I was thinking about posting on the hysterical reaction of both the mainstream press, as well as the blogging world, to the proposed cut to the one off bonuses to pensioners and carers awarded by the previous government. Aside from the logical incongruity of a 'cut' to a 'one-off bonus', I am sick of hearing about the 'proposed scrapping of the carers pension', which is something altogether different and in no way part of the announcement. If ‘journalists’ or news editors cannot get basic stuff like that correct, then public discussion around important areas of public concern has no hope.
Now, I happen to think that the Howard response represented the most cynical type of politics, and is very poor public policy. Addressing some of the previous government's public policy failures – as well as some poor economic management – can only be a good thing. It's not like the present government are not targeting many areas, my day to day job has revealed to me some simply appalling mismanagement that will require funding freezes, cuts, and probably complete restructure to avoid the dreadful wastage and efficiency losses that can be seen every day.
There is no doubt that Rudd could have handled the media better, but forgive me for thinking that the lack of media spin might be a good thing! Unfortunately, yet again the Australian media prove that it is simply incapable of handling complexity, and that, at present, public debate proves that simplistic sloganeering and political posturing rule the day, with the complexities that arise from tricky public policy solutions being easily manipulated by those a) looking to score a political point; b) are ignorant of these complexities (wilfully or otherwise); c) are looking for commercial advantage; or d) in fear [both justified and unjustified] of losing something (fear that is fed by a hysterical and superficial media reaction).
Anyway, I don't want to carp on any longer, but I thought that Mark Bahnisch eloquently summarised the whole kerfuffle on Larvatus Prodeo this morning.
As an aside, it's good to see the dirt on an even more disgraceful public policy decision emerge, the Mersey Hospital 'rescue'! If anyone wants a neat little example of the same 'mistake' [read: grubby politics trumps rational policy-making] being made over and over and over again, this is it.
I still have the robot on the job. Here you can see the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery . And here is a poem: Soliloquy for One Dead Bruce Dawe Ah, no, Joe, you never knew the whole of it, the whistling which is only the wind in the chimney's smoking belly, the footsteps on the muddy path that are always somebody else's. I think of your limbs down there, softly becoming mineral, the life of grasses, and the old love of you thrusts the tears up into my eyes, with the family aware and looking everywhere else. Sometimes when summer is over the land, when the heat quickens the deaf timbers, and birds are thick in the plumbs again, my heart sickens, Joe, calling for the water of your voice and the gone agony of your nearness. I try hard to forget, saying: If God wills, it must be so, because of His goodness, because- but the grasshopper memory leaps in the long thicket, knowing no ease. Ah, Joe, you never knew the whole of it... I like Bruce Dawe. He just my be my favourite Austral...
Comments
Interesting to see veiws and policy of another counrty, especially as my partner is a cartoonist,mainly political( BBC Politics Show To name one)and still teaching.
the "angry" tag in your labels for this post definately remeinded me of my own blogs.