When there's a hung parliament

from w
A couple of comments on the Sydney Morning Herald website highlight one way forward when there is a neck and neck result in an election. One of the Geelong seats, Corangamite, is still not finalised - about 1000 votes between the Labour and Liberal candidates.

Here are the comments that reflect the disillusion of many people, and perhaps the need for integrity.
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Collectively Australians have made it clear we don't believe either the Labor Party or the Liberal Party is fit to govern. It's no surprise as we are only visited by these aliens from Planet Canberra when they want to sell us their latest product. They wrap everything in brightly coloured paper and arrogantly assume we are too shallow to know the product doesn't match the packaging. They ridicule each other and don't realize that only works on the groupies who don't have the brains to see the bigger picture. I'm a Labor supporter but this isn't the Labor Party and I'm sure there are many Liberal supporters who feel the same dismay and sense of disillusionment with their Party as well. What can we do? Smash the machines, both of them! Force them to return to the original purposes for their existence, that of representing their differing ideologies with integrity, ideas and passion.
rext - August 24, 2010, 8:38AM

As a retired middle-class liberal, I am utterly fed up with the adversarial system which seems to be an inescapable characteristic of so-called democracies. Like those in the US who voted for Obama, I want change.

I want someone to lead, to shine a light on the way ahead, to inspire me and the rest of my community, to offer ideas and imaginative thinking, to put national purpose before private or party interest. I want someone who will not kowtow to sectoral interests, someone with the guts to call things as they see them instead of being paralysed by fear of electoral retribution.

I reject negative wedge politics as the strategy of the mediocre. I resent The Age giving coverage to Clive Palmer and his ilk - why is his opinion accorded more weight than mine? I am fed up with the Murdoch press pursuing the agenda of an octogenarian whose family and personal business interests come before the community.

I want leaders, including in business, whose first instinct is to seek compromise not conflict, people who can make and respond to reasoned and intelligent arguments. I want honesty, not spin, and to be treated like a mature thinking adult, not just part of the great unwashed taxpaying mob.

I know dealing with the public is not easy - resolving conflicting ideas and objectives means there are always going to be winners and losers, but not everyone is a winner or a loser every time. We understand the social contract and the need to get along with each other, that we all require some space and being heard. We understand issues are not always black and white. If we didn't our society would break down. Turnbull and Rudd were ahead of their time - I want people like them.
Doug | Here and there - August 24, 2010, 8:49AM