Now, I realise the economy is indeed Very Important™ and should not be toyed with, but in this boom time of ours, I fear we’ve forgotten the other side of the economic coin: humanity itself.
Now, I’m not saying countries shouldn’t wish to develop their own economies and become better off. I just think we’ve lost sight of all those social aspects of life in the race to become hideously wealthy.
Think about it.
I’m unashamedly left-wing, I think I always will be. I’m old enough to remember Hawke and Keating before Howard came in. So when I look back on Labor over the Howard years, there’s something missing.
Now, I’m not going to turn this into a ‘what’s wrong with Labor’ piece, because other people have done it far more elegantly and intelligently than I could. And I’m not Paul Keating. XD
No, this is not about that.
It’s more my frustration that Labor makes such an ineffective Opposition. Now, I don’t expect them to oppose everything Howard does. All I expect is a party prepared to make the Government accountable to its citizens, and in my opinion, that hasn’t happened.
Howard has run all over them like he has all over the country. No one’s prepared to keep him in check, and the people keep voting him in!
Alexander Downer is the most ineffective and incompetent ministers in the Government, yet he keeps his job!
It stinks. It really fucking stinks.
Now, I admire Rudd. He seems to (sort of) know what he’s doing. And he’s not offensive in any way shape or form. What worries me is that there’s not much difference between Howard and Rudd. At least Latham had personality! Rudd appears to have a halo constantly shining over his head, as if he’s too fucking good to be true. Too squeaky clean. It bothers me. I don’t buy it.
Now, Rudd was doing fine for most of the year so far, but maybe it’s just been a bad week for him, but he’s not looking as strong as he was. But he’s not down and out yet. This appears to just be a small stumble in the road. Here’s hoping he picks him self up and carries on, and stops making mistakes.
He hasn’t convinced me to vote for him because he’s going to be a decent Prime Minister. At the moment, he’s the lesser of two evils, and the only way to get rid of Howard.
Maybe it’s my own political apathy coming through, but I don’t trust politicians. I’ve long since learnt not to trust in any pre-election promises. They say all these shiny things to make you give them power that they will then use however they like, regardless of what they promised.
Call me skeptical, but that’s how I see Howard’s announcement yesterday of radical plans to help the indigenous people of the Northern Territory. He can make those changes because the NT is not a State, and the Federal Government has jurisdiction over it. That’s how they overturned the ACT’s Bill to legalise civil unions for same-sex couples a couple of years ago.
It disgusted me when they did that. As a bisexual individual of no specific gender, it’s becoming increasingly clear this Government would like to pretend I don’t exist. The blatant discrimination of non-heterosexuals in society would not be tolerated if it were any other minority group society approved of. But society is willing to turn a blind eye to non-heterosexuals and deny them the same rights as heterosexuals with regards to marriage, access to IVF and adoption, as well as financial arrangements and such.
Am I ever going to be allowed to marry the girl I love and have it legally recognised in my own country? Or do I have to take up my British citizenship and marry there? Why the fuck don’t people care about this?
Every day I lose a little more faith in humanity.