I took my car in for a service today. I'm on the bus on the way to work and I thought I'd try blogging from my phone. It's really quite relaxing using public transport.
How's the WA election campaign going? It's boring, short sighted, and lacking in any sort of substance. I'm a public servant, and i've seen things grind to a holt over the past couple of months leading up to the election. Seriously. The government doesn't really seem to want to govern incase they give the opposition some ammunition or stuff up and so far the opposition hasn't explained what they are going to bring to the party. Piss weak.
But really, I think it's our own fault. Society in general. We seem more interested in personalities, gossip, etc. We're interested in what we can get, such as a quick tax cut. We whinge about education, health, carers, but what do we do other than whinge? Our politicians are the short sighted product of our short sighted society.
And what's the solution? I have to admit I consider myself a moderately informed and interested whinger. What can I do? Does voting for a minor party really make a difference? Can we make a difference? Are we too far gone as a society?
Whoever wins is probly not that big a deal. It's all much of a muchness and we're getting what we deserve.
How depressing.
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13 comments:
I agree Pete.
Russ and I are sick of the ads where the parties have a go at the other party instead of telling us what THEY plan on doing. I'm sick of the bad mouthing ads.
Oh, and I really love your header on the top of your blog....you look sooooo cute :) it's little petey!!
Yeah, election campaigns suck! Was at a meeting about Leavers planning yesterday...not much progress has been made since the last meeting due to the 'caretaker' rules or something like that, whereby once an election is called the government either can't (or as you said won't) make new decisions because they are now only 'caretakers'. Very frustrating!
I am also sick of the negative advertising...but sadly it works. The amount of people I speak to who justify who they will vote for based on the 'bad stuff' the other side has done astounds me. Unfortunately...we are more concerned about who is worse rather than who is better.
I won't even get into some of the discussions I find myself in 'as a Christian'...apparently there are only 2 parties I am allowed to vote for (*rolls eyes*) and neither of them are the ones I would personally choose:P So obviously I am not following Jesus:)
Just get it over with!
is there anything your phone doesnt do...???
No Bek, it does everything ;). Was quite good fun being able to blog from the train. Oh wait, it doesn't look after me when I'm sick or hold me when I've had a bad day. ;)
Bek and Middo, so true. Who wants a negative campaign? I don't really care what the liberals did when they were last in. It was nearly a decade ago!
And I really think the Government should do a better job. I feel like they think they don't have to try cause they're in and the opposition isn't that flash.
Thanks Bek, I was a cute kid as my mum and others love to point out. I just don't know what happened......
awww...thats cute...although i can think of other things it doesnt do...
and im so over the election...dad has been goin on about it for ages (he works for dept housing and works) and ur right pete everything seems to have stopped for the election...i hate the ads their lame and i have no idea who im goin to vote for except that the libs are pro chaplaincy...
I'm going to vote Liberal I think. I'm giving them a bit of slack for running a negative campaign because they are the "opposition" after all. The government however has no excuses in my book at the moment.
Plus hopefully if the libs get a chance they might do something. Labour have a track record of 8 years now of doing stuff all with 20 billion dollar surpluses.
They've had long enough I reckon.
interesting...i as always remain undecided...although the libs saying they will throw a few million in the chaplaincy direction in making me lean towards them...and only cos im selfish and want me job to continue...
"I won't even get into some of the discussions I find myself in 'as a Christian'...apparently there are only 2 parties I am allowed to vote for (*rolls eyes*) and neither of them are the ones I would personally choose:P So obviously I am not following Jesus:)"
Agree with this comment, Middo. That sort of thinking does my head in. I like to examine the individual issues and look at which policies/responses/actions are more Christlike and then *try* to base my decision on that. Just because someone wears the same religious label as me doesn't mean that I should vote for them automatically without question. The parties that I *think* you are talking about tend to get more airtime from the pulpit, etc. I guess when a pastor/church endorses a particular candiate or gives a particular party a lot of 'air time', then a lot of people are likely to vote that way.
"We whinge about education, health, carers, but what do we do other than whinge?"
I agree. Letter writing directly to politicians directly has the potential to be more effective. Something that I've been thinking about recently, was the idea that we have enough resources to stop world hunger - if every second person in Perth were to write to their local member about it, or go to visit them, I wonder if it could affect change on a mass scale? If everyone in Australia were to do the same thing, then it would really put it on the agenda. I guess this could apply to any number of issues...Maybe there's a chance that something won't make any difference, but there's more *chance* of something making a difference if we get out there and do it, rather than sitting around whingeing about how something won't make a difference. Am not trying to sound holier than thou or anything - I have been rather politically inactive as of late, and need to get more active myself.
Pete, I kind of agree with it being much of a muchness whoever gets in this State Election. However, just because we feel that the politicians aren't really doing that much, it doesn't have to stop individuals from trying to make a difference to society at a local level. We can probably do stuff on a personal/local level that maybe governments can't do. We can't leave it up to the politicans to do everything. Hmm.
Still haven't decided who to vote for.
Too true jodie, we shouldn't let it stop us from trying and having some hope about the future and what we can contribute ourselves. That sort of thinking will just maintain the status quo or worse. I just find it hard cause I'd like to be a positive influence and contribute but it seems so hard....
Oh middo, I can't believe people think like that. God help us :) Bring forth the stick of judgement!
Stay strong buddy.
hehe its all good, I am used to it;)
I just think there is more to the Christian faith than being anti gay, anti abortion, anti prostitution.
Who proposes better care for the earth? (our command from Genesis)
Who best supports caring for orphans and widows?
Who helps the outcast and downtrodden?
It may well be the anti gay, anti homosexual, anti prostitution parties are pro the above as well...and so GREAT! Because I am more interested in following what we WERE commanded to do, not the extra stuff we think we are commanded to do. Jesus called us to do a LOT of stuff before we add stuff like 'fight abortion, fight homosexuality, fight prostitution. Should we do this? Well...quite probably, but there is a HECK of a lot of stuff Jesus SPECIFICALLY called us to do that we AREN'T so that is what I am personally more interested in!
Hey Pete, yeah it's hard to stay positive about stuff sometimes. We are small fish in a rather big pond (at the risk of reducing it to a stupid cliche :))
Hey Middo have you ever heard of a guy called Jim Wallis? He wrote a book called "God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It". Jim Wallis helped to start up the network/community in America called Sojourners. They have a website and stuff.
Anyway, the book that I mentioned - I bought it and started to read it, but didn't end up finishing and one of my friends is currently borrowing it, so i can't really give a *detailed* explanation. But what he basically says is that a lot of the religious political parties make things solely about abortion and homosexuality - when there are a *number* of other issues that need considering - social justice, poverty, war, etc.
yeah I have heard of him, and that book. It has been highly recommended! I think I may well need to give it a read:D
I agree with you Middo about there being only two parties which we Christians are 'supposed' to vote for. It is SO annoying. I was talking to another Christian the other week and they basically just assumed I'd be voting for CDP because I'm a Christian.
I just got a forwarded email from a Christian friend which said CDP is the only party which upholds 'Christian values'....whatever they are.
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