Politics is Just a Game

Ex Senator Brian Harradine was a politician whose vote could be bought and sold on the open market. All it took, was a few million dollars of our money. And this, according to Andrew Probyn, was a good thing (The West, Shambolic Fielding fails to put runs on the board, 20 Mar 2009).

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According to Probyn, Harradine offered his vote to the highest bidder. "He knew how to do deals," apparently. Why was he elected? Who cares. As long as he could "do deals," he was a successful politician. You want to sell Telstra? Good idea? Bad idea? Who cares... As long as you give me money to buy my next election.

Not an honest politician, perhaps. You know the definition... An honest politician is one who, once bought, stays bought. "And in a vain attempt to get his support for the Howard government's GST, the island state got about $150 million ... and stacks more..." Give the man money and he still did not give you his support.

This money-driven Senator is -- according to Probyn -- an ideal model for the "Shambolic Fielding". Sell your vote to the highest bidder, is the Probyn advice.

It was a great relief to turn the page and find the letter from Elizabeth Saunders, of Cottesloe (Courageous stand).

Saunders writes to support Fielding's stand. He is against binge drinking, he wanted alcohol ads banned during television coverage of sporting events, he did not get the ban so he did not support the alcopops tax. Thank you, Elizabeth Saunders!

Fielding had a point he wished to make. Should he change his mind -- back down, sell out -- in order to win political points? No way!

Fielding may be an idiot. Probyn, certainly, sees him as being a political dunce. Why? Because he would not be bought off. Fielding also changed his mind -- another sign of failure, according to Probyn.

Wouldn't it be nice, to have a few more politicians who could change their minds. Who could see new points, accept a different interpretation, realise that their initial stance was not the best.

Wouldn't it be nice, to have a few more politicians who have an opinion of their own. Who stated that opinion up front. Who said what they wanted -- and would not be bought off, by cash offers by other politicians.

Wouldn't it be nice to have politicians who had stated and supported their own opinions. So we could vote for them on the basis of those opinions. And expect that those opinions would not be lost to the current highest bidder.

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