TBC

Your summary of ALP dovetails with mine. Have been voting Green, they have made progress since the early days of protest in Tassie - check their website, they actually have excellent policies.

Belly, I know you have a good heart but you are letting your sentiment for what used to be the ALP cloud your ability for objectivity.

Ammonite

I'm in the Greens, and know their 'policies'.

Yes, there are some different and more appealing ones there, in a skeletal form at least.

But I fear some of my fellow branch members, who are about as interested in broader questions as they are in detailed policies.

I do despair at times, but a political machine is a political machine, and all must have the same problems- the ALP certainly did when I was a member but at least they knew how to drive policies within to get outcomes.

Belly is a left-over from a distant age, and still dreams of Chiff' and his Light.

The Chiff' lantern was dropped down the well years ago, and snuffed out.

Even the Tree of Knowledge has got its comeuppance with a drink of Roundup, and all the old symbols of ALP pride and power have now gone, except for Australia's Worst Union, the prime mover of the labour movement in Australia then, and now, being the puppetmaster behind Gillard's 'thinking'.

TBC

I am not blind to the shortcomings of the Greens either.

This malaise of democracy is evident in Australia, Canada, USA, Britain and countries in Europe such as France, Germany and Italy. The only places which have some semblance of democracy appear to be places like Norway, Denmark, Sweden - ironically considered socialist by many.

Maybe we have to hit rock bottom for real and workable change to occur - if we don't destroy ourselves first.

Having said all that - we are still further enlightened than we were a century ago with regard to equal opportunity for women and at least we can discuss homosexuality and no continued pretense of the love that cannot be named.

As for caring for our environment, we have been aware of wrecking that which sustains us for eons - unfortunately throughout history there are always those who view the world with short-term gain and they appear to have the upper hand ATM.

I never could've predicted the rise and influence of fundamentalist religion or basing well-being on the abstraction that is current economics - bound by such narrow parameters as to benefit the few only.

And the ALP has fallen for what used to be called Rational Economics, well at least we can discuss it - for as long as the internet remains available to all.

TBC and Ammonite you have echoed the thoughts and feelings of many people disillusioned with the mainstream parties. Now that the Greens have a higher profile will they remain true to their convictions of transparency, or will they end up flopping around in the political quagmire of Australian politics?

The Greens as a new force is ever evolving and some of the policies are not yet well formed, but many are worthy if only people took the time to read them rather than make judgements on what they think the policies would read. The Greens are the only party in Australia who value and understand the connection between human health and wellbeing and the environment.

That is the 'way forward' no matter the Laberals take on neo-liberalism and (ir)rational economics.

Indeed Ammonite, we do progress as humans even as we undermine our existence.

Funny eh?

I think that's what offends me so very much about the religious right, who would take us back to witch dunking days in their search for our imaginary Golden Age of yore.

As for your comment on benefits to the few, surely, that has been our history so far, and of course, the church-state complicity has powered that for centuries, and will keep doing so unless the church power is curbed at some stage?

Curbed, note, not exterminated, since for whatever reason, many do find solace in the arms of this cruel bestial creature rather than try to find out the reasons for their plight with some introspection and broader horizons at the same time.

I'm pretty sure I've seen Squeers offering the 'down to rock bottom before rising' concept, which does seem to be what we are doomed to suffer.

When the China bubble blows, we will be in trouble, and our decline will be far more noticeable, I fear.

The Blue Cross & Pelican

Hope is knowing people like you are in this finite world of ours.