Engagement fter the Honeymoon

My hope for the summit is that some real political networking might emerge that helps to break down the barriers which build around our politicians. We have to be able to penetrate the bureaucracy and the political staffers and minders whose perceived job it is to cocoon their ministers and backbenchers. Some of these unelected layers of government might even become part of the process of engagement that desperately needs to develop.

Hawke's final years and the Keating government were veiled by a curtain of suits. During the past twelve years Canberra was a place to be avoided, with Howard setting the example.

There are already online sites encouraging debate around the 10 topic areas and submissions to the summit. It will be a sham if i's only a once off consultation. It needs to foster new forms of political participation that will last long past the honeymoon.

Kevin Rennie
http://laborview.blogspot.com

Tomess, I don’t understand why you enjoyed the lousy poetry.

What should we do? – Don’t get snowed by crap; make the politician who represents your electorate as uncomfortable as hell, or at least as much as you are able, while he/she continues to evade the issue of growth at the expense of all of our futures.
There is no end of things needing to be done, or needing more effort. Whether they are related to landscapes (agriculture, water harvesting/retention, forestry practices), town and social planning, technical innovation, and so-on, they aren’t worth a brass razoo if the overall picture is neglected.
Australia has let itself get into deep poo - only still below nostril level because of massive mineral exports. Our snout will be totally inundated - when world confidence in the American dollar takes its inevitable steep dive; cost of oil hits its real value; the old continent does a turtle on us and pulls its head back into its normal, or worse, state of geologically-average desiccation. Every politician has this info available at their fingertips – the Parliamentary library. But almost every one of them would rather read the handouts of the Property Council and such-like advocates of growth as a means of overcoming growth problems.
We are in the biggest immigration surge in our history, births exceed deaths and will do so until the baby-boomer generation’s kids reach menopause. Yet the growth-boosters send out press releases wailing about declining population just because thoroughly modern Millie currently averages 0.3 children less than replacement level. All while there is one birth every 1 minute 56 seconds, a death every 3 minutes 58 seconds. Then there is an immigration program of 153,000 (nett) for this year, plus 13,000 for humanitarian reasons, and perhaps 20,000 from the Land of Boiling Mud; plus class 457 “temporary long-stay” visas; plus working holiday types. And Mr Rudd sees immigration as a means of addressing skill shortages on top of that.
Do something? Grab a stick and poke those who won’t face reality. At least it's therapeutic

I have faith in Australia. I believe we have the knowledge and capacity to problem solve. I think the challenge is to be honest. To remain honest and know it is the inclusive national self that will make the difference.

I am hoping that we remain strong about human rights and do not allow ourselves to become too self-gratifying as we grow forward. The critical thinkers are at community level and it is the translation of our joint knowledge that will make this summit along with all others connective and inter-resourceful.

I have confidence Mr Rudd and know your government means developing an out-spoken nation, one with a himan face.

THANK YOU.

http://www.miacat.com/
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Let us be serious: thinking of future is a bit late as governing posts occupied.

Sounds, like shifting responsibility on en masse participants for problems created by Howard government ballooning recent recession, effectively cut off celebrating the Passover.

None of us has ever needed permission to think about the future. But the future is unknowable. We do know that the nature of existence, at every level, is change, both at the sub-atomic level, where the particles of which we are made arise and decay many trillions of times a second, and at the gross, apparent level in which we conduct our affairs. We can only affect the future in the present, by understanding that nothing is permanent, nothing can be attached to, separation from what we value and contact with what we don't is inevitable; we all suffer from ignorance. Each of us can help make a better future by understanding this, by letting go of our spurious egos, our untenable attachments.

On a broader level, we need to embrace policies which accept change and seek to enable us, as a community, to take advantage of changing external circumstances rather than be hostage to them. That means embracing change, seeking in it opportunities, rather, as is so often the case (motor industry, Mr Carr?), denying change and seeking to resist it. The latter approach always fails, it extends pain and increases the cost of necessary adjustments rather than accepting it and moving on. All human progress, of whatever kind, has involved change, dealing with change. If the talk-fest doesn't start with this recognition, it will be futile.

Faustino, you are an inspiration. Don't ever change. It is so healthiy to be trading apathy for some real investment towards equity and change.

Keep up the good work, your writing reflects your heart and your heart is beautiful. Like the author of this article I see common sense in the way you have decided that our trust, this time, may be worth something real and under-written seriously a part of a "whole" economic and socially progressive equation.

May we share the strength, may we advocate for the acceptance and the respect required, together, as we attempt to help 'close the gap' on this challenging dual-uneven-driven-economy.

In terms of climate change itself.... I maintain a most important fact which is;

We will not ever protect the environment unless we invest in the economic and socially wellbeing of people. This is because it is the people themselves who need to be enabled especially where the resources they require to live, come from the environment.

More than the balance of the share market, alone.... this I believe is where the reality of economic strategies need to be micro-targeted.

Bye the way did anyone listen to ABC Bush Telegraph today... the story on the value and potential value of our soil? I believe we are in a good frame to have our diverse sources of knowledge, that had been so long ridiculed or ignored, re-entered for public debate.

Knowledge is power and may we all, as a nation, benefit from it.

http://www.miacat.com/
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