leading actors
Posted by Administrator on Sunday, June 19, 2005
Last night the election victory for the NT ALP was stunning.
Clare Martin’s official response stunned me. It was bereft of sponteneity. Her controlled public face is obviously the face that NT voters find most appealing. But Clare Martin is not elected to be an actress. She is elected to be a powerful and responsible leader for all Territorians.
In a letter to the editor of the NT News, a woman decided that she would not vote ALP because Clare was looking so tired and had aged about 10 years in the four years she has been in a leader in government.
Do we ask too much from our leaders?
How many human beings can be committed, imaginative policy and decision makers as well as po faced media presenters?
Would she have been as successful if she demonstrated intelligent uncertainty or circumspection? I doubt it. The electorate deem such qualities in leaders as untrustworthy, when the opposite is likely to be true.
How do we enable voters to differentiate between image and ability?
It is a travesty of good governance that talented and committed individuals are not deemed fit for public office because they can’t act on TV.
I think voters ask too much. We want idealistic, pragmatic, concerned, sincere intelligent leaders who are on constant public performance alert.
Media scrutiny seems to be less about political accountability and more about public performance, to the detriment of good governors.
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This entry was posted on Sunday, June 19th, 2005 at 1:24 PM and filed under Society.
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jen (or ken or anyone)what do locals think of the representation numbers of pollies in NT.
I keep hearing comments here about how there are only around 200,000 people in NT but 25 state pollies. I think Darwin also has a local government layer with 13 councillors for 74,000 people? My local gov has 10 councillors for 150,000 people.
It all seems a bit out of whack to me.
Posted on 19-Jun-05 at 9:51 pm | PermalinkI agree totally Jen - I think the wowserish demands on our polly’s image is just cruel.
Mind you, Clare Martin probably really wanted to run screaming round the room dressed in the skins of her slaughtered enemies howling with joy like Boadicea at her best.
If she did that, I would be begging her to move to federal parliament.
Posted on 19-Jun-05 at 10:24 pm | PermalinkIt can be a fine line. Remember Howard Dean.
Posted on 19-Jun-05 at 11:33 pm | PermalinkIndeed. Witness the literal success of Reagan and in the latter day, Arnie.
Hillary Clinton stands to gain from the experience she has had being America’s first lady when the next presidential elections come around.
I think we are heading down the path of professional public image triumphing over professional political substance.
Posted on 20-Jun-05 at 10:03 am | PermalinkFX - obviously you are used to the civilised south.
Posted on 20-Jun-05 at 5:58 pm | PermalinkWe’re a rowdy lot up here and we need lots of govening, supervision and guidance. Do you know, some households up here have a councillor or a MHR for their own private use?
Most of us though, have to share, but not as much as you do, poor thing, I’d feel positively bereft if my local member wasn’t regularly popping round to see what might need doing
Heh — FX, compare and contrast with my current residence in the ACT where the Territory and Local government tiers are merged.
We get just 17 elected representatives — 21 if you count federal members and senators as well.
I actually think 25 is a pretty good number for a Legislative Assembly. If you think 5,000 constituents per electorate is ridiculously small, ACT uses multi-member electorates which alleviates this problem to some extent. It does take away the personal touch, though, as jen points out!
Posted on 20-Jun-05 at 10:33 pm | PermalinkThe NT News today contains this gem in Letters to the Editor.
I quote.
“The Margaret Thatcher of NT [Jodeen Carney] politics will lead her party in to many battles with the Labor Government’s own Boudicca, leader Clare Martin.”
David,
Is it co-incidence or has your colourful imagery - and I did enjoy it - inspired P.G. Holmes. Or is Clare really Boadicea incarnate if not incarnadine. (indulge me, I resigned today, - from the catholics)
Did she not (Boadicea)spend some time topless or was that another warrior queen? If she did, the NT would be the obvious place to reappear.
No this maybe wrong. I’m thinking now of the painting by Delacroix - Victory? - the embodiment of the French Revolutionary Spirit. Too lazy to google. Tell me story.
Posted on 24-Jun-05 at 9:20 pm | Permalink