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November 3, 2007
A Liberal voting friend recently observed that our local Gold Coast newspapers are full of complaints that the Coast never gets attention from the federal government. During federal elections some parliamentary lightweight might drop in to announce funding for a new bus shelter on the way to a more significant appearance somewhere else, but that's about it. Oh for the attention and barrells of pork lavished on Eden-Monaro.
According to the polls the four safe coalition seats that make up the bulk of the Gold Coast would probably remain safe if the entire coalition resigned. The swing towards Labor is verging on the ridiculous in Queensland, but the Coast remains resolutely devoted to the coalition. So we sit in front of our televisions every night hearing of gold-plated toilet seats and rose garden memorials for somebody's lost kitten being promised to the folk of more marginal electorates. We watch other people's children being hugged and kissed by important people. Are our babies inferior?
The Gold Coast doesn't do too badly out of the state government with major money-spinning attractions like Indy, Schoolies and a more than half full dam. We're a good resource of revenue, water and state Labor votes. But at the federal level we can safely be ignored as a Liberal inevitability.
It's unlikely that droves of worthy Gold Coast residents are wishing they'd voted Labor last time. They're unlikely to be watching the evening news wishing they were as undecided as the people they see rejoicing over all sorts of promised infrastructure improvements. Nevertheless, it's a fact of life that if pork barrell politics has become a permanent feature of our electoral landscape, the permanently marginal stand a better chance of enjoying better outcomes than pockets of loyalty to either side.
My Liberal voting friend comes from a long line of Liberal voters and in an ideal world could reasonably expect some reward for that loyalty. But politics is far from an ideal world. He's in his 50s, insecure in his employment, unhappy with his AWA, annoyed at the state of the roads around here and angry at the distribution of wealth that he still associates with the old white shoe brigade. We both think that climate change is a big problem and if government doesn't start taking it seriously we're on our way to hell with or without the handbasket.
We talk about education psychology and the election. He explains how people have difficulty accepting new information that doesn't fit with their pre-existing beliefs and the various strategies they use to discount, avoid or minimise the relevance of contradictory evidence. I tell him about the polls, the sad state of Liberal Party finances and how last week's tactics fit into the overall strategy. Labor strategy. The Liberals don't seem to have one.
He nods, smiles politely, says the Liberal Party deserves to be massacred but still thinks they're the better choice, then we trundle off our separate ways. I wonder how come somebody who knows so much about psychology doesn't occasionally examine their own, and he probably wonders why somebody who knows so much stuff doesn't do something more useful with their time.
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Lyn,
You mention pork barrelling for the Eden-Monaro electorate. Yes its been going on for the last ten years. The Regional Development Program is a great source of cash to keep your buddies on side. New stoves for the CWA, boat ramps and an occasional grant for weed control. Very little consistant pattern and no policy content behind the grants.
It is one way to run a country but not very sensible. Hardly good economic management.
Eden-Monaro has major weed problems. Down the coast it is fireweed a poisonous weed that is spreading and is now also on the Monaro-the high country where the weed serrated tussock flourishes.Other parts of the coumtry also have serious weed problems.The annual cost across Australia runs at over $4 Billion So what does the Government do. Withdraws its funding from The Co-operative Research Centre for Weed Management. The local member doesn't even answer letters about the matter.
Behaviour like this raises serious issues about "public Opinion" and "public policy". There is plenty of opinion but not much policy. The difference between the two in the case of Iraq, or the way our Government treats refugees
are of course far more serious from a humanitarian point of view.Both seem to be off the agenda at present.Your apathetic friend is part of the problem.I meet him many times a week.