We Australians are a tribal people. The vast majority either belong to the Labor tribe or the Conservative tribe - and usually tribal allegiance is a matter of birth.
Few stray from their tribal upbringing. During the childhood years tribal philosophy is drilled into young minds and lasts a lifetime. Marriage brings a testing time when people of differing tribes tie the knot together.
Sometimes tribal allegiance remains steadfast and the partners record different votes, but usually the weaker partner is pressured to join the tribe of the stronger partner.
We are a curious nation - one of the few that demands that all the people of the various tribes put their mark on a piece of paper to select the chief who will rule.
Even that has latitude. The only demand is that we attend and have our name crossed off the list. We can do what we wish with the ballot paper - drop it unmarked in the bin - or write " none of the above " as so many of us do.
So when the day comes to elect a great chief to rule over us the decision will be made by just a few. There will be some who defect from one tribe to another, but the swinging vote that will decide will come from those who belong to no tribe and have no obligation to either.
To woo that swinging vote there will be bread and circuses - and huge promises will be made. The tribal people will ponder those promises and many will be dismissed as pie in the sky, not likely to survive beyond the counting of the vote.
And then it will be all over. A chief will be appointed - and we will go back to our tribal ways until the passage of time calls us to the next great tribal concave !
No comments:
Post a Comment