Being Seen

Reading through the PM’s op-ed today, I can’t help but think she had to write what she wrote.

Not because it contains anything of substance or note, but because she just had to write something. She says she’s a reformer, or at least wants to appear to be a reformer, yet knows full well that she’s ham-strung by the political environment of her – and others – own creation. A hung Parliament. A government can only ever be seen to be a reforming government – notice I say ‘be seen to be’, there is a big difference between perception and reality – if it has the political ability to enact real reforms. Hawke had it, Keating too, in varying degrees. Howard had it from 2004 but failed to properly utilise the power to enact genuine reforms. Gillard doesn’t have a hope in hell.
Yes, this country and it’s centres of business and industry need direction on issues of climate change, carbon pollution reduction and market-driven costings of reduction mechanisms. What we fail to undertake now, generations yet to be imagined will curse us for in the future. Australia is not one-out from the pack on these matters. Copenhagen proved that much. Sadly, Copenhagen also proved conclusively that the political will is weak, even if the ideological flesh is willing. And it is willing. Different ideologies from across the globe agreed that marketing a carbon pollution reduction mechanism is the way forward. None could agree on the how or when.
So, with a much less than desireable Parliament to deal with, no political capital to speak of and an opposition vowed and declared to oppose everything the government puts forward, frustrating the political process at any and every turn, what possible hope is there for Julia Gillard to enact any reform whatsoever? I don’t see any. All well & good to talk the talk, but when your government’s on crutches suffering self-inflicted gangrene in both legs, writing flowery op-eds in a friendly media outlet just doesn’t go any way towards creating a narrative as a plan for reform.