An interesting analysis. I'm wondering if the decline in moral engagement from Ian Macphee to Tim Wilson over 30 years, is actually more about the decline in Moral Engagement in the Liberal Party generally, more than a reflection on the individual MPs?
Peter, your proposition has merit. When Ian Macphee was ousted by Kemp, he did say then and since, that the Liberal Party ceased being liberal in the late 1980s. It's when Howardism took hold and that tells us a lot about the current state of the Liberal Party.
Sue do you think economic rationalism (& the politicians it attracted) are factors in the moral dip? That approach was accompanied by a shift from personal pronoun ‘who’ to ‘that’, previously applied to animals & objects. It seemed a denial of the full humanity of the ‘other’.
Great to see the tools applied!!! They work, they work in real time, they are relevant, they build the new democracy!!!!! In elections people matter, in democracy policies matter but actions more. The ability to analyse actions is invaluable!!! Its ability to create better actions absolutely invaluable.
I like the tests for ethical behaviour. To be authentically fair and kind as a secular politician is and can be effective for real time policy making when constituents are consulted at forums. The community consultation process works. As an alternative, Letter writing, submitting submissions to Australian Senate Committee’s or Special Standing Committee’s has always been an opportunity to engage in the debate of issues. A community Independent MP like Zoe Daniel has improved the tone of debate with respect for evidence based surveys and solutions based negotiations.
Zoe Daniel is respectful and acts with integrity. This is so refreshingly different and models the need for more women of her calibre in the Australian parliament.
Excellent analysis Sue but I would that wouldn’t I ?
Seriously, it’s good to think about how a community can keep involved in the many current issues - economic and political that Australians face
The engagement of a majority of voters
keeps our democracy healthy and helps us to avoid the extremes. Our compulsory voting system requires our ongoing participation outside the voting cycle too
Hi Sue, good article, and commiserations on the result in Goldstein, particularly in light of the moral comparison that you make.
This leads to a series of rhetorical questions...
What do we make of the contrast in fortunes between the Melbourne independents and those in Sydney and Perth? And what about all the close contests where independent candidates have just fallen short?
What happens next in Goldstein? I hope that Zoe Daniel might consider running again, but if either she or someone else does, then what do they and the people of Goldstein do in the meantime? Perhaps, rather than the 'shadow member for' approach that Nicollette Boele took, there might be local community development projects that people could get stuck into? Something like protecting or rehabilitating the local environment, helping more local kids walk or ride to school, helping more people get solar and battery systems, or anything else that is holistically beneficial? Would building more community connections be a good way to recover?
I don't know any of the answers to these questions, and I don't know if anyone else does either, but perhaps some of the answers might be found in the people of Goldstein? What can we all learn from this?
An interesting analysis. I'm wondering if the decline in moral engagement from Ian Macphee to Tim Wilson over 30 years, is actually more about the decline in Moral Engagement in the Liberal Party generally, more than a reflection on the individual MPs?
Peter, your proposition has merit. When Ian Macphee was ousted by Kemp, he did say then and since, that the Liberal Party ceased being liberal in the late 1980s. It's when Howardism took hold and that tells us a lot about the current state of the Liberal Party.
Sue do you think economic rationalism (& the politicians it attracted) are factors in the moral dip? That approach was accompanied by a shift from personal pronoun ‘who’ to ‘that’, previously applied to animals & objects. It seemed a denial of the full humanity of the ‘other’.
Great to see the tools applied!!! They work, they work in real time, they are relevant, they build the new democracy!!!!! In elections people matter, in democracy policies matter but actions more. The ability to analyse actions is invaluable!!! Its ability to create better actions absolutely invaluable.
I like the tests for ethical behaviour. To be authentically fair and kind as a secular politician is and can be effective for real time policy making when constituents are consulted at forums. The community consultation process works. As an alternative, Letter writing, submitting submissions to Australian Senate Committee’s or Special Standing Committee’s has always been an opportunity to engage in the debate of issues. A community Independent MP like Zoe Daniel has improved the tone of debate with respect for evidence based surveys and solutions based negotiations.
Zoe Daniel is respectful and acts with integrity. This is so refreshingly different and models the need for more women of her calibre in the Australian parliament.
Excellent analysis Sue but I would that wouldn’t I ?
Seriously, it’s good to think about how a community can keep involved in the many current issues - economic and political that Australians face
The engagement of a majority of voters
keeps our democracy healthy and helps us to avoid the extremes. Our compulsory voting system requires our ongoing participation outside the voting cycle too
Best wishes with your publication
Ian Macphee
Thank you Ian,
Having your voice here adds so much value to our world.
Thank you for everything you stand for.
Onward we press
Sue xox
Powerful reflections, grounded and thoughtful analysis. Am holding hope.
Hi Sue, good article, and commiserations on the result in Goldstein, particularly in light of the moral comparison that you make.
This leads to a series of rhetorical questions...
What do we make of the contrast in fortunes between the Melbourne independents and those in Sydney and Perth? And what about all the close contests where independent candidates have just fallen short?
What happens next in Goldstein? I hope that Zoe Daniel might consider running again, but if either she or someone else does, then what do they and the people of Goldstein do in the meantime? Perhaps, rather than the 'shadow member for' approach that Nicollette Boele took, there might be local community development projects that people could get stuck into? Something like protecting or rehabilitating the local environment, helping more local kids walk or ride to school, helping more people get solar and battery systems, or anything else that is holistically beneficial? Would building more community connections be a good way to recover?
I don't know any of the answers to these questions, and I don't know if anyone else does either, but perhaps some of the answers might be found in the people of Goldstein? What can we all learn from this?