Anyone else concerned about the way our country is headed?

[kaiser]

Im starting this thread in the hope to generate some positive, healthy discussion and critical thinking about the future of our country, and to a greater extent, the world. Im not one to post up political rants and generally have avoided such discussions all my life. I haven't really taken a great interest in politics growing up. I'll admit that I have been quite apathetic and ignorant, seemingly thinking that politics didn't affect me. So long as I was bringing home a pay and had a roof over my head, I was pretty happy.

Driving home from work the other day, I heard the results of a survey on the voting youth of Australia and how many of them paid any interest to politics. A large percentage didn't- as they perceived the election issues/policies weren't relevant to them. A fellow went on to say that this disinterest was really a politicians best friend- as they were votes that they had a fair chance of securing without having to do any legwork.

So I wondered what the core issue was with me not paying any serious attention to politics and it came down to the fact that it was because I didnt understand how the system worked. I basically put it into the "too hard" basket.

I find it incredibly convenient that we are taught religion in school- but nothing about the Australian Constitution.
I have nothing against people who choose to follow a religion- but I think knowing our rights and the founding laws of our country are just as important. Why is this not taught at school? It's almost as if thinking for yourself is discouraged.
We are bombarded with mainstream media and there is so much crap on television these days, that mine now only sees use for the occasional movie or doco. I now see all the news programs as a comedy channel- because the quality and accuracy of journalism is so appalling that you cant take it seriously. And yet many do so, without questioning or really thinking about it.

More and more rules and regulations are put into place. You can't do this, can't do that. A new fee for this, another tax for that.
The Australian attitude of 'She'll be right" means that we sit back and take all this change that is blatantly not in our interests and feel powerless to do anything about it.

When I look at my choices this coming election I feel a little disheartened- and that no current party has Australia's best interests as priority. A little bit of George Orwell's 1984 comes to mind. I know some will discount this as just another loony rant- but really I'm just an average guy with an average job, getting a bit tired of the continual incompetence and corruption. Ill go put my tin foil hat on now and sit in the corner.

[ameerat42]

Kaiser. Two things:
1. When has it been/do you ever expect things to be any different?
(The Halcyon Days are a myth, just as is the present state of purported dysfunction.)
2. Why stop at country?

Rest assured, what ever you heard is surely inaccurate, so don't worry be....
Am. (As in a wee drAm, occasionally.)

PS: Take the aforesaid as a "yes"/"no"/"pinch of salt".
PPS: forgot to add: DON'T listen to "dork-back radio", they get scared by their own shadows - when there's no light!

[danny]

Interesting post Kaiser.

I heard the stats also about the amount of 18-25yr olds that aren't enrolled and although I can't recall the exact number (%) I too was amazed at how high the number was. But has this changed?

The media certainly has fallen recently. It use to be that editorial news (pushing an agenda) was the exception, now it appears to be the norm. For me (although I am rather biased) I still see positives in the Australian political landscape by looking past the agendas in the media. Today the ABC broadcasted the PM's conversation from the press club. To watch the entire thing, not just the 10sec sound grab usually presented via most media outlets, was very informative.

And finally, government (local through to federal) is taught in NSW DEC schools in every year of primary school.

Great post... Thanks

Danny

[Mark L]

When I look at my choices this coming election I feel a little disheartened-

That's how I've felt for the 50+ years of my voting life.
Used to live in a safe Labor electorate, my vote didn't count. Now live in a safe National Party seat, my vote doesn't count.
The Senate is were my vote may count.
There are ways other than voting to influence what pollies think.
There are ways to get out in the community and help and make a difference, regardless of politics.

[kaiser]

Kaiser. Two things:
1. When has it been/do you ever expect things to be any different?
(The Halcyon Days are a myth, just as is the present state of purported dysfunction.)
2. Why stop at country?

Rest assured, what ever you heard is surely inaccurate, so don't worry be....
Am. (As in a wee drAm, occasionally.)

PS: Take the aforesaid as a "yes"/"no"/"pinch of salt".
PPS: forgot to add: DON'T listen to "dork-back radio", they get scared by their own shadows - when there's no light!

