The Death of Democracy

2016! Australia has voted in a Federal election. It is a close contest; a real nail biter. However, the real issue to come out of this election, for me, is the death of democracy.

Whilst we hang around waiting for the final result, the truth is that we already know in part who has been elected. One such elected representative is Pauline Hanson who has been elected to the Senate and she forms the centerpiece of this article.

Several days after her election, News.com.au ran an article under a heading that went something like this: Is Sunrise to blame for Pauline Hanson’s return?” The story distills down to the horrendous and horrible fact that Pauline Hanson was paid to appear on Sunrise, Channel Seven’s breakfast show, in the months leading up to the election.

Now, it bothers me nought that this lady was paid by a television programme. Big “whoop”! It happens all the time. Most pollies are probably jealous that they could not land the same gig!

The problem for me is in the word “blame”. In a democracy, people are supposed to have the right to vote for whomever they will (some clarification needed, but let’s leave it at that for now) and if the people decide upon a particular choice, then that is their choice. Their is no blame. That is how the system is meant to work!

Imagine going to your car dealer with the complaint that ‘when you put your foot on the brake pedal, the vehicle stopped!’ What reception would you receive? I am pretty sure that after the wry look, you would be politely informed that ‘the system has worked as per its design.’

I particularly find this “blame game” interesting given that the Senate voting system has recently undergone reform to stop an influx of unhelpful minorities. So, in essence, the Parliament’s redesign of the Senate voting system to exclude minor parties etc, should have meant that Independents and Minor Parties should have been excluded. HMMM! Looking at the results, this does not seem to be the case.

Hence, the only real evaluation of the situation is that the democratic system worked and that Pauline Hanson was voted into the Senate by the people. The people voted. The people chose. That is democracy after all, is it not?

So far.

Now I sit by and wait for the witch-hunt to begin. I have soft spot for Pauline Hanson. Not because I agree with her position or because I hope for some free Fish and Chips, but because she has weathered a storm in the political corridors of this nation which proved that democracy is dead.

Tony Abbot got knifed by Brutus Turnbull. I did not like the happening — and neither did the Australian public given the voting pattern in this election — but I found it hard to shed a tear. Why? For the simple reason that Tony Abbott had been the willing henchman of both Liberal and Labor in seeking and bringing about the downfall of the One Nation Party and Pauline Hanson in particular.

That time in Australian politics was absolutely disgraceful and that is a poor summary. This woman was hounded into jail on what seemed to be very dubious charges — a fact seemingly supported by her release 11 weeks later when the Court of Appeals overturned the conviction.

At the time that Tony Abbott was pursuing and, yes, I would say, persecuting, Pauline Hanson, Australian politicians were crying out for the freedom of political dissidents in other countries. Hypocrites!

Is it any wonder that since those days the Australian political scene has become a complete shambles and the domain of the unprincipled. Is it any wonder that the road to the Prime Ministers office is not through righteousness and integrity but by virtue of the quickest and sharpest knife.

Yes, it was a sad and disgusting day in Australian politics. Democracy was killed off by the power hungry.

Returning to Pauline Hanson, there is another grievance. She is often portrayed as a buffoon. Yes, okay, she may experience foot and mouth from time to time. Yet, for me, I would rather that, knowing she is telling me what she believes, than put up with the silver-haired, Armani clad seller of “snake oil.”

I remember when Pauline Hanson lost power. One Nation hoped to claim twelve seats, they won none. Ridicule abounded. Salivating media were everywhere with their vitriolic pieces. Pauline Hanson was mocked for saying that the voting system was corrupt.

Would you like to know a little secret that is not so secret. One Nation won fifteen seats on primary votes. That is right. If we elected people on a ‘first past the post’ basis, One Nation would not have been ridiculed. Pauline Hanson suffered from a seat redistribution (the cynic in me says HMMM!), nonetheless after primary voting she topped the poll with thirty-six percent, leaving her about 10% in front of her nearest rival. Then there is the twist. After topping said poll, Pauline Hanson lost on preferences, not to the runner-up, but to the third placed Liberal candidate.

The epic saga that is Pauline Hanson has taught this nation a number of valuable lessons. I wonder, “How many have we learned?”

Personally, I do not think any. The statement of “Who is to blame?” once more attacks the democratic principle. The media or parts thereof are simply not happy to have a real conservative in politics. We have had electoral reform in the Senate, but our broken preferential system in regard to the lower house still remains. Results are skewed.

As a nation we have rejected Theocracy. As a nation, at least in principle if not in fact, we are rejecting democracy. (Bill Shorten’s promise of homosexual marriage is another indicator — no vote, no consultation, we will just do it.) What then is next? Anarchy!

BY God’s grace, it is my prayer that we learn the lessons quickly or we will perish as a nation. (Proverbs 14:34)