Melanie La'Brooy has written a piece in today's Age [1] about  how people who learned to fight politically during the Howard years don't find it fun to kick the Liberals while they're down.   She explains that those who fought for the causes that Howard was perceived to oppose (mentioning Margo Kingston and her Not Happy John campaign) aren't predisposed to Schadenfreude.

Perhaps she's right.   These days I don't even feel like picking on Alexander Downer, though his continual grabs for publicity space suggest that digging in the odd toe every now and then to be sure he stays in place can't do any harm.  And the fact remains that Howard's Libs did a lot of things in our name that many of us did not approve of, and engaged in activities that some of us consider criminal in nature.  If we're not going to punish them, we should still be scolding them for some time to come.

The piece has got me thinking about what happens now to those who found their political voices while chanting in protest once their calls have been heeded  Do they consider the job done and go home to put the telly on, or do they take the skills that they've acquired and try to use them in ways that they think might "make a difference" ?

Melanie puts it well when she says that  "When Howard exited, stage right, his political legacy was both the reinvigoration of the left and the awakening of the political conscience of hundreds of thousands of Australians, who will empower our democracy for years to come."  Perhaps it might be an overly-rosey viewpoint.  With the fires of passion quelled, I think many will be happy to return to their previous placidity.

Does a new Government want a vociferous populace monitoring its movements, with the implied threat of beligerence if their whims aren't fulfilled?  Probably not- but, like it or lump it, that's what they've got. 

Yes, democracy in Australia is healthier than it's been in years.  Have we cured it, though, or placed it on life-support?  It depends on how we act now.