Australian Politics: Meaningful Democracy Asks Real Questions Ahead of Time

This poem was inspired by the latest political intrigue here in Australia. I am not political at all, yet when I speak openly and question, people would assess I am, for they may determine I seek influence, when I don’t. Yet I am playing with my freedom of speech, to find my voice in a democracy. I am in the group called the people.

MEANINGFUL DEMOCRACY ASKS REAL QUESTIONS AHEAD OF TIME

Governments never win elections,
They always lose elections,
When the opposition has made their case,
As internally there are factions,
Power brokers seeking influence and reactions,
Taking right, left, centre stage,
Rather than a democracy that accepts different views in a caucus,
Using contrasts to catalyse better policy and re-views,
For this is the smokey mirror in governance across the world,

In Australian politics,
Politics became unAustralian,
As it was seen to undermine,
There was no loyalty or support,
It was seen to be ‘covert operations’ from within,
Yet covert operations are used by governments,
When citizens seek freedom of speech or empowerment,
To raise a hand for truth at a protest,
Is filmed openly,
To speak of democracy, human rights and environmental sustainability,
Is monitored covertly,
As shadow puppets,
For a person may start a social movement,
And this could challenge power,
Yet it advances democracy to share power,
So how in this hour can one point out the log in another’s eye,
When it is in your own?

The values of Australians,
Are the core issues exposed,
A Prime Minister is deposed,
It is supposed he can’t win an election,
Pre-selection is based on whether he can win,
Does that promote loyalty?
Is loyalty being seen to be popular?
For when we drill down with questions in time,
To find the core sample question is –
Will real democracy cross the floor by-passing special interests?
Will the public be informed about real politik?
Or 30 second grabs as PR orchestrates a chorus of smiling faces
called unity,
Or is unity shared values in comm-unity,
Is it harmony?
To care, share, reveal and heal our country,
These are questions for both sides of politics.

Adversarial politics does not bring out our best values,
It finds the enemy in opposition,
It takes the freedom from speech,
And this creates the critic, the bully, the psychopath, the power broker,
When we need honest brokers,
Many think argument strengthens democracy,
Or is entertainment in a coliseum,
In truth it undermines it,
When it seeks to win rather than listen,
As it divides to conquer
as a legacy of imperialism,
For energy is wasted for the sake of opposition rather than solutions,
As the real world is at a precipice,
There is no Asian Century to save the sinking earth ship,
For the climate has changed and it is a force more powerful,
Our economic system has merely re-arranged the deck chairs on the titanic,
As the ice melts,
For real leadership must fundamentally look ahead and reassess politics,
To find the heart of great matters,
Advisers would call this political suicide,
Yet the planet is dying,
The resources are short run bubbles,
Inequity causes long run troubles,
For our challenge is – can politics find its real power to serve best interest?
Over national interest?
Over self interest?
Where competition turns into cooperation,
Where values are lived not marketed,
To turn the ship around just-in-time,
For these are the questions asked just ahead of time,
From the Agora of democracy,
That respects your right to choose,
Even if you lose,
The community may win,
And that is the meaning of democracy
by the people for the people,
A kinship waiting,
For real change.