Watching the recent axing of yet another political leader by their own party in the lead up to an election (Jacinta Allen, Victorian Premiere), I have been reflecting (again) on the corruption of politics. Allen was largely undone by the odour of Victorian Labor’s enabling of CFMEU corruption and criminality, at vast expense to the taxpayer. Meanwhile, the Queensland Government has recently announced the expansion of an inquiry into Queensland Labor’s kow-towing to CFMEU corruption. Meanwhile, in NSW a corruption inquiry has been uncovering the sordid financial affairs of a faction of ‘conservative Christians Reformers’ attempting to branch-stack the NSW Liberal Party with more of their own kind. The mind boggles. All the while, Pauline Hanson has been glorying in media attention, not even trying to hide the fact that she is in the pocket of Gina Rhinehart.
Everywhere you look in Australian politics, from local to Federal, there is ample evidence of people using political position for sordid gain. Some of it is illegal; much of it is just cynical gaming of the system.
Jesus derided people who ‘swear by heaven’ but don’t deliver, and pleaded for some who would simply let their ‘yes’ be yes, and their ‘no’ be no (Matt 5:33-37). It seems to me that the very structure of our politics actively blocks the emergence of leaders with strong moral character and a clear and consistent long-term political vision. The media cycle, party structures, electoral funding and voter selfishness all work to advantage the scheming opportunists and self-promoters.
The very structure of our politics actively blocks the emergence of leaders with strong moral character and a clear and consistent long-term political vision.
Where is the hope in politics? We have started up another round of Melbourne Evening Conversations to try and probe some of the less explored levels of our contemporary life. This month I spoke with Josh Lourensz, Head of Catholic Social Services Victoria on the subject of the church's involvement in poltical campaigning. If you attended then you’d know that we managed to fully solve these issues. The next Evening Conversation will be 30 September, when I will be chatting with Trevor Thomas and Paul Dettmann on the theme of “Creative Economics: Opportunities, Innovation & Subversion”. Stay tuned for more info.
In fact, this is a crazy-busy period for Manna Gum, with a frenetic schedule of writing and speaking over July, August, and September. I am not long returned from Brisbane, where we held a Manna Gum Afternoon Conversation, I spoke to the Catholic Worker community, and spoke twice at City South Presbyterian Church. Upon returning, I spoke at a Wesley Centre event in Melbourne on the subject of inequality and economic leadership, along with Productivity Commissioner, Catherine de Fontenay. As this goes out, I will be running a webinar on the Bible and our ecological crisis for Uniting Church folk in WA. Sydney readers will have an opportunity to hear me speak at an event at St Paul’s College on Friday, 4 September.
Meanwhile Jacob and I are trying to squeeze in recording a couple of podcasts on the strange history and character of money. Pray for us!
Jonathan Cornford
