{"id":12375,"date":"2022-05-27T19:48:12","date_gmt":"2022-05-27T09:48:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/humanfrailty.com.au\/?page_id=12375"},"modified":"2022-05-27T19:48:12","modified_gmt":"2022-05-27T09:48:12","slug":"tarago-diaries-62-goodnight-vienna","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/humanfrailty.com.au\/?page_id=12375","title":{"rendered":"Tarago Diaries #62 – Goodnight Vienna"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mark writes about the democratic process.<\/p>\n

Author:\u00a0 Mark Seymour.<\/p>\n

Date: 18 April 2022.<\/p>\n

Original URL: N\/A<\/p>\n

Article Text<\/p>\n

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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.<\/p>\n

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In political parlance: A friggin\u2019 landslide!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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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!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Sadly, this never happens. Never in my lifetime at least. But hey, we got to have some say in it didn\u2019t we?\u2018Cos you know what?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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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:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cDunno mate.. Something to do with the government..\u201dYou could even get poisoned for well, saying things.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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To prevent the theft of public wealth basically.And a VOICE. You vote. You speak.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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At least we\u2019ve got that.But there\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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THE BIG PORKBut when does government become a moral vacuum? Seeking power for the sake of having it.. Well, you might say we\u2019re there now.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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THE BIG PORK has sprung up again actually, in case you haven\u2019t been listening.. Promises made in Paterson, Frankston, Chisolm…… a re-run of 2019..Will they get away with it? Maybe..<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Either way it won\u2019t 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..<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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And so.. you glaze over. Which is entirely understandable.. What\u2019s the point in caring you ask?<\/p>\n

Or even voting?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Especially if you\u2019re already bouncing on the bottom.. much like your parents did. You\u2019ll 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,<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Or just plain LAZY.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThey\u2019re all the same mate. Shouldn\u2019t be forced \u2018into it\u2019.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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(Read.. \u2018think about it\u2019)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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And then the clincher..<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s anti-democratic..\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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But see, I\u2019m not so sure about this last bit. A failure of logic you say? This idea that anything you\u2019re forced to do by law is wrong because hey, it denies you your freedom man.. You know..<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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like getting vaccinated? Or having to stop at traffic lights?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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See, this argument rests on the idea that democracy and freedom are the same thing.. which I\u2019m afraid to say, is not TRUE!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Unlike freedom, Democracy is not a state of mind. It is in fact\u2026<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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a system of government.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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How these two things came to be conflated is beyond me..<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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maybe ask Clive Palmer..<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Broadly speaking though, I\u2019d say obeying the law is mostly worthwhile. I myself do not have a problem with it. Laws mostly work. They keep us alive.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Mandatory voting. Now there\u2019s 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\u2019 pencil and write the numbers down. How hard can it be?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Still, some of us have to be dragged screaming a kicking into the polling booth.. And there\u2019s a big one coming up right now.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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You could say it\u2019s 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\u2019t cheerful..<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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In the meantime, Canberra\u2019s got the guns right? So Whoever gets the gong decides when we go to war, or not etc.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Hmmm.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Stakes are high.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Still, you\u2019ve 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..<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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It\u2019s a friggin\u2019 contract mate.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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I mean, you pay your taxes so it makes sense you have some say in how they\u2019re spent.. None of this business of \u2018holding up your end of the bargain\u2019.. or being a \u2018responsible citizen\u2019<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Keep it simple.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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It\u2019s SELF INTEREST.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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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?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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No one actually, no matter how much polling they do..<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The landscape will shift until it suddenly warps on MAY 21st and then afterwards, you\u2019ll get the big take out..<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cOh.. that\u2019s what they were thinking?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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And so, off we go again..<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Predictions are bullshit basically.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Meanwhile just now, my lefty-tribal mates were squawking about Albo\u2019s latest gaffe-gate, not knowing the unemployment figure right?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cOh NO!\u201d you could almost hear the wringing of hands.. \u201cAnd.. It\u2019s gonna go on and on..\u201d<\/p>\n

But not necessarily<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u2018cos see, there\u2019s weeks. You throw mud to see what sticks.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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But exactly how much does? Again, nobody knows..<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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See, there\u2019s 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!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The non-committed are everywhere and because of them, the outcome will always be cloudy. But it will arrive.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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And you know what? This might be a good thing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Because unpredictability SUFFERS NO FOOLS.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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All the polling in the world can\u2019t account it. Which makes elections a bit like national electro-shock therapy..<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Wake up on the 22nd.. \u201cFuck! What the hell was that?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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AND THERE LIES DEMOCRACY.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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So who\u2019s actually reading the fine print right now? Like in my street? Buggered if I know.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Enter the invisible hand..<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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It\u2019s this old idea. Adam Smith\u2019s 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..<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cDo we really HAVE to give the huddled masses a say..?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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And so Adam pops up and says<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u2018You know what? It\u2019s all gonna be fine because there\u2019s this thing called \u2018collective self-interest\u2019 that\u2019s kind of invisible.\u2019<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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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..<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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or die..<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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and hence, knuckle down, co-operate and just sort of improve their lot over time, vote or no.. There\u2019d be collateral damage but hey..<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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You get that.Which was an argument for not letting the grinding beggars in the east end have a say. AT ALL.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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All would come to understand that it was ok for some pricks to be a hell of lot better off than they were..<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Adam Smith was a very optimistic guy..<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Personally, I think this idea is appalling.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Markets DO NOT save lives!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Still, there might be something in it, if you factor in<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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THE VOTE!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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See, take the cost of living. The bit that effects you and me. Directly, like tomorrow.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Could it be the game changer? The invisible hand itself? The vibe that turns the herd?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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I\u2019ll admit. I\u2019ve 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..<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve 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\u2019t succumb to moral failure..<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Like this one has..<\/p>\n

SO MANY TIMES..<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Like, you know, instead of sayin\u2019 it\u2019s them over there, Asylum seekers, communists, radical environmentalists, leaners or whatever..<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Simply refusing to cop it sweet and LEAD.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Or ever did.<\/p>\n

Call it ineptitude or an unfortunate chain of events, largely natural..<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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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..<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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We are rudderless right now and that needs to change.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Could be the invisible hand you say…<\/div>\n
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Or, as the man for Cobargo famously said..<\/div>\n
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\u201cYou\u2019re gone mate! GOODNIGHT VIENNA!”<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Comments<\/p>\n

N\/A.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mark writes about the democratic process. Author:\u00a0 Mark Seymour. Date: 18 April 2022. Original URL: N\/A Article Text 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\u2019 landslide! The most honourable candidate more \u00bb<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":9456,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-12375","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P5xhjD-3dB","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/humanfrailty.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12375","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/humanfrailty.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/humanfrailty.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humanfrailty.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humanfrailty.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12375"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/humanfrailty.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12375\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12378,"href":"https:\/\/humanfrailty.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12375\/revisions\/12378"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humanfrailty.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9456"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/humanfrailty.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12375"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}