Wednesday & Thursday, April 6 & 7 2011 (diary)

As yet another measure to attempt to curb the chronic alcoholism of the Aboriginals, from April 1 the sale of 4 litre cask wine has become illegal in the Northern Territory. Only 2 litre casks remain on sale now. These costs about the same (around $15) as the 4 litre ones.
So the end result will be that the aboriginals will spend still more money (from their Government allowances) on alcohol and accordingly less on food for their children. Meanwhile the new rule is inconveniencing everybody else.

The ill conceived plan for a National Broadband Network (NBN) proposed by the Federal Labour Government is in tatters. The CEO in charge has resigned after the tender prices submitted by 14 large companies far exceeded the Governments budget outlay. Well, what do you expect as the Government went into this plan without even a basic Business plan for the project.

Stock exchanges around the world are merging in a Global phase of rationalisation. But our parochial minded Government is about to reject a merger with the Singapore Stock Exchange, steering Australia into a financial backwater, left behind by the rest of the financial world. What's next?
So, I much prefer to contemplate the lovely walks I did last year in Europe, and the photo series I just completed and put online is a pleasant reminder of those days.

Friday & Sunday, April 8 - 10 2011 (diary, democracy)

This a photo of the magnificent Museum Frieder Burda, the principal art gallery of Baden Baden located in their Kurhaus Park. It featured an exhibition of Joan Miro when I was there in September last year (2010).

I have been bitching about the Australian Government, but frankly mediocrity is the rule rather than the exception for Democratic governments around the world.

The looming government shutdown in America, where both major parties (Democrats and Republicans) are putting their own selfish interests before that of the country as a whole (which is still in a vulnerable state of recovery after the recent Global Financial Crisis), is an absolute disgrace. It also does considerable harm to the country's standing and image in the world, which already is rather dubious because of its naive religious backwardness compared to more progressive modern nations.

But Europe too is in the throes of indecision, letting the financial wounds in Greece, Ireland and Portugal fester instead of firm action (debt restructuring), which will be inevitable in the end anyway, but much more severe because of the delays.
In Dutch we have a saying : "Zachte heelmeesters maken stinkende wonden" (Soft heelers make stinking wounds). The present situation is a prime example of that.

Even Germany's Chancellor, Angela Merkel (after two resounding defeats of her CDU party in two regional elections) has lost her usual cool and, in a knee jerk reaction, shut down seven of her country's nuclear reactors.
Not in a million years will any one of these plants ever be subjected to a natural disaster even remotely approaching the tsunami in Japan. They are all located on Geologically very stable ground.
Angela Merkel is therefore reacting to the wishes of ignorant voters (and Green pressure groups) rather than follow her own reason and intellectual judgement (she has a degree in Physics).

These examples all point to the same conclusion that democracy, at least in its present form, is inevitably the rule of mediocrity.
Democracy should be a form of government that benefits a country as a whole, having the peoples' long term interest and development as main objective. At present this is clearly not the case. Governments are continuously looking over their shoulder, reacting to the short term wishes of their voters, rather than leading from the front.

It is great to see that peoples in North Africa and the Middle East are in revolt, attempting to gain their freedom and embrace a form of Democracy. It is a vital step towards progress of their country, as well as towards better individual life styles, health and education.
But we, in the Developed World, must realise that Democracy in its present form should only be an important stepping stone in the evolutionary development of politics. We must improve on it.

For a start the present election cycles of 3 or 4 years, make any Government too much hostage to the selfish short term wishes of the voters. Too many Government actions are strongly biassed towards becoming re-elected for the next term, rather than for the good of the country.
Especially in this modern world, with widespread TV coverage and the various social outlets on the Internet, it is becoming increasingly difficult to make intelligent decisions necessary for the long term.