The genesis of a new science-based political party?

An idea that has been tossing around for some time with a friend on Twitter Paul Salanitri was resurrected amid the spectre of Sophie Mirabella as Australia's Minister for Innovation, Industry and Science.

The idea is to form a political party based on building support for Education and STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. Not a single-issue party, but a party that is unashamedly and solidly grounded on improving education, and on educating our elected representatives as to the importance and benefits that flow from an educated population.

For far too long, the major political parties in this country have targeted everything they do towards society's "lowest common denominator".

Meanwhile, so many of our nation's scientists, educators and health experts are left seething as their funding is raided yet again to pay for nonsense like marriage bonuses, and their reputations as objective researchers is disparaged in the pursuit of cheap political points.

And along the way, we've managed to make senators of a gun nut because 318,000 people didn't know the difference between Liberal Democrats and Liberal Party, an unheard-of motoring enthusiast on the back of just 3% of a quota or less than 13,000 votes, and a sports party person who got just 2070 votes! These people will hold the balance of power in the Senate from July 2014, and determine what Abbott promises make it into law...

Some people think we should just throw our support behind the Greens. But the stark reality is that many voters will not vote for the Greens no matter how much they try to portray themselves as mainstream. The recent election has clearly demonstrated that an unprecedented proportion of the voting population were casting about desperately looking for an alternative they could vote for. A full 32% of first preference votes went to parties other than the ALP, Liberals and Nationals. That's almost 3.4 million people. For Pete's sake, more than half a million people voted first for Clive Palmer's party!

Interesting ACT election predictions over on the Canberra Causerie forum

The Canberra Causerie is a Canberra community discussion forum.

Member Phil Officer has posted an interesting precise of the possible outcomes from the next ACT election. And I think a little better considered than some of the predictions I've seen elsewhere. They usually just pass a summary judgement based on booth results last time and barely a passing consideration of who is actually standing this time - and what the performances have been like in the meantime.

I wasn't "dragged in" though! I joined the Greens after I decided to ease myself out of the Gungahlin Community Council. It was the Greens because they have the policies that I believe in. And during the past three years that they've had the balance of power in the ACT, the Greens have been doggedly pursuing the kinds of changes for the better that I've been campaigning for during my whole time with GCC. So the Greens were a natural fit for me.

A pox on both your houses - Bernie Fraser lets fly at both ALP and Liberal Parties

Former Reserve Bank Governor Bernie Fraser isn't the most dynamic of speakers...which probably is partly why this knockout interview with him didn't get wider coverage and commentary.

But it should have.

In this ABC 7:30 Report interview he lets fly at the Labor Party and the Liberal Party:

In terms of my benchmark of competence, fairness and compassion, they've both failed, and they're both failing still, and the more distressing thing is I don't see a way out from either side.

Like most (all?) economists, he's scathing of the haste with which the ALP is pursuing a budget surplus this year:

Noel Pearson gives the ALP a serious serve

In September last year, Indigenous leader Noel Pearson gave the annual John Button Address, which I strongly recommend. You can read the full transcript or you can listen to it.

During this talk, Pearson gave a scathing assessment of the Australian Labor Party, and seeing the way that party has grown increasingly directionless and lacking in vision, one can only agree that Pearson's assessment has only grown in relevance with the passing of time.

The failure of the Federal Labor Party to define and to articulate – other than in the most banal terms – its raison detre in national politics, is not good for the cause of those who seek progress in Australia.

Today Labor is more sparing in its deployment of these two words: social justice. Whilst social justice is still part of Labor’s intra-mural pieties – a useful rallying cry for the true believers – in front of the nation at large the concept is muted and liturgical.

On leadership and the ALP:

Not the "Government"

I think from now on I'm not going to refer to the ALP in the ACT Assembly as the "ACT Government".

They are a minority, there only by the continuing agreement of the ACT Greens, and are always teetering just one no-confidence vote away from being "the Opposition", and they don't seem to be getting that. The humble pie that followed their loss of votes and people and therefore majority status at the October 2008 election seemed to be consumed pretty quickly, followed by a very quick return to cocky 'we know best' mode.

And of all the Ministers, Andrew Barr seems the greatest concern. there's been a bit of a siege aura emanating from that quarter for some months now, peaking shortly before fellow right faction head John Hargreaves got the boot. There have been some extraordinary situations where he has just plain refused to consider any back-down, even it has seemed the other parties have had good points.

Perhaps he began to sense a lost opportunity, and that he should have made a run against Jon Stanhope's leadership either before or immediately after the last election?

I recently got a further insight into the growing politics-before-substance attitude when I was told by a senior advisor on an issue "We don't sense there's the political will to pursue the issue, so we won't be changing our position."

Hargreaves exits stage right

Some would say that it was inevitable following a long list of difficult episodes caused to the ALP government, but there was never any certainty given the man is as stoic as they come.

But it has finally come to pass that John Hargreaves is stepping down from the ministry, as reported by the ABC this morning.

There is no news on the ministry replacement as yet. What do people think? Joy Burch or Mary Porter?

Certainly Mary must have sensed the winds of change and has been bumping up her media releases and profile lately…

Meanwhile the Liberals have been pressuring for Hargreaves to serve out his term. Who *was* next on the list? They a bit concerned about that option or something?

And how would John handle the next few years on the “backbench” for all that means in the ACT (apart from a lot lower pay packet)?