Monday 23 March 2009

Cooperation - a new era?

During Q&A last week one of the participants (about to join Obama's media circus) noted that as the dust settled on the Obamaisation of American politics, one of the things that seemed to be emerging was a new political era in which political opponents try to work together rather than to rigidly oppose everything that the other side presents.
Only history, I suspect, will tell if this is indeed happening. But I think we see some possible signs of it in our own fair land and State. Whilst inevitably people are tiring a little of Kevin Bland (better that a leader should be bland than be carefree...government is essentially a conservative process), they are tiring ever more of the haphazard critique that comes from oppposition. Abbot for example couldn't help himself on the said program and just had to be cynical and snide. I think we are tiring of it.
I have blogged before that I think Turnbull is more cooperative than his role allows, and I suspect he too is tiring of just having to criticise the government.
Did the Queensland electorate, too, on Saturday reject an Opposition whose sole offering seemed to be not in new policy and/or vision but that they might get rid of long standing government who happen to have picked up a pretty rum situation?
Is this happening in SA...I tire of hearing Captain Marty never offering new initiative but simply whining about Major Mike. The Opposition spokespersons make fools of themselves (it seems to me) because their principal dynamic is not to offer a sense of new beginnings but a constant harping on about how awful the government is. Now that they are locking themselves into the ridiculous policy (for example) of revamping the RAH rather than build a new hospital...they are simply being driven by negative reaction to the government's policy instead of what is best for the state.
Add to that their other great gift...self and mutual immolation on the altar of political infighting...their political irrelevance seems assured.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I find it funny that the media and vocal minority are always quick to give 'Media' Mike a good bashing but are these people really going to vote for Martin ? In both state and federal politics this year all the liberal party can seem to do is attack labor either for the sake of disagreeing or for the wrong reasons.