Democracy
Well, the election is all over bar the shouting, and the shouting so far has been of a desultory and listless sort. The people of this state decided to go with proven failure rather than potential disaster. Better the devil you know and all that. The last thing you want when being jabbed with pitchforks or thrown into a lake of fire is inexperience. We are a cautious people.
That may also explain why the referendum to extend commercial trading hours was defeated. I was surprised at that, even though referendums in this country usually result in a mandate for the status quo. I'd thought that we were a society of intemperate shopaholics who would stop at nothing to increase the availability of our drug of choice. But it seems this is not so.
Thus the election didn't serve to advance my own personal political and social causes. And I've realised that I'm okay with that. Having seen the responses to the American and Australian federal elections, I realise that there's nothing tackier than bemoaning 'your' loss. The re-election of President Bush was blamed on mouth-breathing Rove-addled red-neck Jesuslanders. The re-election of Prime Minister Howard was blamed on selfish racist gullible suburbanites. And we're not just talking about the comments sections of Far Left blogs here; we're talking major metropolitan newspapers and respectable broadcast networks. Accordingly if I bitch and moan that the election was won by people incapable of seeing bigger pictures, or the referendum defeated because of narrow-minded parochialism, then I'm just as bad. Love or hate the result, one must respect the will of the people.
So I celebrate the election and referendum results. Not because I agree with them, but because the people have spoken. The word of the poorest and most disenfranchised is worth the same as the richest and most enabled, and that doesn't happen very often. You may not agree with them, but you've got to love the fact that they can say it and be heard and obeyed. Democracy rules.
That may also explain why the referendum to extend commercial trading hours was defeated. I was surprised at that, even though referendums in this country usually result in a mandate for the status quo. I'd thought that we were a society of intemperate shopaholics who would stop at nothing to increase the availability of our drug of choice. But it seems this is not so.
Thus the election didn't serve to advance my own personal political and social causes. And I've realised that I'm okay with that. Having seen the responses to the American and Australian federal elections, I realise that there's nothing tackier than bemoaning 'your' loss. The re-election of President Bush was blamed on mouth-breathing Rove-addled red-neck Jesuslanders. The re-election of Prime Minister Howard was blamed on selfish racist gullible suburbanites. And we're not just talking about the comments sections of Far Left blogs here; we're talking major metropolitan newspapers and respectable broadcast networks. Accordingly if I bitch and moan that the election was won by people incapable of seeing bigger pictures, or the referendum defeated because of narrow-minded parochialism, then I'm just as bad. Love or hate the result, one must respect the will of the people.
So I celebrate the election and referendum results. Not because I agree with them, but because the people have spoken. The word of the poorest and most disenfranchised is worth the same as the richest and most enabled, and that doesn't happen very often. You may not agree with them, but you've got to love the fact that they can say it and be heard and obeyed. Democracy rules.
Sorry. 'Roolz'.
posted by Blandwagon at 6:48 PM
1 Comments:
I believe "Celebrate democracy... or else!" is the motto of the Australian Electoral Commission.
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