You Choose the Policy
Melbourne

Mathew Clarke - Independent

 

I am here because I want something better for Victoria and Australia.
I don't matter, and I am not important. If you are angry and have come here to discredit the person trying to help, then read on beforehand.
 

We have been running politics wrong since the first time a politician became popular.

Since celebrating what was popular became . . . well, popular, politicians began doing what was most popular and not what was best for us.

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Is it possible to change?
Sure, but change is hard. Not just for politics but for people who already love hating politics. The angry people who have come here will be even less happy if politics finally mostly works. However, don't worry, politics will never be perfect, so there will always be something for people to hate. 
 

​A policy is a long document including guiding details, plans, funding, stages, completion time, etc. 

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Most people don't read policies because they have never seen one. Nor would they ever want to read one. A proper policy is not a slogan political parties use to try and get votes. This website does not mention a single policy, which has confused a few people and sent them away angry.

 

What would work better?
We still need policies. Also, they will need to remain boring so that they are created correctly.
To help create only good policies that are not vote-grabbing tools or money-extortion attempts, every policy will be listed anonymously. That would mean a politician's policy would be right up alongside a regular person's policy. Also, if you click on a policy to 'like' that policy, no one else will see that you liked it. 

If policies are still going to be boring, why would anyone want to read them or write them?
It's ok. There are people who like writing policy. I work for a nonprofit that works with policy. I enjoy it, which likely means you think I am crazy. There are many others who like policy work as well. However, for the average person who wants to write policy but doesn't know how, there will also be a space for you to submit solid ideas. It will then be the public servant's challenge to turn it into a proper policy.

I hear you saying: yeah, but I'm still not going to read something that is boring.
Fair enough. So, the policy will be listed in four ways: as a heading, a short summary, a long summary, and then the complete document. It will be up to you what you judge the policy on. Read the long version or read the short one. This may sound bad, but there are some people who just want a policy to happen, not how it will get done, which is fair enough.

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Now I hear you saying: that's mostly fine, but the policy might be rubbish.
As you may know, there are long-serving public servants who know a lot about their department. They know what works and what won't work. They know the repercussions of a policy, or at least a few likely outcomes. You may also know that academics and some journalists are quite knowledgeable in these spaces as well. They will be given the opportunity to write a few possible outcomes (and chances of success) of the policy. This will help people judge a policy not just by what it is, but by how it could be good (or bad).

Who will set it up?
I am one person with a regular job. If I am voted in, I can begin work on it and try to get others motivated to want it as well. Most people who are in it for themselves and their party will block the idea, so it will be hard unless all people are alerted to it. Then, after some time, it should be easier to get traction. To start with, I would have to set it up myself. Eventually, it would be best if a separate department ran it, such as the AEC.

We are up against old traditions that die hard. People want slogans to cheer behind or ridicule. However, we need to change that mindset pushed on us by political parties who want the popular vote.

We can change the way policies are created and handled, or we can continue to circle the drain until we sink down to where our democratic Western friends have fallen.

It's worth the effort to change for something that helps people. Especially if it is us who we are helping!

Note: Political parties generally have themes, right?
They are left, or right, or support unions, or have a different theme. 
That theme is the political party's wants and needs. They are not your wants and needs, and often are not good for the state or country. If you vote for them, you are supporting small groups of people and their narrow ideals.

Last question to you, Mathew: why have you not listed a single policy?
Well, again, it would be a slogan that people want to read. However, that's not the reason that no policies are listed here. As mentioned, I am not important. If I am hired to be in politics, then I will do the best job I can. I will be a public servant setting up a way to run politics that serves everyone rather than serving the political parties.

If I did list a policy or slogan on this site to try and entice voters (I have many helpful ones I am desperate to share), then what I list might become popular or unpopular just because I listed it. And that would harm an otherwise good policy.

Therefore, it needs to be listed anonymously. Not just because I should not be looked upon as important, but all politicians are not important. Not just now, but forever. If we do this, we will have a democracy that works on what is best for us and not what meets popular criteria to get a political party the votes they need to get in.

We may even eventually be able to get rid ourselves of the many slimy politicians we have now and into the future, and instead have public servants managing much of the process.

We will still have people who manage political portfolios, of course, and diplomats to get deals overseas, etc., but the long-serving slimy politician might eventually be a thing of the past.

Author's note (which is still me): I was not going to add all of the above information because I assumed no one would read it. Maybe people still won't. The reason I add it now is because of feedback.

Some people did not understand why I did not list any policies. Of course they were looking for slogans, and they obviously only breezed over the main page, otherwise they would have seen why I was not listing policies. Regardless, it is still a lot of information, which was another person's comment on the main page: "it's very long-winded". I guess if we want big change, then it takes big paragraphs to inform people. There is likely still a lot that I have left out.


 

For more information or to join as a supporter, contact me via the MEMBERSHIP FORM - Click me!

It's of course free to join as a supporter. Send me your thoughts and ideas on how Victoria should be run. I really need your support, so please don't delay. I look forward to reading your emails.

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