by do not care to even think or talk deeply about the dilemmas of holding a balance in our most precious free space on the planet .
One lady Lib said she found it hard to take FF serioulsy . -'" their people all seemed to be so wacko" . I sort of agreed ,even though I am one of them . The paradox is obvious to anyone who has been part of a church or a big family of any kind . I said I thought the mystery of our democracy is that its clearly held in the hands of "the wackos" . Helpfully , we had discussed earlier how when you get the chance to observe human behaviour as we were doing , so many people behave like sheep ( When we collect as we do for charities we note that If the first one gives they all give , if first one doesn't give , the rest often don't ).
The people on the edge may be wackos but they've got candidates standing in just about every electorate in the country - which means they are representing somebody . FF are one of the few parties that won't get the handouts for advertising costing them big to stand each time . While they often come from churches and strong communities that meet and greet regularly and while they are seldom taken seriously much by business just as they aren't by media its all normal stuff to us . The wackos are used to doing things in faith . Considering they are unlikely to get Steve back and will be probably be doing it all for nothing candidate wise this time their effort is one of faith . Good Wackos believe and practice faith - they believe in the kind of miracles that got Steve in and faith in the kind of miracles that keep our "take everything for granted free country democracies" -from-imploding( from getting what we deserve- Take Mark Latham's actions with ballot paper)
Will FF disappear?- I think not , because their basic integrity is not compromised by power as so many of the other parties have been and will be .
Not one of us there on the hustings who cares about politics wants the sheep to rule - and yet they might this time . One mature bloke who refused to vote ( waiting outside for his wife) said he couldn't vote for any of them reflecting the mood of the crowd generally ( I'm sure the advertising has done our demo a great disservice by annoying the public with the waste element)
We discussed the waste element and agreed that funding independent forums would be great . We all like "Town hall meetings", as they have been dubbed this year because the people get to know the candidates and don't need wads of paper to know who to vote for .
As usual we husslers enjoy the chance to talk politic and practical stuff --most of the passers by would clearly rather talk about absolutely anything else . The big thing affecting the mood of the mob this year seems to be the flood of letters and ads they get bombarded with from the media . One of the blokes in our workshop said his young son was going to vote for "so and so...."party because he hadn't got one annoyance letter from them .When told that that party produced as much as anybody he said " who am I going to vote for now?" That's one big grizzle we share with the public - the outrageous waste of money and only available to the bigger players-- those who get more than 4% of the vote .
For the first time in my memory we haven't had a candidates forum organised by an independent body like our local community radio station . When Jaycees stopped doing it we kept the tradition going until I was stopped by the very station I helped found . ACL offered to help too but my impression was that so few would come, it would not help the business of making sure people knew who they were voting for. The only place to get people involved, sadly was through the paper so i spent my time writing letters and standing on the hustings .Labor organised their own candidates forum but didn't invite everyone. What a mess . Most of us were very surprised to hear that Colac business Inc is being accused of not being independent . More here
Its clear that without how to vote cards most people do not know who they are voting for ( everyone on the hustings agrees about this and many other issues ) - that is, they might know one or 2 people and the party they prefer but the form in box requires them to give numbers to people they don't know and who aren't clearly identified on those sheets . Those people who get numbers 2 and 3 could make all the difference to the outcome.
Never before has the danger been so clear . Unlike the time Steve Fielding got in, the major parties showed good sense by not risking a hung parliament or one held by a strong controlling minor party. If Labor win this election ( seems unlikely to me ) they certainly won't win the next when the people realise how they are prepared to compromise to keep power . Sometimes we are protected politically from our own stupidity and arrogance and sometimes we get the government we deserve . It won't surprise me if this time , its the later.
This year Labor are so desperate and unthinking that they are prepared to try and hold government when there is every chance their preferred party will control them if they got in. I have struggled to hold my tongue on the hustings over this because I find Labor party members unwillingness to discuss this quite disturbing ----considering what an ineffective and unworkable parliament we are all likely to face over the next 3 years .All the good things we could have got on with on a bipartisan basis - instead --made into more footballs.
Where does the boundary exist with proper engagement with the passers by ? Thankfully by the honest friends there I have got a bit more careful in what I have been saying recently -I have- been there most days for long hours . If I say " Are you are interested in the balance of power in the Senate?" it is more off the party ticket and perceived proper process than most who just say the name of the candidate and the party . Its so much harder too when you know so many people and you know they want to know how to vote against the minor parties like the Greens but may not ask you( some thankfully do but not nearly enough ) The natural great Aussie tradition of ribbing with the public is stifled there.
Always fun though to talk amongst ourselves ( we agree on many things and disagree strongly on others )One local great Labor supporter and teacher quoted my favourite political piece from Churchill . We have shared much that is precious to us all and regret openly that most of those who pass us by do not care to even think or talk deeply about the dilemmas of holding a balance in our most precious free space on the planet .
One lady Lib said she found it hard to take FF serioulsy . -'" their people all seemed to be so wacko" . I sort of agreed ,even though I am one of them . The paradox is obvious to anyone who has been part of a church or a big family of any kind . I said I thought the mystery of our democracy is that its clearly held in the hands of "the wackos" . Helpfully , we had discussed earlier how when you get the chance to observe human behaviour as we were doing , so many people behave like sheep ( When we collect as we do for charities we note that If the first one gives they all give , if first one doesn't give , the rest often don't ).
The people on the edge may be wackos but they've got candidates standing in just about every electorate in the country - which means they are representing somebody . FF are one of the few parties that won't get the handouts for advertising costing them big to stand each time . While they often come from churches and strong communities that meet and greet regularly and while they are seldom taken seriously much by business just as they aren't by media its all normal stuff to us . The wackos are used to doing things in faith . Considering they are unlikely to get Steve back and will be probably be doing it all for nothing candidate wise this time their effort is one of faith . Good Wackos believe and practice faith - they believe in the kind of miracles that got Steve in and faith in the kind of miracles that keep our "take everything for granted free country democracies" -from-imploding( from getting what we deserve- Take Mark Latham's actions with ballot paper)
Will FF disappear?- I think not , because their basic integrity is not compromised by power as so many of the other parties have been and will be .
Not one of us there on the hustings who cares about politics wants the sheep to rule - and yet they might this time . One mature bloke who refused to vote ( waiting outside for his wife) said he couldn't vote for any of them reflecting the mood of the crowd generally ( I'm sure the advertising has done our demo a great disservice by annoying the public with the waste element)
We discussed the waste element and agreed that funding independent forums would be great . We all like "Town hall meetings", as they have been dubbed this year because the people get to know the candidates and don't need wads of paper to know who to vote for .
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