Where’s the Party?
Image: Parliament House. Photo: aph.gov.au.
Opinion By PETER HEHIR
Will there ever be a viable third political party in Australia?
History would suggest not. Sorry, but it seems that just isn’t going to happen. There have been at least a dozen attempts to create one over the past century and they’ve all failed.
That begs the question: Why?
Well, politics is a murky business. A couple of hundred years ago it was simpler to understand. There was the ruling class, the Tories, and then there was everyone else, represented by the Whigs. Well not quite everyone else. If you didn’t own land, or were female, or you were a non-citizen or Aboriginal then you didn’t get to vote. Over time things improved, but the battles were hard won.
The suffragettes were horribly mistreated until they finally won the right to cast a ballot, but the haves have always been bitterly resentful about conceding an inch of ground or a scintilla of their divine right to control, and they fought back. They continue to refuse to concede on just about every front.
It always came down to us and them. Fast forward to today, and it is still us and them. The schoolyard bullies snipe at each other in the bear pit that is the venue for democratic decision making, while the rest of us wonder how and why we allow this childish bickering to continue under the guise of political debate.
The blue collar/white collar demarcation has blurred. The dismantling of the Public Service has seen the services that they once delivered privatised, the Unions continue to be vilified and fight to retain their members.
Neoliberalism is king
The rights of workers continue to be eroded. Full time employment for the majority is now a myth. Casuals are the growth industry. Employees are pushed into contracts by multinational employers as sub-contractors. You can be a ‘boss’ too, just as long as you follow our rules.
So no more overtime, weekend rates, no distinction between weekdays and weekends, no sick leave, maternity leave, paid holidays, long service, superannuation, penalty rates. These are all your problems now.
You’re your own boss. Isn’t it wonderful!
The harder you work the more you earn. Your forty hour working week is now eighty hours, but the great thing is you’re now your own boss.
And all the while the two major parties come ever closer together, their policies often overlapping. Anything that threatens the environment is of little or no consideration to either of them. The economy comes first.
Birds, insects, mammals, reptiles – all wildlife, old growth forests and 500 year old trees have no value, especially when they’re an impediment to ‘progress’. Providing clean water and fresh air, unpolluted waterways and oceans free of plastic is a problem, sure. So is the climate crisis, but let’s face it, some sacrifices have to be made, otherwise the economy would fall apart and then where would we be?
Jobs take precedence. Any idiot can see that. Or is this the classic definition of myopia?
Surely we have the right to breathe air that isn’t polluted? To drink water free of microplastics and pathogens? To eat food free of pesticides? To ensure that the natural world is protected? To work in an environment free from harassment? To actually produce goods and services that enhance the quality of our lives and to share in the profits of the sustainable non-resource depleting goods that we provide?
I think so. So would the vast majority of people, except for the tiny percentage who own almost all of the wealth and have the politicians in their pockets.
Maybe they’re the problem?
Until a third political party emerges that offers a clearly defined path to transition our economy to a sustainable one, we are stuck with Tweedledum and Tweedledumber.
If I had the choice at the start of my working life to work for an organisation that produced socially useful goods with a lifetime guarantee, in a sustainable manner, one that didn’t pollute either during manufacture or use, that didn’t deplete resources and that enabled me to share in the profits of my endeavours, the decision would be an easy one.
The status quo is fiercely defended by both the Left and the Right. Community organisations that spring up to defend local rights are rapidly white anted by either the ALP or the Libs and end up going nowhere.
