My Dad once told me many moons ago that there are three things that you do not discuss at a Barbeque.
Religion. Sport. Politics.
If you did, he warned, a fight or definitely an argument would be the outcome, and there would be tears. I have held these words to be true over the years, and have not wavered from his wisdom. Arguments have been few, and fights non-existent.
Well guess what? We are not at a BBQ, and it’s time for tears.
I am up for a fight, because I am pissed off. I want to talk about our future, and unfortunately that means talking about politics. I may even lose a few readers or even friends for what I am about to write. I hope not because I like you all very much.
Let me explain the situation here in Australia. We are just under two weeks away from a general election. The campaign runs for around two months. The current party in power is the Australian Labor Party (ALP), who are probably just left of centre, and the major opposition is a coalition of two parties, the Liberal party and National Party (LNP), whose membership ranges from right of centre to hard right.
I loathe both of these political parties because they lack vision. I hate their bullshit.
They lack vision to see a future where there is no need to trash the environment/Great Barrier Reef/wildlife reserves (you name it basically) to dig up dirty fossil fuels to sell overseas. They also have no humane solution for asylum seekers nor care. There is also no vision as to what we need in the way of solutions for an energy descent. The LNP has promised to axe the price on carbon and use tax payers money to give to business to lower their emissions. This party has also promised to suspend marine parks. That is just plain stupid. There are many reasons that I disagree with their policies but these are the main ones.
So, I am going to call it out. I am not going to vote for either of these old political parties.
As far as I see it, there is only one political party in this country that care about all of these issues that are dear to my heart. One party that actually have viable policies that have been fully costed, that will actually make this country a better place, and put it in good stead for the future.
That one party is the Australian Greens. That is who I am going to vote for on 7th September 2013. I am not telling you who to vote for, just stating that I have made a conscious choice about which political party I want to make policy for our great nation.
If you don’t agree, that is fine. We can still be friends. I wholeheartedly believe that we all need to think for ourselves. It is your vote and you cast it how you like.
You may like them or loathe them, but they have a heart. If you want to see how their environmental policies stack up against the other major parties have a look at the infographic below from the Australian Youth Climate Coalition. You can check out their other policies (they are not all about the environment) here at this link.
Gandhi once famously said; “a nation’s greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members”. I agree, everyone needs a fair go, even those that have nothing. Unfortunately the old parties are stuck in the same mould. There is not much between them as far as policies go, and not much of a fair go.
However I believe that the Greens policies are along the same lines as I think. They may not be perfect, but they at least have a plan for the sorts of issues that are facing humanity. The things I talk about on this blog.
So, if you are undecided for this election, and can’t pick between either Labor or LNP, then remember that there is a viable third choice. A choice that cares about future generations and not short term greed.
Like I said, I am not telling you who to vote for. It’s your vote. But remember this, your vote is precious and you only get to use it once every three years. Time is running out.
So please, use it wisely.
