What Thinking Australians Are Thinking..
This first one nails the malaise of the voters right across the Western Hemisphere. Trump is but the lightening rod and I suspect he won’t be the last.
People voting for Donald Trump are not generally for Trump the person, they are seeking representation from almost anyone not a part of the US political establishment. It also does Trump voters a disservice to identify them as people who have missed out economically. Trump voter…s are people who have been disempowered by the establishment.
In Australia, if frustrated voters articulate their concerns they are shouted down and bullied on social media.
The list of issues is long: political correctness, hypocrisy, immigration, foreign land ownership, sexual orientation, climate change, culture wars, clear bias in the media where political opinions are substituted for news, mendacity from politicians, apparent corruption of the political process, lack of loyalty and backstabbing, politicians failing to listen, decisions being taken by politicians that will have a negative effect on voters while having no effect on the actual decision makers, lack of consultation on proposed changes, waste of taxpayers’ money, inability to run a budget, and the obscene salaries and benefits paid to politicians and senior public servants.
The mainstream political parties apparently have no interest in having a public debate and taking hard decisions on a large proportion of these issues. It will take a new generation of politicians with demonstrable integrity and courage to restore the faith of the electorate. It will also require a quantum leap by a new generation of journalists to report news without inserting personal opinions.
Paul Tooker, Bald Knob, Qld
Trump misunderstands
Donald Trump’s main disqualification for high office is that he doesn’t understand how things work, at least in the Anglosphere. He hasn’t yet grasped that — for those on the Left — there is nothing that can’t be minimised, glossed over or just ignored in the media and other organs of the Leftist establishment. Rape? Not a problem. Disgraceful conduct as a lawyer? So what?
But for the Left, there is no offence so slight that it can’t be magnified, deplored and screamed about for as long as it is expedient to do so by the media and the other organs of the Leftist establishment. Smutty talk? Pass the smelling salts. Lewd juvenile remarks about women and how to treat them? I think I’m going to faint. Wait till someone spills the beans about what happens at union conferences.
Frank Pulsford, Aspley, Qld