Are we letting the politicians and ‘ think tanks’ driving us by letting them set our mindsets?
We let them determine the boundaries of our discussions i.e. Even though we all agree that we are all different we allow political marketing expedience to determine that people are either exclusively LEFT or RIGHT. (A hangover of the cold war)

In truth very few of us fall comfortably into either category. Most of us are a mixture of perspectives depending on the issue, circumstances, upbringing and life events.
i.e. The (allegedly) Left still demands the cheapest goods, The (alleged)Right still demand government help/handouts .

To limit our thinking of how we see ourselves and others simply reduces us and them to caricatures. Surely today we need to think out of the ‘two boxes’ for good ideas.

I fail to see how politicians have control of what we think.
I however being from left of center can see the difference between the very left and myself.
And for that matter the very right.
I question how much control politicians have over us.
Yesterdays NSW local government elections have proved to be An ALP train wreck.
Clearly a well deserved one.
Card carrying members walked past unattended ALP stalls and voted other than party lines.
The fact those unmanned stalls shouted unhappiness at a party in ruins can not be ignored.
Rees in my view will win back some support but can not stand still for an instant voters are in control.
Yes we in truth only have two choices, the other is a balance of power thing, but I have faith in most voters.

Dear Examinator,

I admit I am influenced by policies and the
public image of the politicians.

The current PM, Kevin Rudd, is someone I admire greatly.
Why? Because his policies make sense, as
does his plans for Australia's future.

In a lecture that the PM gave to the Sydney Institute,
on 17th April 2008, he stated:

"Great challenges lie ahead of us. Now more than ever,
we need a real debate that transcends the old battlelines
of the Left and the Right of Australian politics.

For many years it has been unfashionable to talk of a vision
for the Nation's future. In fact, some have argued that
framing such a vision is ideologically unsustainable
because Nation's simply evolve as a consequence of the
market forces that shape them.

I disagree because I believe a small country occupying a
vast continent in a region as wildly disparate as our own
has no option other than to plan for its future.

...I believe that as a Nation we need to come together
around clear long-term goals for the Australia of 2020
and beyond. Excessive caution and a fear of failure should
not hold us back.

In fact it has been the absence of such agreed national
goals over the last decade that has seen us waste the
great dividend that has flowed to Australia through
our record terms of trade.

How different it would be now if we had invested the
estimated $398 billion boost to the budget bottom line
in the decade from 2002 into funding a total education
revolution?

But, instead of investing in the future, against concrete,
realistic goals the revenue was consigned to consumption,
both public and private, opportunities squandered, rather
than opportunities seized.

We can either drift into the future or we can take
hold of the future with our own hands to shape
the future, seize the day."

"Abandon left and right
For a vision to unite!"

We all have a chance to vote. Five minuites after the count, some people are not satisfied with the new govt; Left , right , in between , so wat. The decision has been made, thus get on with it. Govt terms are not long. You will have your chance to vote again.

the problem is, olly, you never get to vote for what you want: a green policy, a health policy, an economic policy, etc. you only get to vote for a party in which policies are bundled so that you are necessarily voting against your wishes in some, even most areas.

that is why a democracy is vastly more effective in providing good policy- ten million choosers are always smarter than 5 politicians running a country to get elected again, if your goal is to give people what they think is best.

but it's worse than that: when you vote for a party, you don't really know what policy you're getting. all you're really voting for is ' i think this mob will hurt me less'.

are pollies shaping our minds? you bet. it starts in grade 1, with the books you are exposed to. if your reading is confined to official history texts, you are owned.

the media are complicit as well, their advertisers like stability. the academics often know better, but either buy the national culture from their own childhood conditioning, or protect their careers by admiring the emperor's clothes.

don't worry about it, though. in my experience ozzies are so well conditioned that even a little change is unlikely. just put your head down on the grass and think: "4 legs good."

Foxy I too am happy with Rudd and he indeed is restoring our country and its image.
One day another great leader will follow him from the ALP Bill Shorten.
Even after more state ALP governments fall like over ripe fruit we will see Rudd continue.
But end left vs right?
Sorry within the ALP it will be half a century before that happens.
A fine thought but currently imposable.
Demos while hoping for the impossible is not totally wrong.
We elect party's who sometimes promise one thing and deliver another.
For the first time in my life I did not hand out how to votes in NSW local government elections this weekend.
The coming by elections too will shout a message to my party.
It will be heard and acted on.
Fine idea no factions but even the conservatives have them.
Both good and bad, more bad than good? they are the glue that holds my party together.

