Up for grabs

I would have to say that, by and large, there is nothing in it for me...so my vote is up for sale!

While those who know me will also know I am joking, it would seem that our politicians seem to think that this is what they should be doing...ie trying to bribe the voters with bigger and better what evers.

This is so transparent that it has become laughable. As far as I can tell a couple of things are happening:

• A whole lot of people like me know more about who they are not going to vote for rather than who they are going to end up voting for. At a lunch yesterday, in a lull in the conversation I (perhaps foolishly) threw in "Well have we decided who we are going to vote for?" I was not quite prepared for the tirade that followed against our local member. Though I think it's entirely justified.
• So, a lot of people I know who think the humane treatment of refugees is important find themselves looking for an alternative way through the major party hypocrisy. They will obviously vote Green or (maybe) Democrat.
• Yes, that's another interesting thing. Suddenly Democrats have begun to appear again.
• Others who are perhaps less inclined to focus on the refugee issue seem to be gravitating back to their traditional party (I was conscious that at least one person at the above mentioned lunch who is a traditional Liberal voter would have found the vitriol against our sitting member..AS...pretty hard to cope with...she will never vote Labor, finds it hard to vote Green because they are even more pinko than than Labor.) Such folk whether Labor or Liberal traditionally will gravitate back to their comfort zone
• As one who thinks that it's quite good to have no one party having an absolute right to rule, I would like to think that the Greens will actually get enough votes to win a couple of lower house seats. I think it's unlikely, but we will see.

Not much to pick

The much awaited Boothby electoral forum, put on by the group of tired-old lefties who form the remnants of Action for World Development in the Blackwood area was last night. And all six candidates turned up. I am as unsure as ever about who I am supposed to vote for.
Craig Bossie - Australian Democrats, Was quite impressive and coherent, but frankly admitted that the Dems were after a Senate seat. The same is true, of course of Andrew Cole -Family First who nevertheless made a good fist of it, and was probably the most realistic of the lot of em. I am in no way drawn to Family First, and none of their invidious social policy was aired last night, (is it perhaps being moderated as they face political realities. To have my daughter whisper in my ear...'well it's Family \First then' was quite instructive. I think little-old-left leaning-she was saying that the he was the only one of that bunch who wasn't either a loony or a party hack.
Nicole Cornes-Australian Labor Party, who has been much criticised was OK but light on. She is obviously a nice person, but iot is difficult to see her not just doing what she is told if she gets toi Canberra. Jodi Kirkby-Greens, was to my mind good, but again they are after a Senate seat too. Very little serious environmental policy was discussed though she did askthe sitting member Andrew Southcott-Liberal, how the Government could give Indonesia $200 million to stop chop[ping down tress and then give Gunn's in Tasmania $100 million to chop them down! To be fair to Southcott he is probably at the most unpopular he has ever been. He is perceived as doing nothing much, and there became an increasing titter each time he was asked a question (and he fielded most) and said "Well thank you for that question...." and people would laugh, and you began to hear "well why don't you answer it", because for sure he is a politician and has made an art form of seeming to answer questions whilst saying nothing.
The wildcard is popular TV journalist Ray McGhee -Independent who is well-liked. But he oscillated between buffoonery and sheer impatience with both major parties and a sense of frustration with Southcott's ineptitude. He is, I suggest, inviting the protest vote but does not seriously think he will get to Canberra.
He lacks the credentials, I suggest, of other journalists like Smart Money Editor, Anthony Keane of the Advertiser who has a good economic grasp and a strong commitment to family values. I would vote for him, the parties would do well to try and woo him. But he would not be so silly as to leave my niece and my two great nieces at home in Adelaide while he had to waste time in Canberra. Woops did I just declare a bias.
My serious point, there are quality candidates around most have good reason to be suspicious of the dysfunctional nature of the political system.