In a democracy, elections are unavoidable but viewed in many shades.. Annoying, utterly pointless, or a defining moment when you dare to dream of national epiphany.

 

In political parlance: A friggin’ landslide!

The most honourable candidate crossed the line first and took all with them. The meek, the poor, the suffering, the entrepreneurs, unionists, captains of industry, every interest served, every injustice reconciled.Including yours!

Sadly, this never happens. Never in my lifetime at least. But hey, we got to have some say in it didn’t we?‘Cos you know what?

It could be otherwise. There could be no elections at all, or the ones you got were totally rigged over time. Integrity eaten away like a slow pork roast..Then one day you woke up behind bars for just being near some people in the street with placards who are were making a fuss about.. well, whatever it was:

“Dunno mate.. Something to do with the government..”You could even get poisoned for well, saying things.

It happens.The fact that you CAN protest is a direct result of choice enshrined in law, like the actual constitution and parliamentary procedure. Democracy is a process, as widely dispersed as possible. Everyone with a stake, in every institution.

To prevent the theft of public wealth basically.And a VOICE. You vote. You speak.

At least we’ve got that.But there’s still good old fashion corruption right? You get that too. Lies and hypocrisy. Railway car parks and regional sport centres, strategically offered, located, to put a smile on the faces of the un-loved.

THE BIG PORKBut when does government become a moral vacuum? Seeking power for the sake of having it.. Well, you might say we’re there now.

THE BIG PORK has sprung up again actually, in case you haven’t been listening.. Promises made in Paterson, Frankston, Chisolm…… a re-run of 2019..Will they get away with it? Maybe..

Either way it won’t help your wages. Right now hundreds of thousands of Aussies are working three jobs at once, on the bones of their arses. Not far from where I live actually. I see them every day..not that the boss dwells on that. 4% unemployment? Sweet number you say..

And so.. you glaze over. Which is entirely understandable.. What’s the point in caring you ask?

Or even voting?

Especially if you’re already bouncing on the bottom.. much like your parents did. You’ll never be able to buy a house or travel overseas. You might even be homeless. Then again you could be filthy rich too, educated and just well, philosophically opposed,

Or just plain LAZY.

“They’re all the same mate. Shouldn’t be forced ‘into it’.

(Read.. ‘think about it’)

And then the clincher..

“It’s anti-democratic..”

But see, I’m not so sure about this last bit. A failure of logic you say? This idea that anything you’re forced to do by law is wrong because hey, it denies you your freedom man.. You know..

like getting vaccinated? Or having to stop at traffic lights?

See, this argument rests on the idea that democracy and freedom are the same thing.. which I’m afraid to say, is not TRUE!

Unlike freedom, Democracy is not a state of mind. It is in fact…

a system of government.

How these two things came to be conflated is beyond me..

maybe ask Clive Palmer..

Broadly speaking though, I’d say obeying the law is mostly worthwhile. I myself do not have a problem with it. Laws mostly work. They keep us alive.

Mandatory voting. Now there’s a law! That means everybody right? The highest possible level of public engagement. All you have to do is drive there, take out your friggin’ pencil and write the numbers down. How hard can it be?

Still, some of us have to be dragged screaming a kicking into the polling booth.. And there’s a big one coming up right now.

You could say it’s fairly serious. I would. Like CLIMATE CHANGE does it for me. But then again, I read the fine print, like every morning and it isn’t cheerful..

In the meantime, Canberra’s got the guns right? So Whoever gets the gong decides when we go to war, or not etc.

Hmmm.

Stakes are high.

Still, you’ve got a lot on and there are so many issues. A list as long as your arm. I could expand but that would be be beside the point right? Because the point is..

It’s a friggin’ contract mate.

I mean, you pay your taxes so it makes sense you have some say in how they’re spent.. None of this business of ‘holding up your end of the bargain’.. or being a ‘responsible citizen’

Keep it simple.

It’s SELF INTEREST.

Still, worry about it later. Maybe right up to the last minute. Like when you actually walk into the polling booth.. And who knows how many will do this?

No one actually, no matter how much polling they do..

The landscape will shift until it suddenly warps on MAY 21st and then afterwards, you’ll get the big take out..

“Oh.. that’s what they were thinking?”

And so, off we go again..

Predictions are bullshit basically.

Meanwhile just now, my lefty-tribal mates were squawking about Albo’s latest gaffe-gate, not knowing the unemployment figure right?

“Oh NO!” you could almost hear the wringing of hands.. “And.. It’s gonna go on and on..”

But not necessarily

‘cos see, there’s weeks. You throw mud to see what sticks.

But exactly how much does? Again, nobody knows..

See, there’s this whole other side to the business of voting, which is kind of magical. If everybody HAS to vote, then those who believe it makes no difference to them will effect the outcome.. no matter how much bleeding hearts like you and me may squawk about climate change or CORRUPTION!

The non-committed are everywhere and because of them, the outcome will always be cloudy. But it will arrive.

And you know what? This might be a good thing.

Because unpredictability SUFFERS NO FOOLS.

All the polling in the world can’t account it. Which makes elections a bit like national electro-shock therapy..

Wake up on the 22nd.. “Fuck! What the hell was that?”

AND THERE LIES DEMOCRACY.

So who’s actually reading the fine print right now? Like in my street? Buggered if I know.

Enter the invisible hand..

It’s this old idea. Adam Smith’s actually. He was this British economist back in the days of uncontrolled industrial expansion when Britain was a riot of urban poverty and rich people were in need of re-assurance that all the social carnage was meaningful and that they had the GOD GIVEN right to exploit and plunder the lives of millions..

“Do we really HAVE to give the huddled masses a say..?”

Or can the market just sort them out? Mind you, this was two hundred years ago. Back then, most people still clung to the notion that god would sort it out.

And so Adam pops up and says

‘You know what? It’s all gonna be fine because there’s this thing called ‘collective self-interest’ that’s kind of invisible.’

As if by magic.. (read THE HAND OF GOD) enough punters would come to think the same thing at the same time because they simply had to..

or die..

and hence, knuckle down, co-operate and just sort of improve their lot over time, vote or no.. There’d be collateral damage but hey..

You get that.Which was an argument for not letting the grinding beggars in the east end have a say. AT ALL.

All would come to understand that it was ok for some pricks to be a hell of lot better off than they were..

Adam Smith was a very optimistic guy..

Personally, I think this idea is appalling.

Markets DO NOT save lives!

Still, there might be something in it, if you factor in

THE VOTE!

See, take the cost of living. The bit that effects you and me. Directly, like tomorrow.

Could it be the game changer? The invisible hand itself? The vibe that turns the herd?

I’ll admit. I’ve seen a lot of elections.. And they do say as you get older and closer to death, you tend to take the contest a bit more seriously..

I’ve always hoped that at least once in my lifetime, unless I drown or die in a climate induced bushfire.. that I would get to see an Australian Government that didn’t succumb to moral failure..

Like this one has..

SO MANY TIMES..

Like, you know, instead of sayin’ it’s them over there, Asylum seekers, communists, radical environmentalists, leaners or whatever..

Simply refusing to cop it sweet and LEAD.

Yeah I know. Many things have unravelled, apart from the plague of course, but it remains to be seen just exactly what this government stands for.

Or ever did.

Call it ineptitude or an unfortunate chain of events, largely natural..

but the fact remains, this government, as opposed to the states, has done NOTHING to thwart the general feeling out there of on-coming dread..

We are rudderless right now and that needs to change.

Could be the invisible hand you say…

Or, as the man for Cobargo famously said..

“You’re gone mate! GOODNIGHT VIENNA!”