So it’s time for Election ‘09! ALP v NLP. Bligh v Springborg. The electors of Queensland, sick of the tired Labor government will do the only thing it can. Re-elect Anna Bligh.
Does that sound a little strange to you? Well it should.
You see I have always been a staunch conservative when it comes to my politics. I have voted Liberal federally every election since I turned 18 - except the last election. I just had to vote for Kevin Rudd. Was it my politics that had changed? No, I felt the government was tired. We needed change.
[Image not archived: Public Transport is a major issue in Election ]
Public Transport is a major issue in Election (Source: mythoto@flickr)
The state government is tired too. Public transport is overrun and underwhelming to say the least, there have been a number of scandals involving ministers, nine retirements in the last few weeks and the economic ‘meltdown’ (which isn’t as bad as it could be) has thrown the budget into a spin. So why do I think they will win?
Look at the Opposition. They couldn’t fight their way out of a wet paper bag. No one seems to take Lawrence Springborg seriously. Who goes around calling themselves “The Borg” for crying out loud? Yes I know we need a change of government badly, but can Lawrence do the job?
I’m really not sure and that makes me sad. So what can you do?
Get into the ears of your friends and neighbours. Talk about the real issues of the election, not the politicking and the pork barrelling that will come from the Federal Government’s stimulus package. Think about the schools, the public transport, jobs, housing affordability, climate change.
Think about health, dental plans for all, giving our kids the best chance of success. Why do we have to pick and choose just because the parties are always at two opposite ends of the scale? Why can’t we just pick the best people for the job and be done with it.
Vote for the best person to be your local member. If they are from the Greens, an Independent, Democrat (if they come out of the woodwork) or whatever - elect them on their ability. Even if you don’t agree with the party politics, vote for the best person with the best plan for your area.
If we all did that for a change, perhaps we would have a parliament that leads, rather than a parliament that squabbles and fights.
Tags: ALP, Anna Bligh, Election ‘09, Lawrence Springborg, NLP, Politics, Queensland
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Sam Clifford said,
Our state electoral system isn’t really set up to deal with parties beyond the party affiliation on the ballot paper and party unity in this state is pretty watertight unless you’ve got Cate Molloy looking to not get tossed out by her electorate.
The result? MLAs are no longer their community’s voice in parliament but the party’s voice in the community.
The solution? Proportional Representation.