Webdiary - Independent, Ethical, Accountable and Transparent
header_02 home about login header_06
header_07
search_bar_left
date_box_left
date_box_right.jpg
search_bar_right
sidebar-top content-top

Defending Democracy

Submitted by Carmen Lawrence on March 23, 2005 - 7:01am.
Choice in Childbirth: a public policy failure

"Exhortations last year by the treasurer, Peter Costello, that patriotic young Australians should go forth and multiply, caused more than a few indulgent chuckles from the assembled media. Many of those being urged to have more children were probably less amused as they contemplated the hurdles they confront in taking his advice." - Carmen Lawrence

left
right
[ category: ]
spacer
Submitted by Craig Rowley on February 28, 2005 - 6:38am.
WE are at a tilting point
"Unlike corruption under other forms of government, from totalitarian state to illiberal democracy, our political officials act in our name with our express consent. Quite honestly, they are our representatives. Ultimately their ethics are our ethics as well. If they are corrupt, and we allow them to be, then we are corrupt, too." Craig Rowley
left
right
spacer
Submitted by Carmen Lawrence on October 26, 2004 - 5:29am.
Democracy is failing if the majority are alienated from politics

"Every election produces its peculiar set of certainties about the future of the losing party, certainties that later analysis often proves flawed. Knee-jerk analysis crowds the airwaves and advice is proffered by opinionated commentators about what must be done to avoid permanent oblivion. I've done it myself." - Carmen Lawrence

left
right
[ category: ]
spacer
Submitted by Chris Saliba on April 5, 2004 - 4:24am.
Who’s afraid of the Greens?

"Are the Greens policies as 'kooky' as John Howard insists? Without doubt their overall program is radically different to the prevailing orthodoxy. The last decade of the Howard government has seen a current account blowout that would make Kath and Kim blush, from $194 billion dollars in 1995 to the $393 billion today. Under Howard, we’ve all shopped ourselves silly, and still feel like we’re missing out. The Greens would change all this. Under the Greens we would be made more aware of the cost of everything we consumed – to the environment, to poorly paid sweated labour. Splashing out on an outré outfit at a Chapel street boutique would become fraught with all manner of ethical dilemmas. Were the workers properly paid? Did the dyes used in the product have an adverse environmental impact? Is the outfit sustainable?" Chris Saliba

left
right
[ category: ]
spacer
© 2005-2011, Webdiary Pty Ltd
Disclaimer: This site is home to many debates, and the views expressed on this site are not necessarily those of the site editors.
Contributors submit comments on their own responsibility: if you believe that a comment is incorrect or offensive in any way,
please submit a comment to that effect and we will make corrections or deletions as necessary.
Margo Kingston Photo © Elaine Campaner

Recent Comments

David Roffey: {whimper} in Not with a bang ... 14 weeks 14 hours ago
Jenny Hume: So long mate in Not with a bang ... 14 weeks 1 day ago
Fiona Reynolds: Reds (under beds?) in Not with a bang ... 14 weeks 3 days ago
Justin Obodie: Why not, with a bang? in Not with a bang ... 14 weeks 3 days ago
Fiona Reynolds: Dear Albatross in Not with a bang ... 14 weeks 3 days ago
Michael Talbot-Wilson: Good luck in Not with a bang ... 14 weeks 3 days ago
Fiona Reynolds: Goodnight and good luck in Not with a bang ... 14 weeks 4 days ago
Margo Kingston: bye, babe in Not with a bang ... 15 weeks 1 day ago