Dale
5th July 2008, 10:30 AM
The radio has again blared the fact that national is 20 points ahead of labour in the polls. I grew jaded and intolerant of politics years ago, when media coverage of parliament sittings showed people of important office having tantrums, and resorting to name calling. This style of "debate" resolves nothing when the willingness to comprimise is absent.
Using sport as an example, if a controversial try is attempted on the rugby field, touch judges and referees have a quick huddle, and even if the decision is perhaps not unanimous, a resolution is agreed upon, for the good of the game, and the speedy continuation of it. Whether the touch judge or ref was actually correct to some degree is irrelevant, because even if the call was bad, a lesson will have been learnt.
Politics seems to be a process of slowing decision making to an absolute crawl, unless it hinges on an emotive subject. Watching party leaders, and ministers slinging faecal matter at each other, shows me that really neither has any real desire to engage in constructive dialogue, and that personal agendas and vendettas often take precendance over the matters of state, which are supposed to be resolved in these sittings.
I think the country as a whole would have their faith renewed if politicians could just admit for a moment that none of them have all the answers, and that their "expertise" is largely anecdotal, and thus noone can really claim they have it all. A bit of cooperation, and praise of the opposition when they obviously get something right, would show a unity of leadership, and would prove that the countrys needs are priority.
I see more politicians using issues as leverage, than I see them actually trying to address them.
/rant
Using sport as an example, if a controversial try is attempted on the rugby field, touch judges and referees have a quick huddle, and even if the decision is perhaps not unanimous, a resolution is agreed upon, for the good of the game, and the speedy continuation of it. Whether the touch judge or ref was actually correct to some degree is irrelevant, because even if the call was bad, a lesson will have been learnt.
Politics seems to be a process of slowing decision making to an absolute crawl, unless it hinges on an emotive subject. Watching party leaders, and ministers slinging faecal matter at each other, shows me that really neither has any real desire to engage in constructive dialogue, and that personal agendas and vendettas often take precendance over the matters of state, which are supposed to be resolved in these sittings.
I think the country as a whole would have their faith renewed if politicians could just admit for a moment that none of them have all the answers, and that their "expertise" is largely anecdotal, and thus noone can really claim they have it all. A bit of cooperation, and praise of the opposition when they obviously get something right, would show a unity of leadership, and would prove that the countrys needs are priority.
I see more politicians using issues as leverage, than I see them actually trying to address them.
/rant