Perhaps it hasn't been any different- I'm still in the process of giving myself a long history lesson to discover just that. For someone just coming on board though it feels like we're gaining momentum on a downhill path rather than rolling gently along a plateau.

If we dont expect things to be any different, how are we meant to effect any positive change?

P.S. I have taken your yes/no/pinch of salt on board
P.P.S. The radio station was just Triple J and just happened to be a very short segment in between music. I don't listen to talk back per se.

[MattNQ]

To be honest,I have given up expecting anything resembling hope from mainstream politics, business, society , or even western (or eastern for that matter) civilisation itself.
Perhaps a reflection of my current darkly cynical state of mind...,maybe that is why I love shooting cemeteries....the silence is comforting...the dead are so much more easier to live with??

The Australian media is so full of tripe it is frustrating. We have never had so much information at our fingertips , but it is so contrived, manipulated & influenced by minority thinking and personal agendas it sh!ts me to tears.
Crikey.com.au are perhaps one of the few exceptions .

While it is perhaps normal and fashionable normal to tear down the 'outdated' standards of the society our parents handed us, I'm wondering if in questioning and breaking down the former foundations of society, rather than a new-found freedom and self-defined utopia, we seem destined for utter chaos, as nothing of substance is replacing it.

There are no longer any statesmen(or women) with backbone to lead this country into the future. Geez, the labour party fishing team had K.rudd on the hook, didn't get a bite, changed the bait to Ms Gillard to see if they could land a nice fat government..now it seems they have changed back to the old bedraggled bait again in the vain hope of success. I have no idea which party will get my vote....none are shining brightly...

I've been reading some of the writings of the Dark Mountain Project recently, which seem to follow similar lines of thinking to what has been floating around my head recently.

http://dark-mountain.net/about/manifesto
Like me, you may not agree with everything they state, but their mindset is refreshing in this age of conformity to a society dominated and defined by the popular media....

Sometimes one wonders whether another World War is required to clean out the dross & re-align the lens we see the world through...Hmm did I say all that out loud...????

I love the quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson

"The end of the human race will be that it will
eventually die of civilisation".

end of rant. Sorry it is not positive Kaiser, I'm having a hard time seeing positives at the moment

[kaiser]

All good. By positive I didnt mean everyone had to be all sunshine rainbows and lollipops, just meant I didnt want the thread degenerating into the usual internet forum arguments. I was just interested in hearing peoples opinions on such matters. Thanks for the contributions so far.

[WhoDo]

You want to affect change? Become the minority!

Voting in elections doesn't bring change. Politicians of any persuasion are self-deluded enough to think people are voting for ALL of their policy initiatives, instead of simply choosing the lesser of two evils.

So how does one become "the minority"? Easy, make an appointment and walk into your local member's office to tell them exactly what you think! When they spruik in the party room or parliament that "... the electorate wants ..." something, they really mean those who were concerned enough to voice those concerns when and where they couldn't be ignored.

It's all too easy to say "... our local member doesn't represent our views" when we haven't made them clear. Am I supporting the politicians? No way! I've made my feelings clear before about the legislative and regulatory classes controlling our collective destiny for their own gain. The point is that the only place they can be hurt is in the ballot box, but by the time you get there it's too late for them to change. Get in early, when they're participating in the formation of policy, and TELL THEM what you need (with an implied "or else"). Just my AUD$0.02c

[old dog]

I grew up in Newcastle which is/was/could still be a labour voting stronghold. I dont know what the feeling is now with so much change.....closing down the industries like steel works, dockyard etc has cheesed people off. I agree with most posters here that people in general are getting browned off with the media and the polly spin......so who/what side does one give alleigence (sp?) to?.......who will deliver the least damage overall?

The world is in a state of flux.....there are little wars in a lot of places and budding big wars on the horizon so it is difficult to be positive. All we can do is our enlightened best, take care of our loved ones, try and be positive and hopefully the finger will be kept of that red button

[Steve Axford]

We get the politicians we deserve. And the media - after all, it is us who watch and listen to them. Become involved. Don't just sit back and be cynical.

[ameerat42]

The trouble with this thread is that nothing here does not also apply elsewhere in the world.
And remember that it is said: those who forget history are doomed to repeat it. So, think that it's always been bad and it won't get much wrse!
m.

