Janet CollinsPolitics is a Big Turn Off
September 20th 2009 22:56
Recent research has shown that Australians are turning off to politics and have very little interest in the people in politics or what they are up to. According to researchers, Australians do not even recognise many of our higher profile politicians whereas celebrities, actors, models and sports stars are highly recognised.
A Nielson newspoll conducted last week and reported in The Sun Herald yesterday revealed that only five per cent of voters recognized Warren Truss as the National Party leader. The Sun Herald decided to conduct its own poll and the results were similar with people recognising celebrities with ease but had very little recognition of politicians.
An academic and a psychologist were asked for their analysis of this dilemma and the responses included the change in how people socialize and the end of the after-work drink at the pub, rising stress levels leaving people thinking more about their own situation and a current belief that the government will look after them.
Now come on. Why on earth would Australians be uninterested in the exciting array of issues on offer? Why wouldn’t we all be reading and listening to every detail of the prolonged emissions trading scheme, now simply referred to as the ETS? Why aren’t we combing through all the detail of how our government is addressing the global financial crisis, now commonly known as the GFC?
Are we really so apathetic that we don’t even muster a little excitement over the upcoming G20 conference in Copenhagen?
We only have to look at the evening news and we get the whole exciting theatrics of Question Time in our Federal Parliament that should stop anyone wanting to do anything else but listen.
Nightly we can see our own Prime Minister Kevin Rudd (for those who don’t know who he is) challenging his Opposition Leader, Malcolm Turnbull (another name to remember) about all these issues. Then we have Treasurer, Wayne Swan (note that name Australians) challenging the Opposition Shadow Treasurer (Joe Hockey) but Hockey often misses what he says because he is busy Twittering his followers about the remarks the Treasurer has made or what the Prime Minister has said to the Treasurer.
Then we have Malcolm Turnbull’s predecessor in Opposition, Brendon Nelson, give a very passionate farewell speech on the day he left Parliament to his party begging them to not give in to the Government’s emission trading scheme.
Then we have an announcement that Brendon Nelson has accepted a diplomatic post to represent Australia in Europe where he will have to sell the Australian Government’s emission trading scheme – that is if his former political party votes for it in the Senate.
This is riveting stuff. How can Australians tune out?
Sourced: www.smh.com.au
Image credit: www.abc.net.au
| 43 |
| Vote |
Add To: 
subscribe to this blog
