Time for Vision

I’ve been spending a lot of time lately reading and watching the developments in the race for the US Presidency in 2008. It fascinates me. The parties have become so polarised in the last couple of years that each has staked out clear ground on most of the big issues (gay marriage, abortion, climate change, Iraq, guns etc) – and it makes for heated debate. The Dems control the Senate and Congress for the first time in a decade and that’s giving everything even more spice. The diverse range of candidates in the primary race is a positive too, providing subtleties of message with the party framework.

Unfortunately, our system couldn’t be more different – two candidates, each from parties which have many more shared values than opposing ones. Differences in policy, while being only minor, are amplified by the media, hoping to represent the occurrence of a true political debate. For the last fortnight at least, the media has focused on nothing but Industrial Relations, and Work Choices. Not, however, on the core issue of finding a balance between employer flexibility and employee rights – but on the slight nuances in the ever changing policies of the Government and Opposition. Neither group is suggesting any fresh moves – like refocusing our economy away from mining and manufacturing (where we will never be able to compete with China) to innovation, or a new industry driven by Green Technology. Both parties dither about who has more passion for protecting working families, while the media scrounge the personal lives of these politicians looking for dirt.

The whole affair with Rudd’s wife Teresa is pathetic. Countless hours of investigation uncovered some underpaid workers somewhere in her multi-million dollar conglomerate. The workers were compensated and she’s selling her interests here. Case closed. The implication that Rudd won’t be for workers rights (despite Labor’s strong Union membership) because his wife’s multinational got greedy is absurd. All it does is distract us from the actual IR policy debate. Rudd, to his credit, is trying valiantly to tackle some big issues, like climate change – while the Libs (and the media) seem content to snipe at him across the parliamentary aisle.

My point is, not only is the current way we do politics in Australia boring, but counter productive. Personal attacks and over analysis of every uttered word only draw our attention away from the facts. The Libs seem to be hanging their hopes on Rudd disintegrating, while Labor are hanging in there, not quite daring to hope that they're actually going to win. Its a shame, because at this time in the world there is plenty to talk about: The War on Terror (and in Iraq), Global Warming and our reliance on fossil fuels, Missile Defence and our growing water shortage. As citizens of this democracy we want these issues aired and debated. We don’t care about the intricacies of either leader’s personal life, we want only for them to stake out a clear position on the issues that will define the next decade of our politics and our country.

Take a leaf out of Obama’s book, and engage the people like they matter. Outline in brush strokes how you see the future of this great country. The time for pettiness has passed; the time for vision has come.