Baaa Baaa, but I am NOT a sheep.

I haven't written in over a month! Golly Wolly!! Why, you may ask? Suddenly have I lost the ability to type on my little iPad keyboard? Lost the will to live? (Almost, but no), No I have been dreading my next blog post because I do not want to become a sheep. Baa Baa. 

In the week after budget week, political commentators, journalists and nerds were talking about the governments need to administer an aggressive legislative agenda, as there were only 4 more parliamentary sitting weeks before the Federal Election in September. Important debates on policy were promised, and, like a misguided fool, I believed them. Wonderful I thought four glorious weeks in which the media, the journalists I look up to, and the public will be captivated by the magnitude of political debates on offer. But no, the next week Kevin07 came out in favor of Gay Marriage, and that in itself triggered another round of leadership speculation. When would the Prime Minister be out of a job? Would it be hours, days, or a week? Shock horror, she, after another month, is still in her job.  

Honestly, the Abbott Coalition must be sleeping easier, knowing the biggest threat to the government, and the prime minister come from within the party. I am currently re-reading Mungo MacCallum's How to be a megalomaniac (or, advice to a young politician),  and a quote about enemies, frighteningly resembles the ALP and the position Julia Gillard is currently in. "A newcomer took his place in the House and looked across the chamber. 'There they are,' he breathed. 'The enemy.'  An old hand sitting nearby smiled sardonically: 'No son, that's the opposition. The enemy are the ones sitting all around you.' The sad part about the current situation, is that, one only needs to think, let alone say the words 'leadership spill' and it becomes the mainstream media's front page news for the next week. That being said however, at the moment, Kevin Rudd just needs to leave his house in the morning, for him to be apparently 'contesting the prime ministership'. 

My, my how far have we fallen. One of the sad parts about watching the ABC's documentary on Gough Whitlam, is that I can see how much as changed in the way of political discourse. No longer, do we have question times, where the questions aren't rehearsed or predictable. Already, we know the Coalition will ask questions on: The carbon Tax, the budget 'black hole'  and either try to get a no confidence motion passed, or play with standing orders until Speaker Burke tells everyone to shut it or get lost.  

I do not want to be a sheep when it comes to political matters, but the way I see it, at the moment you are either a sheep (being disgruntled with the stupidity of federal politics) or an emu with its head in the sand. You are either shaking you head at the lack of any substance in the political sphere, or don't give a dam and plan to donkey vote, come Election Day. Neither of which, are options I like.  So instead, I am re reading the 2013-14 federal and state budget papers - a fun alternative really. 

I am mad, at the fact I can not turn on my tv / open a newspaper (or my iPad for online news) and find that, since the last time I looked, the government have come to a real, working compromise with the <insert: Greens, Coalition or Independents> on <insert issue here>. I am mad that it feels like every blog post I now read, is about one of three things, 1) Leadership speculation 2) Someones disdain with mainstream media and the way in which they report 3) Kim Kardashian's pregnancy (and apparent baby girl). Why are they my three options. 

From all reports, the 2010 Federal Election was one of the worst elections ever, and produced what the Leader of the Opposition claims is the worst government in the history of governments, but what about the 2013 election? If the last two and then some years have been anything to go on, the coming election may be even worse! Perhaps not in terms of a government at the end (polls show am almost landslide for the Coalition), but in terms of an election campaign, this one looks set to be as crappy as they come. The more ridiculous the better.  

And so, with so little time remaining before the election, (I have already received my first round of election propaganda!!) I beg people to stop engaging in the crap (cough, I mean leadership speculation/ politician bickering) that is engulfing our news, and care about making a difference in someone's life. A favored quote of mine is, "courage is not the absence of fear, but rather, the judgment that something else is more important than fear. The brave may not live forever, the the cautious do not live at all." Let us all be brave and have the courage take a stand against what is right. Life is short and we all are too busy to care as to whether or not Kevin07 will run again for the ALP leadership. If he does yay. If not, who cares. Focus on the tangible and with a bit of luck the 'scratchy feel' politics has, according to Annabel Crabb, will dissipate.