Inspired politics
Last night I finished reading 'Recollections of a Bleeding Heart: A portrait of Paul Keating PM' by Don Watson, the speech writer to the PM during his tumultuous time in office. Few books have stirred me the way that this one has. As Watson recounts the events that shaped those year, he paints the picture of Paul Keating as the tragic hero- offering so much of himself and his vision and his marriage and his passion that it ends up destroying him and his party, which has still not recovered.
Yes, Keating was arrogant, self-absorbed, dismissive, foul mouthed and probably down right intolerable, but he was a leader, and he had a vision for this country that transcended economic stability and populist politics. He was about creating a new Australia through a republic, through compelling policy statements and initiatives, through reconciliation with Australia's aboriginal people, though a new relationship with Asia that came above our relations with 'great and powerful friends', through multiculturalism, through the arts (Creative Nation) and through a new Australian economy built on government supported infrastructure that would carry Australia into the information age.
More than anything else, this book made me realize how STARVED we are as a people for political vision. The Howard government never had a vision for what this country could become- it didn't have one walking into the 96 election and it sure as shit doesn't have one now. This government has wound back our engagement with Asia, taken us into an illegal offensive war with another sovereign state, refused to reconcile with the aboriginal people (to the extent of destroying ATSIC without creating anything to replace it), fought avidly against the republic, cut funding to the arts, wound back over 80 years of industrial relations development with its recent industrial relations reform, committed human rights atrocities in relation to refugees, lied continuously throughout its term and has managed to do so with the full support (or perhaps apathy) of the people to the point where they have won a majority in our senate.
Yes they have managed our economy well, but labor governments, in only 10 years, took us from the lowest GDP growth rate of any developed nation with 9% inflation, to the fastest growing GDP growth rate of any developed nation with inflation at under 2.3%.'The recession that we had to have' was one that was brought on not by poor government spending but by a global economic downturn. The economy that the Howard government has used as the basis for it's 'we can mange the economy well' line for the past 2 elections was built by the reform of the Keating government in response to that global downturn and Australian recession; the investment it made in Asia, technology, job training and a range of other policy initiatives. The problem is that Australian people are just too stupid to realize. Hell, I didn't realize this until I read this book. It's a damn shame.
Well I'm joining the labor party, that's all I can say. Read this book people if you want to be inspired about the possibilities that good government can hold for a nation. And dont vote liberal. Ever!
Ralph