FOXY,
As usual, your delicate touch has grasped the basic argument that these two diametrically opposed views ultimately means that we as a nation suffer because what is good for either party is not necessarily what we need.
Kevin’s intellect and grasp of foreign affairs is impressive (I suspect he’s smarter than Howard). Howard survived on (rat cunning) wedge politics and a steady as it goes IMAGE. As for Kevin’s ability to run the country draw both sides into the process in my mind the jury is still out. I admit I have no illusions that the 1950’s were better than today just different. I can’t see the sense in going back to the future. Lets deal with what is now.

DEMOS
You too are spot on putting the finger on that lumping us all together in predetermined ‘ideological based policies settings’ denies us the ability to determine individual policy needs and therefore denies us real democracy. Ancient Athenian democracy had its power plays some incredibly bloodthirsty but it was issues that took priority. Democracy today is we choose our rulers from a selection determined by dodgy back room dealing (by self-interested motivated minorities).

BELLY
I understand that you disagree with my premise and thank you for that. Given the current power mind sets you are right. We shouldn’t have to join a (single) political party with its strictures and internal politicking (branch stacking) to change elements of party policy.
The idea that those who don’t belong to a party choices are between this bunch of policies V that bunch of polices is logically bizarre. “Efficient (?)” but at what cost?
• Each ideology in practice means that there are social victims (those that don’t get to share of social protection. Surely society is there to raise the bar for all not simply political party ideological favourites.
What it isn’t is democratic. Neither is Social Darwinism

Dear examinator,

Thank You Kind Sir.

You have a way with words.
Which I like very much.

The problem with politics is that there are
good people, but they're not all on the same
side.

I like Kevin Rudd's long term planning.
Because I feel that if you're only concerned
with the here and now, you may plug a few
holes, but ultimately the gaps will continue
to widen.

Most people want things done instantly. They
want it now. However, unless you look to the
future, your short term solutions will only
create bigger problems.

Anyway, that's just my opinion.
For what its worth.

Foxy
Who me? Aw shucks twas nuthin any other masked crusader wouldn't have said.
I want to see solutions not divisions. You know I just read a book called Buddha to Bono he has some good observations.
One that I like is that in 2500 years we still haven't learned how to get on with each other. Like him I often wonder why.
It seems to me that it's because we spent too much effort in differentiating focusing on the differences rather than our commonalities.
Most of those differences are truly little more than skin deep.
We were never under threat from Communism we may have been under threat from an autocratic regime masking as communism. But as writ by Marx Engles it never existed. Ideas are powerful but it takes people to implement or pervert them.
As I said before we don’t have Athenian democracy we simply have limited selection of elected dictators. Notice how there is a relationship between the length of a government and the losing of public touch. Shades of Animal Farm.
Hence today we refer to their snouts in the trough.
But come the revolution I will be supreme (without onions they disagree with me)with thick bese too.

Right/ left is symbolism from the west versus communism era. A political manfactured creation. Based on Dexter (right..correct) and Sinister (Left ...evil)

It seems to me that life as a slum dweller in Saudi Arabia is just as miserable as a peasant in the backblocks of Russia.
We need to dispense with these artificial boundaries and simply see people as people not all the other nonsense. That in my sense is neither left or right just common sense.
But I admit it's a lonely battle. Eagles and turkeys come to mind.

Dear examinator,

"Who was that masked man?"

Now I know.

What a pleasant surprise.

Talking about turkeys ...

There's an old saying:

You cannot demand the same from a sparrow as from
an eagle.
(Old saying).

Still, it would be great if we all looked at the
bigger picture, rather than our superficial differences.
If we could find ways to do things, rather than
come up with reasons for why something can't be done.
As I've written in earlier posts, once people no longer
take their world for granted, but instead understand
the social authorship of their lives and futures, they
can become an irresistible force in history.

cont'd

"From Buddha to Buono," Thanks. I'm going
to try to get hold of a copy.

Sounds interesting.