Editor's note: This article contains some factual inaccuracies which are noted in the sidebar. The Post has decided to publish because some of the ideas are interesting.
Socrates addresses the crowd in Athens. All Athenian men over 20 were obliged to take part in the democratic process, with a random selection of officials. Painting by Louis Joseph Lebrun (1867). Public domain. By Robert Durkacz
THE election is over. In the Monash electorate a candidate we know nothing about was elected. We don't know which faction of the Liberals she is attached to. She took part in no debates, sat for easy interviews, wrote no opinion pieces. Like all of the other candidates she calculated there was more to lose than gain by exposing herself to decent conversations with the voters.
Reasons a candidate might do that are 1. To avoid debates so as not to give rival candidates an audience. 2. Lack of confidence to answer questions intelligently. 3. Fear of certain questions to which they have no satisfactory answer. Apparently Aldred thinks a dog park in Cowes could be a good idea – that is what we have to thank local reporting for.
THE election is over. In the Monash electorate a candidate we know nothing about was elected. We don't know which faction of the Liberals she is attached to. She took part in no debates, sat for easy interviews, wrote no opinion pieces. Like all of the other candidates she calculated there was more to lose than gain by exposing herself to decent conversations with the voters.
Reasons a candidate might do that are 1. To avoid debates so as not to give rival candidates an audience. 2. Lack of confidence to answer questions intelligently. 3. Fear of certain questions to which they have no satisfactory answer. Apparently Aldred thinks a dog park in Cowes could be a good idea – that is what we have to thank local reporting for.
In the Monash electorate the Teal movement has missed the boat. Remind ourselves about the Teals. It started two elections ago with Zali Steggall defeating Tony Abbott. Inspired by this the many Teal independent candidates in the following election were brilliantly successful. This was all about climate change. It gave Liberal party voters, who have understandable reasons not to vote for the ALP or Greens, an alternative. We can hope the Liberal Party will not return until they come clean on climate change. This process may well be underway but more than one term in opposition will be needed for the lesson to soak in.
Here the Teal brand has been captured by one would-be politician. Those of us who supported Deb Leonard in her second attempt did so trusting that the end would justify the means. It was a lowest common denominator campaign, powered by a lot of funding which was converted to an obscene amount of vacuous advertising.
Here the Teal brand has been captured by one would-be politician. Those of us who supported Deb Leonard in her second attempt did so trusting that the end would justify the means. It was a lowest common denominator campaign, powered by a lot of funding which was converted to an obscene amount of vacuous advertising.
| There were no policy ideas, just a crude attempt to cater to the electorate’s presumed self-interest. (1) This is not a matter of interpretation: the slogan adopted for the campaign is something we all likely remember. It did not work. There is no point in trying again; you can’t go any lower. A community approach to politics remains an attractive idea. Can we do anything with it? With the election just over and teams of volunteers intact, that much is in our favour. It depends on how many of these people have some idea of what might be achieved politically and whether they can reach each other. The majority of the volunteers turned up at election time to take part in something like a horse race that finishes on election day evening. Like the candidates (all of them) who are interested only in winning, in so far as that applies to them they are of no use. I asked Deb Leonard if she would ask her mailing list to submit any ideas for the next three years and undertake to publish any suggestions. With a little trouble I got the answer no. She said the mailing list was her asset, good for her benefit, for another campaign if she chooses. (2) There is some kind of an understanding that Deb Leonard is a special kind of candidate legitimised by being selected by members of a community organisation called Voices for Monash (VFM). In fact VFM is nowhere to be seen, now that the last losing candidate is acting like a perpetual candidate as of right. (3) It looks like VFM is a cardboard cut-out of a community organisation. (4) It does not have a website, only a Facebook page with no information as to office-holders, membership or constitution. They don’t answer questions. (6) Here is how we could start again. Thankfully it is possible to reach people via the Bass Coast Post. In fact some readers will be hearing this idea for the second time. We set up a mailing list for the purposes of reforming or replacing VFM. (5) The new VFM will register as a member any Monash elector who is not a member of a political party. | Deb Leonard responds: 1. I had comprehensive policies which were formed based on feedback from thousands of constituents via surveys and doorknocking activities, and they were drafted in collaboration with a group of volunteers from the electorate from all backgrounds and expertise. My policies can be found at https://www.debleonard4monash.com.au/policies 2. For context, I held a volunteer debrief session and invited all volunteers to come and discuss what they thought worked well in the campaign and what could have been improved upon. Robert took the microphone and demanded that I send out emails to my entire email list saying certain things, and then demanded that I commit on the spot to publishing all responses unedited. His comments and demands were inappropriate in regard to the purpose of the evening. It was not the time nor the place. Nor do I generally respond to men demanding that I act in a certain way. I explained what my plans were moving forward and the role that Voices for Monash could play. That was not satisfactory for Robert, despite him having no insight into the background running of the campaign or prior involvement in Voices for Monash. 3. This is incorrect and has no factual basis. 4. The V4M committee made the decision not to undertake any activities between the candidate endorsement process and election to free up members to volunteer with my campaign. 5. V4M is now regrouping and is planning to hold several community consultation sessions and an AGM in the coming months. Anyone interested should subscribe to their mailing list at https://www.voicesformonash.org/ Editorial correction 6. Voices for Monash does in fact have a website and it lists a steering committee. There is also a constitution and a contact page. An election for the VFM candidate in mid 2024 was open only to members of VFM. |
It will be a democratic organisation, not the possession of any organiser. It will run an endorsement contest before elections but remain independent of any selected candidate. The candidate’s endorsement expires the day after the election. To make sense of aspiring to bless a candidate it will promote and publish discussion and ideas.
As the author I would like to say some words directly to readers. I have been in all the parties. They are all disappointing. Any candidate for political office is likely to be ambitious for him- or herself above all. Abraham Lincoln would have been. Lyndon Johnson was. He said on becoming president, something like ‘Now that I can’t go any higher I may as well just do the right thing’.
The reason I am sure we can do better is just from talking to people in small groups, all with different views. At every election I talk with the other vounteers and it is always a constructive, interesting and friendly conversation.
To be part of the conversation, email [email protected].
As the author I would like to say some words directly to readers. I have been in all the parties. They are all disappointing. Any candidate for political office is likely to be ambitious for him- or herself above all. Abraham Lincoln would have been. Lyndon Johnson was. He said on becoming president, something like ‘Now that I can’t go any higher I may as well just do the right thing’.
The reason I am sure we can do better is just from talking to people in small groups, all with different views. At every election I talk with the other vounteers and it is always a constructive, interesting and friendly conversation.
To be part of the conversation, email [email protected].