With less than three weeks to election day, like most politicians I am on the campaign trail.
Despite the geographic diversity of the people I speak to across the country, there are some common claims they share.
Overwhelmingly people think politics and politicians have become less credible and less relevant to them than ever before.
“If the current crop won’t work for me then I’ll vote for someone who will stick it to them” seems a recurring theme.
One can of course understand the desire to inflict political pain on the major parties given their performance over the past decade or so.
A vote for the shrill, the radical or the insurgent might seem like a bit of fun but it will only make things worse in the long run.
In politics it is easy to identify the areas of dissatisfaction. It’s also easy to give voice to that unhappiness. The shriller and more outrageous you are, the more headlines you are assured of getting.
That’s the business model of some of the smaller political parties. Outrageous statements attract media attention, which attracts some votes from the discontented, which delivers taxpayer provided election funding.
It’s proved a pretty sustainable and lucrative business for some political players over many years.
However, developing policies that will consistently solve problems actually requires a philosophical framework and the application of some core principles.
Many politicians who think that the cure is getting government to do more are, at best, misguided.
I’d posit that the very concept that government failure is driven by a lack of spending or resources is the most dangerous of all political agendas.
Unfortunately, it is the prevailing ethos for many seeking your vote.
I have long said that most of the problems confronting our nation today were created by politicians in the first place; as government has grown and implemented ever more programs, things have progressively got worse.
Few people I have met think government of any persuasion does a good job. They just consider one alternative government to be slightly less bad than the other.
Which begs the question, if you don’t think government does a good job, why do you want more of it?
No considered person would spend more money in a store that gave terrible products and services in the hope they will improve. Yet that is exactly what they do with their vote when choosing a party of bigger government or populist histrionics.
It might seem comforting in the short-term but the long-term consequences are likely to be terrible.
My approach to politics is different and is built from some rock-solid and reinforcing principles.
I believe that the greatest social network is the family. I support free enterprise as the means of providing jobs, alleviating poverty and building prosperity. I know that the best form of government is self-government and this can be best achieved through developing personal responsibility and accountability which in turn leads to a more civil society.
It’s a pretty simple ethos but one that sustained multiple generations prior to the great political experiments of recent times.
We need to stop the experiments that have done so much damage and re-embrace the tried and tested.
You can do that by not experimenting with your vote this election and supporting the Australian Conservatives in the Senate.
Our policies are proven and our principles and consistency are rock solid.
We’ll make whatever government the Australian people choose a better one.
Things that make you go Hmm…
This week we have a tale of debt and deportation and when a Smart Gate…could mean a long wait.
Also not to be sniffed at: a burkini and a driver’s licence to print money.
Finally, there’s an assassin’s smile and a gender agenda is enough to give you the ships.