Political Theory
This is the first in a series of essays adapted from The Centre for Policy Development‘s book More Than Luck: Ideas Australia needs now. Stayed tuned to The Punch this week for more Big Ideas.
What use is politics? It’s a question many Australians began to ask in the lead-up to the 2010 election as the Rudd and then the Gillard government ditched what seemed like a policy a day in a bid to lighten their electoral baggage. It was as if the government stood for nought except getting re-elected. What do we expect our governments to deliver, beyond our narrow self-interest?
Some say we get the governments we deserve. To some extent, this is true. When we stop paying attention to politics, we make it easier for politicians to stop paying attention to us.
Yet it is also true that governments get the citizens they deserve. If politicians treat elections as a marketing campaign instead of a genuine contest of ideas, then they should expect people to shop around for the best deal they can get for themselves.
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