I’ve been a Labor supporter for decades, not because I am party biased and in fact it was only last year that I joined the party as I was so disgusted with the Tony Abbott-led opposition and the threat to ‘middle and lower class’ Australians if he ever became PM.
It’s just that Labor are more creative and caring in comparison to the other choice available, and you are forced to vote for a party in the current environment (unless you are lucky enough to have a Rob Oakeshott in your electorate).
But unfortunately Labor continue to stumble. Last year we voted for Anthony Albanese to lead the party. Instead we were ‘outvoted’ (I’d like to see the results in detail) by the Labor executive, and they installed a man who removed Rudd, removed Gillard, i.e. a man who made a real mess of things while in government, and continues to make a mess while in opposition.
Given the personal pressure he was under re potential charges, you would think that he would not have even stood for leadership knowing that he would be unable to commit 100 per cent if party came before self, but no.
He has been outfoxed on by the Liberal wordsmiths on most occasions, and the latest sleep walking into Iraq again, instead of standing up with Wilkie (who resisted the initial illegal incursion into Iraq, and so did a majority of the population of Australia, but Labor were sucked in) who wants to go through parliament to debate the issue, as should be the case.
Shorten misses standing up on the big issues. Every chance that he and any other Labor politician gets in front of a camera or microphone they should expose the big lie of the debt crisis. Just keep saying it. And that Labor did a fabulous job during the GFC, keep saying it.
But no, they get sucked down to the crumbs on the plate, and discuss those without dragging the interviewer to the level where the discussion should be at.
Who cares about the bits and bites of the savings that could be made by compromising the living standards of the majority of Australians. They don’t need to be made. That is the point. Ask anyone with a economics view outside the bubble of Australia, you can even ask Joe Hockey when he is in England or NZ.
I’m fed up party politics. There is another way. Independents (who can be aligned with parties, and in fact will need that collegiate approach while in parliament) are the way to go.
The change we need to make is to make them accountable to the electorate and not to the party in terms of their future in being re-elected, and they will take notice about what we, the voters, think about.
That is the only change that needs to be made to bring democracy back to the people, to make peoples’ votes really count. I’ve given this thought and had many discussions with many intelligent people who agree this is possible within the current political framework and without changes to the constitution.
I would love to build a collaboration of people with experience, time and energy to make this happen before the next federal election. It can be done. I would love someone(s) to be patron/CEO, senior go-to persons, to step up to the plate.
Anyone out there (Mr Oakeshott perhaps)? The intelligen-democracy movement is the way to go.
Peter Crick, Upper Main Arm
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
