Grumpy Old Chook

Toward the end of this year, we in Victoria are going to be “blessed” with two elections – one for the State and one for the Commonwealth government. Apart from the fact that I believe that State Governments are an anachronism that should be done away with – and the quicker the better – I can’t help but wonder why we even bother. The two major political parties are equally bad, and the minor leaguers offer no real alternative. Even if they did, because of our ridiculous preferential voting system, to vote for a minor party (or an independent) is really to vote for whatever major party they choose to direct their preferences to.

For far too many years the Australian political scene has stood between the proverbial rock and hard place. On the one hand we have the Liberals (whose name is a contradiction in terms), who espouse traditional values but support the “big end of town” at the expense of the working man and the poor. In the opposite corner (or on the opposite side of the House) we have Labor – traditionally the working man’s party, but often embracing movements that stand totally contrary to morality, decency and family values.

Conservative Christians have, in many cases, embraced the Liberal side of politics, primarily because of their support of traditional family values. In some cases it has almost been taken to the extent of suggesting that God votes Liberal, and that anyone who doesn’t isn’t a true Christian. On the other hand, there are those of us who have said, No. Disregard of the neediest members of society is every bit as bad as any of the movements that the Liberals resist.

Now those lines are being blurred. Like many, I had great hopes when Kevin Rudd came to power. He was a fresh voice, with great ideas, but none-the-less not ashamed to be seen attending church. In fact, I personally know the man who led him to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Saviour many years ago. Here, I thought, was a man who would both stand for traditional values and care for the most vulnerable members of society.

What a disappointment! Rudd has wholeheartedly embraced the concept of “middle class welfare”, whilst totally ignoring the most needy. I for one am sick of hearing about “working families” – does the man have any idea of how many people in this country DO NOT live as part of a family unit? Has he any idea how many are NOT WORKING, either because of age, disability, a commitment to care for others, or simply because they are not able to find work? Are these people not Australians? Do they have no value in this country of “working families?” Welfare bludgers, people cry. And yes, some are. But most are not. Most are people struggling to live on an income that is a fraction of the minimum wage, and wondering how they are possibly going to survive should a major expense come up.

Rudd has given to those who have while taking from those who have not – Widow Allowees are actually $20 per week worse off under Rudd, because whilst he gave Aged Pensioners a rise last years, WA recipients not only got nothing, they lost the annual $1000 payment that had been part of several preceding budgets. At the same time, working women who want to have children were granted paid maternity leave. Excuse me, but if someone wants a kid, that should be their expense – not that of the rest of Australia!

I used to say that Howard would like to exterminate all welfare recipients, if only he could figure out a way to make them pay for the extermination first. Now I’m really beginning to think that Rudd is not any better.

Now we are also beginning to see multiple broken promises, and the hypocrisy of “one law for them and a different one for us” regarding political advertising.

Meanwhile, we have Tony Abbott who would like to break up families by forcing people under 30 who are out of work to relocate to some outpost in Western Australia to fill mining jobs. Great idea, Tony boy – just what young families need. Pull them away from all their support networks and dump them back-of-beyond! Really good one!

Of course, asylum seekers would not even get that much kindness from him. They would either be forced back to face the perils of the sea, or foisted upon other nations to take care of till we get around to processing their claims (seems to me very much like the mentality of the British, who chose to dump their problems on a rather large island at the western edge of the Pacific!)

Don’t even get me started on the bumbling ineptness of our State Government! They farmed out our transport system to an international company that is doing even worse than the mob that were running the trains before (what ever happened to “buy Australian”? or is that only for the poor schmucks who are trying to stretch their dollars as far as possible in the face of skyrocketing supermarket prices?) They made a total shambles of emergency services when our state faced one of its worst crises ever in last year’s bushfires.

Worse, they voted to allow the murder of babies who, had they been born rather than aborted at that stage of development, would have had a reasonable chance of survival. Now they have passed a bill that rides roughshod over the right to freedom of religion, and could force churches and Christian organizations to employ people who are totally out of sync with their standards and beliefs.

The State Opposition? Apart from their promise to overturn this latest bill – in itself probably enough to get my vote – they are ghosts, with no voice and no policies: at least, none that we can hear!

Oh how I wish that someone would start a decent political party: one that would both embrace decent moral and ethical values and show a genuine concern for the poorest members of the community. One that would not have “core promises” and “non core promises”, but would think before uttering promises in the first place, and once they were made would bend over backwards to keep them. One that would govern for the people, not for their own interests. Such a party would have my vote every time.

Meanwhile, at least for the Commonwealth election, I guess I’ll just flip a coin … or maybe write what I really think about both parties on the ballot paper, thus making it informal. Whichever side gets in, it’s only going to be more of the same.

This blog is © Lynn Fowler

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