opinion
Andrew Miller: Major political parties only want to win, not strive for excellence

Decisions, decisions. In 2019, my larrikin mate Andrew Olney sent me a photo of his postal ballot papers for the Federal election. Across all the candidates’ names he had scrawled “Idiots” with the footnote “compulsory voting is not democracy.” Many of us might relate to his feelings, and maybe even admire his futile quixotic audacity, though we’d prefer to actually vote. Voting in Australia — Labor vs Coalition — is like choosing Telstra vs Optus, Coles vs Woolworths, Qantas vs Virgin, or in the golden olden days, Holden vs Ford. The big brands are so similar that many of us just avoid whichever mediocre company annoyed us most recently. This is a problem for incumbents — eventually the public will give almost anything else a go. Australian duopolies — like Labor and the Coalition — only aspire to beat their very average competition, rather than striving for excellence. State hospitals endure increasingly obscene ambulance ramping hours, while the government shrugs and points to the other States’ poor performance. Remember the story of two friends out walking when they come across a grizzly bear on the trail? They freeze for a few moments, until one quietly says “Ready, set . . .” “We can’t outrun a bear!” whispers the other, urgently. “No,” the friend replies, “but I can outrun you.” Incumbent politicians spend a lot of time trying to outrun their opponents, rather than solving the essential problems of our society. In fact, they adopt very similar approaches once in charge of the executive. Neither major party has properly indexed expenditure on Medicare and public hospitals to reflect community need — State or Federal — for decades. Check out the bathroom facilities at your public hospital to see how much politicians care. The ones nearest me, pictured, have waste dripping onto the fatally stained linoleum, which dates from my medical student days, last century. I doubt any Premier has stood in the stale pee of strangers while reading a sign that says: “Danger, Asbestos.” As the quality inevitably declines, those who can, will leave the public queue and go private — into the arms of profit-ramping insurers who are currently squeezing hospitals and medics to reduce the amount of costly care provided. Just like the USA thirty years ago. Increasingly, voters have been favouring independents and minor parties, a phenomenon which causes pleasing panic among big party juggernauts. However, even when there is an unbranded critical mass who might “keep the bastards honest,” the uninspiring executive will still be one of two options — boring vanilla with right sprinkles, or left sprinkles. Of course, boring is by no means the worst thing a government can be — just ask the shell-shocked Americans. My colleagues in the USA are watching the wanton destruction of a hundred years of progress in public health and science with horror. Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr apparently does not have the capacity to discern truth from conspiracy theory. “When America sneezes, the world catches a cold” — right now they are playing with fire while juggling chainsaws in a creche. Given the disastrous USA-Ukraine policy developments, Australia will probably join the long list of allies getting pushed around by the flying monkeys advising the White House. Then we will find out if our Prime Minister has any guts. If the AUKUS investment was about global stability, we might want to claw some of our $368 billion back, to spend on our own. Most politicians are not idiots — any more than any other profession — but it is past time for them to aim higher. We should expect bravery, respect for the rule of law and separation of powers, and the advancement and protection of science. Populations can change their preferences — nowadays it’s Toyota vs Ford. How did Ford prosper, while Holden fell? By showing we are willing to choose something different, we the people can shepherd even old brands towards improvement. I might go buy a Kia.

opinion
Andrew Miller: Major political parties only want to win, not strive for excellence

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opinionAndrew Miller: Major political parties only want to win, not strive for excellence

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opinion
Andrew Miller: Major political parties only want to win, not strive for excellence