Ideologue
Media speculation on an imminent Federal Election has got me thinking I need to start decided who to vote for. This will be the first election in which I am totally free of any party loyalty, but is anybody entirely free of ideology? I want to articulate mine and then assess contenders in relation to it.
I am happy with my description of the progressive but it is rather general. Besides which it is silent on some important matters. In the Political Objectives Test I have defined political ideology in terms of human relations rather than 'things' but it just so happens that some of those things (from concepts like God to objects like the Earth) keep on impinging on politics. So I need to articulate my stance further if I wish to assess a host of policy statements.
The Australian Democrats is a part of my past now. But personal experience comes in handy. One thing that was frustrating for me was that we had over twenty Objectives that were difficult to remember and convey. As a result I developed my own ‘Five Fingers’ as a simpler summary of ideology. And it just so happens that they still work well for me as an ideological loner wandering the Australian polity.
My Five Fingers
* A cosmopolitan and permissive society
* A mixed economy that strives to be both prosperous and just
* Preservation of the natural environment from over-development
* Nuclear disarmament and peaceful forms of conflict resolution
* A secular parliamentary democracy that fosters public
participation in respectful debate
All of these statements can be expanded on and have qualifications made (as was requested and done here). This is a good thing as discussion always refines ones understanding. In any case these are the sorts of criteria I will take into the election as an Australian citizen. It will be a new and interesting experience to be coming at the event solely from the voter side of the fence.
I am happy with my description of the progressive but it is rather general. Besides which it is silent on some important matters. In the Political Objectives Test I have defined political ideology in terms of human relations rather than 'things' but it just so happens that some of those things (from concepts like God to objects like the Earth) keep on impinging on politics. So I need to articulate my stance further if I wish to assess a host of policy statements.
The Australian Democrats is a part of my past now. But personal experience comes in handy. One thing that was frustrating for me was that we had over twenty Objectives that were difficult to remember and convey. As a result I developed my own ‘Five Fingers’ as a simpler summary of ideology. And it just so happens that they still work well for me as an ideological loner wandering the Australian polity.
My Five Fingers
* A cosmopolitan and permissive society
* A mixed economy that strives to be both prosperous and just
* Preservation of the natural environment from over-development
* Nuclear disarmament and peaceful forms of conflict resolution
* A secular parliamentary democracy that fosters public
participation in respectful debate
All of these statements can be expanded on and have qualifications made (as was requested and done here). This is a good thing as discussion always refines ones understanding. In any case these are the sorts of criteria I will take into the election as an Australian citizen. It will be a new and interesting experience to be coming at the event solely from the voter side of the fence.
Labels: Philosophical, Political
posted by Dan at
14.7.10
3 Comments:
And so it was in 2010, with these humble words, that The Founder unwittingly set in motion the cultural juggernaut that we all know today as The Berk Movement.
This concludes today's lesson, but tomorrow we will show how these five simple tenets led to the formation of this very organization, dominating western political theory for several decades.
Speaker Haldane, on behalf of The Hand, signing off.
By
Unknown, At
11 August, 2010
Most amusing. Course my five fingers are merely my own articulation of an existing and rather popular thing - pretty much progressivism with a dash of hippy.
As usual there is more comment over at the other site I posted this to...
By
Dan, At
12 August, 2010
I'm copying and pasting comments to this same post from LiveJournal (complete with messy formatting text). See below...
From: beachy_woods
Date: July 14th, 2010 10:42 pm (local)
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I had never before considered Ideology in voting preferences, and yet I now realise I am very much entrenched in it. This realisation will not change my vote (unless a new and awesome party I actually agree with comes along), but it has made me more aware of what that vote means in terms of Australian culture. *has Thoughts(TM)*
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From: originaluddite
Date: July 15th, 2010 12:05 pm (local)
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I think that a lot of us (me included) do have a set of criteria we take into elections. It is a bit unusual to put ones principles into writing and publicly but it is still part of the same process. I think the more conscious the better. And it can be a fun exercise - particularly in choosing the right words.
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By
Dan, At
09 May, 2017
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