FOCUS ON FEDERAL POLITICIANS
Our federal politicians have become the focus of our attention. And it’s not Just because of the looming federal election.
Recent Dis-endorsements of Election Candidates
In the past week, at least nine politicians and candidates for election have been exposed for unacceptable behaviour or statements. This has included drunker touching of strippers accompanied by crude, racist and misogynistic comments. Offending statements made on social media tended to be misogynistic, homophobic, racist and or bigoted. A female candidate even suggested that women who support Islam should be mutilated and sent to live in Muslim countries.
In most cases, the major parties acted swiftly to dis-endorse offending candidates. Not surprisingly, the minor extremist parties have been more reluctant to condemn their candidates. For political parties, it was not the offensive actions and statements that troubled them the most. The ‘crime’ was failing to disclose the statements when seeking endorsement. This, may explain why even the posting of a stupid racist joke a number of years ago, should cause a candidate to be dis-endorsed.
I mulled over whether and why some of the offending statements really established the candidate’s unsuitability to sit in Federal Parliament. This led me to consider the qualities that we should insist on as prerequisites to sitting in Parliament.
Representing Offensive Views
Do we really want all our politicians to hold the same views on race, gender, GLBTI, religion and limits on freedom of speech? Politicians are meant to represent the electorate. Consequently, it could be argued that even the antisocial or uninformed views held by electors are entitled to be represented.
This argument is strongest in regard to the Senate. The Senate’s election process treats states and territories as multimember electorates. Election requires candidates to gain a quota of votes. Preferential voting further enables the election of candidates who represent minority views.
Perhaps it is not so much what politicians and political candidates say, but how and where they say it that really matters.
You Can’t Ask That – Ex-Politicians
All this led me to watch the ’ex-politicians’ episode of ABC TV’s. ‘You Can’t Ask That’. In this program, candid questions were asked of seven ex-politicians’. The end-credits list the politicians who declined to participate. Those who did were: Amanda Vanstone, Sam Dastyari, Tony Windsor, Greg Combet, Cheryl Kernot, Wyatt Roy and Richard Evans.
I found the show fascinating. Sadly, it also seemed to confirm virtually everything that is currently wrong with federal politics.
With one glaring exception, the ex politicians appeared to give frank answers. Sadly, Amanda Vanstone still offered party line answers. She also exhibited the attitude of a woman who having broken through the glass ceiling has little time for those who complain about gender disadvantage. She was the notable exception to the expression of concerns about the small numbers of female politicians, especially in the coalition ranks.
The issues that united these politicians of different political persuasions agreed on, were the most telling.
Bullying
According to the group, bullying and intimidation are rife. It is accepted, they said, as being part and parcel of being a member of a party.
Selling Out
They also agreed that being a member of a party required a selling out or shelving of personal political ideals. Most commonly this arose where a party’s view on an issue differed from that of an individual politician. According to the ex-politicians, saying nothing on the issue was an accepted way of coping, and ultimately, a recipe for success as a politician.
Just a Game
Two Parliamentary developments were particularly criticised. The old jibe that politics was ‘just a game’ had, in their view, expressly become accepted as reality, by the current crop of politicians.
No Long-Term Vision
They also bemoaned the erosion of long-term vision and ideology driven policy. This, they saw being replaced by pragmatic, short term vision and planning.
Stress and Depression
The ex-politicians also spoke of how common it is to find politicians comparing notes on medications for stress and depression.
Sex and Alcohol
The free availability of alcohol on every night of the week, was also presented as a significant problem. Sex among staff and staff and politicians was also accepted as being common, and as part of ambitious career moves.
Ambition
Political ambition and associated Machiavellian behaviour, was on show in recent disposals of Prime Ministers. The ex-politicians noted that personal ambition rather than vision had become the main driving force in Parliament.
What most caught me by surprise was that this group of former politicians made no attempt to counter their negative portrayal of federal politics and federal politicians. There was not even a mention of the inspirational positives, such as service to the nation etc.
This program is a most sobering 29 minutes of viewing.