It seems like only a year or so ago that we were being congratulated on good GDP with low inflation and a growing economy. Business as usual for the majority of the population. The greed of the 1980s-90s had been replaced with the Avarice of the new millennium. We were all acquiring new things, from houses to cars, ipods, computers, overseas trips, etc etc.
Now all of a sudden, at least over here in Australia, where we have two more elections [state and federal] We are starting to debate in earnest the difficult subjects of: Climate Change, Water, Renewable energy.
It is difficult for us cause we all use these things and really most of us haven't stopped to think, what it is doing to our environment and just how sustainable it all is.
This is the crux of the matter, we have rarely, if ever had to rein in our excesses even in war time, we sacrificed our personal use but continued to use our resources at increased rates.
No we have got where we have not by being careful users of our resources. We have expanded and reproduced like rabbits on the back of insatiable and unsustainable demands.
The really hard thing for the current crop of politicians is to understand that the reasons they gave for electing them last time, are in many ways, the opposite to what we want them to do this time.
The left wing Greens are to have their day. If politics is what I think it is, then a compromise will have to be met, and I don't think the world has time for compromise we have wasted too many years living on the hock.
Woof.
Any additional comments can be sent to mark_brickel@hotmail.com
2 comments:
The only way environmentalist politicians can win is if the people are ready to give up excesses and ramp down the living standard a notch or two.
Certainly in the U.K. at least, any politician coming to the table with such a manifesto will be booted out on their arse. United Kingdom should be spelt G.R.E.E.D.Y. Good on 'yah down there if people are ready to take the next step.
Unfortunately we are the same down here. However it is an election year and we have had a conservative Primeminister for the last 10 years. Maybe with climate change on the main stream agenda now and a disgruntled electorate we could have a bit of a ground swell.
Woof.
Post a Comment