Post-election
Sep. 8th, 2013 11:56 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
heliopausaWell, our election is over and it's ... depressing. Not the overall result - that was pretty much a foregone conclusion - but the innovation made by one candidate/party, a mining billionaire,who formed a party named after himself, and looks pretty set to take a seat. It is also likely, though I haven't seen any figures, that Senate seats will be taken by the party, possibly given him/them the balance of power.
His innovation -- blindingly simple. He used his money to pay people to do the task, usually/formerly done by volunteers acting from political conviction, of standing outside the polling booths, handing out how-to-vote papers. I feel so stupid and naive writing that, because of course, that's what a very rich candidate would do, and I know it happens elsewhere - just earlier this year I watched a documentary about elections in the Philippines where that sort of thing is standard -- but it's a first in my experience of Australian elections and it feels rotten. (I should explain that this payment meant that many small booths which normally parties wouldn't have the volunteers to cover this time would have had only someone representing this party offering people last-minute advice. And it's depressing that so few people do volunteer - ie that we are so disengaged from the political process - and it's depressing that so many people can be so swayed by a last minute word from a stranger.)
Too depressing to go on with. I will go and catch upon the NFE reading which I've missed the last couple of days.
(Just editing to note, the first story I meet is Puddleglum, and Jill feeling very fed up with everything -- oh, I feel with you, Jill! :) )
His innovation -- blindingly simple. He used his money to pay people to do the task, usually/formerly done by volunteers acting from political conviction, of standing outside the polling booths, handing out how-to-vote papers. I feel so stupid and naive writing that, because of course, that's what a very rich candidate would do, and I know it happens elsewhere - just earlier this year I watched a documentary about elections in the Philippines where that sort of thing is standard -- but it's a first in my experience of Australian elections and it feels rotten. (I should explain that this payment meant that many small booths which normally parties wouldn't have the volunteers to cover this time would have had only someone representing this party offering people last-minute advice. And it's depressing that so few people do volunteer - ie that we are so disengaged from the political process - and it's depressing that so many people can be so swayed by a last minute word from a stranger.)
Too depressing to go on with. I will go and catch upon the NFE reading which I've missed the last couple of days.
(Just editing to note, the first story I meet is Puddleglum, and Jill feeling very fed up with everything -- oh, I feel with you, Jill! :) )
