There is an election coming up!

Oh yes, we should be excited about this...or should we?

I was actually asked by a young neighbour about the state election which is due to take place on 21st March. She was holding a piece of election material in her hand and asked me,

"What is all this stuff we keep getting? Is it important?"

She looked genuinely confused so I told her and then said, "Go and look on line." More confusion appeared so I explained how to look for the policies of each party on line. 

Her response to that was, "But that's an awful lot of work."

Yes, it is. Democracy, even the most flimsy sort, requires work and most of us are too lazy to do anything about it. We just expect to be governed in a way we would like without working for it. This has been all too obvious lately. It appears there are a slew of young people who do not even recognise the current Premier, a man who is very capable at getting himself in front of a camera. I cannot help wondering what these young people, many about to vote for the first time in their lives, are interested in. It does not appear they have any interest in their futures.

One of the political diehards in the district is "very happy" with the current war in the Middle East. According to him it is diverting the bad news here away from the front pages. Yes, it probably is. The incumbents are predicted to be returned in a landslide, in a result that will not lead to the strong opposition they need.  It is no use pointing out to such diehards that it is the lack of an opposition in Iran that has permitted the "elders" to do so much harm. 

I probably have too much to say about politics in my witterings here but I often do it in an attempt to sort my own thoughts out. I try to be an "informed" voter but it can be difficult. Stated "policies" very often differ greatly from what is "possible" and putting "practice" into place can be even more difficult.

Perhaps I should just have told my young neighbour,"Just read those bits of paper. Which ideas do you like the most? Vote for that person." Is that enough?