By Geoffrey Curtis
‘Excuse me, are you interested in politics?’ ‘You must be joking’. ‘They’re all the same, a boring lot who tell lies, are corrupt, yell at each other, and … well, I am not interested in politics it’s nothing to do with me’.
‘Tell me, do you have an opinion on Ambulance ramping’? ‘What’s that, I’ve have never heard of it, what’s this all about?’ ‘Well, this is where in our major hospitals in this State all too often there are not enough patient beds, so they have to leave the patient inside the ambulance until a bed is ready.’ ‘This means the ambulance is not freed up for another emergency call.’ ‘What do you think about this?’ ‘Bloody awful if you ask me – it shouldn’t happen’.
‘Ok, how about this one.’ ‘Most of us drive on Tasmanian roads which are not too bad do you agree?’ ‘No, I do not’. ‘I have to travel a lot over pot-holes, unmade at times when they are digging up the road which causes me delays and we need better roads that last longer’.
‘Thank you for that and lastly, should Tasmania have more or fewer tourists?’ ‘I don’t know’ ‘ I suppose we need more ‘cos it keeps people like me at work and it helps the economy but maybe too many might be a problem.’ ‘Sometimes there are too many caravans on our busy roads which slows down traffic.
‘Thank you for giving me your time’. ‘Just before you go, I would like to say something’. ‘When I asked you if you were interested in politics you answered ‘no’. ‘Yet all your answers do relate to politics in some way which tells me not only do you have an opinion but how important your responses were for yourself’.
So why dear reader should we be interested in politics? Here are five reasons given by some upper school students. ‘Politics helps you to know your rights’, ‘Politics clarifies what you believe’, ‘Politics is a living, breathing subject’, ‘Politics helps you to understand the different political parties’, and lastly ‘Politics prepares you for adult life’. Of course, there are many other things to add to this list including it helps people to ‘become informed voters’ and it ‘provides a voice and platform for the people
However, as A.C Graying says in his ‘2020 book on ‘Principles of Democracy’, Politics and Governance are not the same things in a ‘Good State’. Politics is about voting, election campaigns, human rights, freedom of assembly, access to education, and economic opportunities, among others. The government is for the protection of its people, having public order, the making of legislation, and much more. Of course, none of this is going to be perfect and there will always be in a Democratic State, detractors who would argue their point of view something which is not allowed in many autocratic or oppressive countries.
It is easy to get bogged down with all of this. What the public wants are two fundamental and simple arguments, the first is being sufficiently educated to understand the principles (the main idea) of why and how to vote. This is not always easy to understand but requires explaining. There are in Australia three levels of government, namely Federal, State, and the Local Council. The first two require compulsory voting (in Tasmania all three are compulsory) and each uses preferential voting. As a State, only Tasmania since 1907 and in the ACT is the Hare-Clarke proportional representation system used! Therefore, everyone needs to understand the essentials of what to do on a ballot paper, you do not necessarily have to know how the system works.
One of the major difficulties is having your local politician or councillor representing so many people in their electorate. How do they know what they want? One way is for the voter to become more engaged in getting local people together who have a voice and are prepared to support a local candidate who is independent of any political party. This is called ‘Participatory Democracy’, and you can find out more in our electorate of Braddon by calling 0407822411 and having a conversation.
The second argument relates to the fairness of a government to govern in the interests of its people. There is ample evidence that any form of government is not always in the best interests of the people as many an astute person knows. In recent years there has been a downward slide where party politics and populism have eroded some basic principles. And that dear reader requires another discussion later in ‘The Voice’.