A tale of the times (in the aftermath of the federal election)

For a good month, the adults were out and about across the country. “Tell me what you need”, many of them said—and stopped to listen. “This is what I think we can do”, others said— and gave indications of what they could offer to people who were listening. Why,some of them even said how much it would cost to do what they were offering, and where the money would come from to pay for that.

And then the people came, and considered, and voted, and told the adults what they wanted. And the adults all nodded, and said, “yes, indeed,the people have spoken: we respect that, and we will do what we said”.

Then the adults caught planes and drove cars and gathered in their sandpits in the special place that had been made for them to come together and play. Some of the adults said they needed a bigger sandpit, because there were more of them. Other adults said they didn’t want little Eddie and Mackie to play with them any more in their “special” sandpit. Amd other adults started a very public squabble about who would have the best toys and the most play space in their sandpits. Why, one of them even decided she didn’t like the sandpit where she said she would play; so she decided to join the adults in another sandpit, just across the way.

But by then, it was apparent to all the people who had listened, and talked, and voted, that the adults had become children, once again. Which was, after all, what they had been before they had spent that month as adults, amongst the people.

*****

Or, in plain language:

MPs are elected to represent the people of their electorate, first and foremost. National policy needs to be formulated with due awareness of the impact across the board: each MP ought to be advocating for the needs and concerns that they are hearing from their electors.

Instead, party members focus on climbing the factional ladder (in both “majors”) and gaining the prestige, power, and salary of the next few rungs “up”. Leadership competitions and factional deals reveal that once they return to Canberra, they have a completely skewed and unpredictable upside-down set of priorities.

To me, that is more reason next time around NOT to vote for “the major parties”—especially since they are funded by gambling companies, fossil-fuel industry, multi- million dollar magnates, and, in the case of the National Party, the tobacco industry.

*****

For my posts on the election from my perspective in Lyne:

https://johntsquires.com/2025/03/13/our-meet-the-candidate-event-jeremy-miller-comes-to-dungog/

https://johntsquires.com/2025/03/27/donations-as-a-means-of-political-support-and-political-influence/

https://johntsquires.com/2025/04/02/if-you-want-things-to-change-you-need-to-change-the-way-you-vote/

https://johntsquires.com/2025/04/04/why-vote-for-an-independent/

https://johntsquires.com/2025/04/10/but-where-does-your-funding-come-from-political-candidates-and-their-donors/

https://johntsquires.com/2025/04/13/politics-in-the-pub-with-jeremy-miller-at-stroud/

https://johntsquires.com/2025/04/15/seven-reasons-not-to-embrace-nuclear-power-as-the-basis-for-electricity-generation/

https://johntsquires.com/2025/04/19/woke-and-teal/

https://johntsquires.com/2025/04/21/which-candidates-in-lyne-are-committed-to-reconciliation/

https://johntsquires.com/2025/04/29/meet-the-candidates-for-lyne-at-dungog-28-april-2025/

https://johntsquires.com/2025/05/08/a-growing-presence-of-independent-candidates-and-members-of-parliament/