Be the Change

Do you ever wonder why more people aren't attracted to politics?

Barely a day goes by without someone contacting me about the need to do something about the state of politics in Australia. There is a need to rebuild trust, pursue better policies, or even start a new political party.

I've been there and tried all that, and very little has changed.

That doesn't mean it cannot work in the future; it will take different people to pick up the baton and initiate the collective change they desire.

Most will choose not to do that, of course.

It is a huge commitment and takes a lot of work to organise a political movement within an existing Party. The entrenched power brokers brook no dissent and will fight to maintain their iron grip and influence.

Starting something new is also fraught with difficulties.

When I started the Australian Conservatives (AC), we had a huge membership, were well-funded and made next to no electoral impact (unless you count helping to rid the Liberals of Malcolm Turnbull).

Looking back, part of that was due to over-reach. We lost the original vision and tried to do too much. That was my decision then, and it was the wrong call.

But looking back, the most significant lesson was learning how uninterested the electorate really is.

We have tribal voters who vote as they always have done, irrespective of policies.

We also have the 'name' voter who picks a Party based on the name with scant consideration of the values underlying it. The Animal Justice Party springs to mind.

I suspect the AC would have done better if it had retained the name Family First because it has more instant appeal.

And then we have another group of voters who profess to want change but revert to the status quo.

Although the Australian Conservatives were only running in the Senate, the number of members (and others) who said they voted for us second "because they didn't want Bill Shorten" indicates a limited understanding of our electoral system.

The major parties love that disengagement. It helps their cause to dominate the political landscape.

I mention the above because many continue to want change but expect others to be the catalyst. That's highly unlikely to happen.

Instead, no matter how personally engaged we may choose to be in the political process, our focus needs to be on being the catalyst for making changes in our own lives.

Building financial and social security outside of government while understanding the influences at work in the world, is critical for you and your family.

We continue to discuss how to do this on the Confidential website daily.

Take it from me: it's easier for us individually to make a change to help ourselves and our families than to build a political movement to change the outcome for many who can't seem to be bothered to do it themselves.