[kaiser]

I thought my opening sentence made it pretty clear that the whole world is going this way. This should make the issue even more significant, not less? Im trying to understand where you're coming from- are you saying that because the issues I brought up happen on a global scale, that they arent worth discussing?

I guess we can all stick our heads in the sand and pretend that everything will be okay. To think that things won't get any worse Im guessing was a tongue in cheek comment surely. It doesnt take a rocket scientist to see that a growing population and a dwindling supply of finite natural resources will lead to harsher times ahead.

Im just trying to be a little more long sighted and thinking about what lies ahead for the generations ahead of us.

I will write to my local MP, but I dont hold much hope in my views being taken seriously.

[ameerat42]

I think I might have been suggesting a bit of bright sidery to offset the suggested doom and gloom
That's OK, isn't it? Or isn't it?
Am (with tongue-in-cheek, head-in-sand, and other body parts variously deployed).

[Duane Pipe]

I don't pay attention to our political system because its run by children that are out to line their own pockets. They give them selves $50.000 pay rises and the average worker gets $2.00. It makes my blood boil and there is nothing I can do to change things, Vote Liberal or Labor it doesn't matter.

What happened in Egypt is what should happen here I reckon, over throw the government, Assassinate them, show them that we are fed up with their shit, Stand as One.

That's my rant

[old4570]

Hmm , why vote when it makes no difference ?
Australia is not a democracy , Politicians dont listen to the people , dont bend to the will of the people , and have little interest in serving the people ..

So what do we have ?

A two party dictatorship is what you have ..
It matters not which party is in power as either will dictate their will to the people and we are expected to obey !
Both parties will push as hard as they dare , every election taking a little more from the people .

So why vote ?
Especially when so many are entrenched in their political party , much like their favorite football team ..
Grand dad was a Collingwood supporter , Dad is a Collingwood supporter , and Im a Collingwood supporter , with this sort of horse and buggy thinking , no wonder many see Australians as politically stupid .

Want to see change ? , want to see the Politicians work for the people rather than against them ?
Then " WE THE PEOPLE " must bring them to heel , and the only way is to vote out both Lib and Lab parties ..
Neither party has done squat in the last 20 years +

Vote them out , break their backs , fill the upper and lower house with independents ...
Only then will the Traitors in Canbera get the message ... ( You work for us - and now your fired )

Do the Australian people have the BALLS to do this , the intelligence , the political will ?

So why should young people bother voting ? Dont ask me , as Im still wondering why Australians are so willing to bend over ? or vote the way dad or grand dad did ?
I guess every election the sheeple have their say ... And dont the politicians know it !

And thats my 5c worth !

Kid's , dont waste your time voting , not till mum and dad grow a pair !

[ameerat42]

All right youse guise. Now you've gone and upset Kaiser. He wanted a positive discussion.
One thing's for sure: just DON'T vote yourselves in, or we'll end up with another dictatorship of the proletariat. (And I mean proletariat!)
That's just another RED RAG to a(nother load of) BULL(shirts!).
Am(not looking forward to much now).

[kaiser]

Actually, I've found all the responses so far very interesting.

[Mark L]

Hmm , why vote when it makes no difference ?
.........
........
So why vote ?
........
..........., and the only way is to vote out both Lib and Lab parties .....


Vote them out , ...



So why should young people bother voting ? ..........

Sounds like a good reason to vote.
and young people should vote so they cancel out their parents vote. I don't thing they're as sheepish as you think.

[ameerat42]

Sounds like a good reason to vote.
and young people should vote so they cancel out their parents vote. I don't thing they're as sheepish as you think.

That's bar-barring black sheep of course! Otherwise, nothing like turning an argument on its head.
m.

[Dug]

P.P.S. The radio station was just Triple J and just happened to be a very short segment in between music. I don't listen to talk back per se.

You could do a lot worse than listening to Triple J, they call themselves the youth network and I think they do a good job of bringing youth relevant issues to the attention of their listeners.
They are proactive in bring to the attention the importance of youths having their say and and to using their vote.

Well they got you thinking so they must be doing something right. (and the musics good)