Our elected dictatorship

Fighting to regain a semblance of democracy in Australia would be a high priority if I were elected to federal parliament.

I was so pleased when the Italian people chose Prodi and his broadly based coalition over the corrupt Berlusconi.

My only hope was that the broad coalition could run full term.

I hoped this, and my hopes have been fulfilled to this date, because out governments should be broadly based and reflect, as much as possible, the will of the people.

Italy is now, as I hope Australia will be after this election, represented in its parliament by the people.

Democracy is the most difficult form of government available to us. The people of Australia and the US are still to learn how to do it.

Specific issues include:

Voting

The political establishment insists on narrowing voting options by moving to a de facto first past the post with optional preferential and above the line voting, on the basis that intelligent voting confuses electors.

We all know that at least half of the electorate are Morons.

It seems strange to me when a new party is elected the morons become smart and the smart ones become morons.

Has this anything to do with the inherent corruption of the party system?

Electing the government we deserve

I propose a more radical change to electronic Quick Pic (auto pick) ballots.

Having received their ballot papers voters are only required to put the paper in the slot to register a random electronic vote.

No thought required, we all get the government we deserve.

More thoughts on my position is linked on the campaign website.

The Peoples are in the altogether

A policy parable

Once upon a time in the Great South Land the people told the king that they would no longer accept anything but the best.

They threatened the king that, if he and his vast financial and industrial support base could not give them the best housing, the best jobs and the finest clothes on the planet, they would replace him without a second thought.

While the King looked after most of the peoples’ money he was always rather reluctant to part with it.

The King devised a plan where he was able to give the illusion of National Wealth and well being by a cunning advertising plan that one of his cobbers dreamed up.

Instead of actually giving stuff away the King was able to create an illusion by only spending $25,000 an hour of the peoples money leaving the bulk of their money for himself and his friends.

One day, because the King was getting quite old, the people invited nominations from within their ranks for his replacement.

Each of the candidates was questioned in great depth about their ability to continue to deliver the lifestyle that they had become used to and told them, in extremely strong terms, that if they didn’t deliver they would be chucked out very smartly.

Finally it was The Village Idiot’s turn to be questioned and when the people told him of their great wealth, beautiful homes and fine, well crafted clothing The Village Idiot fell about in uncontrollable laughter.

 The people were very, very angry and, before throwing him out onto the street, asked him just what he had found so terribly funny in such a serious matter.

In the few seconds that The Village Idiot was able to control his laughter he pointed out to the people that they were all stark naked and that it was, indeed, not a very good look.

As the people looked around at each other they realised that The Village Idiot was right.

Each had thought that only they had missed out on the nation’s great wealth because they were personally not good enough.

The people burst into a rather sad chant – “…the peoples are in the altogether, naked as the day they were born…”

First News Story

Robin’s march to the election

By Clare Hayes for the Port Macquarie News
May 25 2007

Thousands of toy soldiers will spring up across Port Macquarie as the federal election approaches.

They are part of Robin Cartledge’s campaign for the seat of Lyne.

The Port Macquarie grandfather and web designer this week announced his plans to challenge sitting member, Deputy Prime Minister Mark Vaile, at the election.

He will stand as an independent.

The toy soldiers are Mr. Cartledge’s “creative” way of leaving his mark.

Each plastic figurine is tagged with the message “Who Cares?”. This is the premise of the 64-year-old’s campaign.

Mr Cartledge is concerned about health. He believes the country is lacking health services and wants the federal government to finance the sector appropriately.

He is asking people who really cares about the Lyne electorate and suggests it is not Mr. Vaile.

He cares for a friend who suffered a stroke and finds it difficult to access help.

Mr. Vaile has defended the federal government’s investment in health, which is predominantly a state issue, referring to the increased funding to improve access to regional and rural health services and the recent announcement of $1.8 million for new internet, or e-health, initiatives for the North Coast Area Health Service.

However, Mr. Vaile welcomes all challengers and political opponents to the election.

Mr. Cartledge has a $1000 budget for his campaign and, as such, is relying on creativity and computers to publicise his intentions – hence the toy soldiers.

“It’s goung to be a busy six months and I’m going to enjoy every minute of it,” Mr. Cartledge said.

To follow the campaign, log on to http://robincartledge.wordpress.com/

Mr. Cartledge is yet to formally nominate as a candidate, but is filling out through the paperwork now.

This article has been reproduced with the kind permission of The Port Macquarie News. http://portmacquarie.yourguide.com.au/

Cartledge’s Commandos

Cartledge’s Commandos have gone on their first foray around Port Macquarie. The toy soldiers hit various strategic sites around the town, asking the question: Who Cares?

Sort of Bio

New technology but old-fashioned games
David Smith for the Port Macquarie News, January, 2002

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Port Macquaries’ Robin Cartledge has created a website designed to encourage kids to move away from computer games, watching television and web surfing and enjoy more traditional pastimes.
Mr. Cartledge admits to being aware of the irony of using modern IT methods to instill hands on creativity in children, but said the Internet was a great tool in reaching children. “If you can’t reach kids you can’t teach them,” he said.
Mr. Cartledge, a.k.a. Grandpa Pencil, has been entertaining children of all ages in Port Macquarie for many years with a number of his alter-egos such as Catweasel D. Clown, Ozzie Eagle and Neville News.
Mr. Cartledge’s website, http://www.grandpapencil.galleonpoint.com/, is far from high tech but it gives children hundreds of hours of family fun.
“Children can download many things from colour-in templates to plans for hanky parachutes and wooden cut-outs for toys,” Mr. Cartledge said.
Mr. Cartledge’s website doesn’t subscribe to the techno-kid concept. There are no pulsating coloured blobs, just fun family activity that is easy and quick to download.
He believes there is always a place for real hands-on creativity and a good belly laugh.
“Give children a shoot ‘em up and they will be happy for five minutes,” he said.
“Give them the recipe for fun and they will be happy for the rest of their lives.”
In the few months Mr. Cartledge has had his site up and running it has had hits from the United States, Canada and Japan. Not bad for a man who wasn’t even sure how to turn on the computer five months ago.
“Just learning how to use the computer was a challenge and web design was an even bigger learning curve,’” he said.
Mr. Cartledge is hoping for feedback from families that use his site.

Updating

 

For now the grandpapencil can be found here. Meantime Robin has been cleaning up the 1500 plus pages in preparation for a brand new home. Well, he had been until a few incidents about our caring society hit home. The realization that few really care, least of all governments, put the website to one side for a while.

It will be back, soon we hope. A campaign to shine a light on the uncaring leaders in our communities will not become a fulltime job, but it does call for some attention.

 

A critical look at the candidate

Dennis Cartledge

Robin’s great talent is his keen public moral compass, coupled with a strange perverse view of the way our society is heading. His method of expressing his view is often confronting, but it is also a way to bring attention to serious issues.

The fact is Robin’s views are not unique. His concern that the system does not care is shared by many in our social support sectors. How can you care when those who manage the system not only don’t, but actively discourage effective service delivery.

Robin represents the radical centre. He is not advocating a free for all, but rather an effective safety net for those who depend on real care when it matters.

Call him what you like, Robin just gives a damn! While nobody in authority seems to care he cares. While those in need are trampled by an uncaring system he knows there is a better way forward for his country.

The operators and power players of our three tier political system push off blame and responsibility to each other, Robin asks the big question – Who Cares?
Who cares if we simply give away long held states rights to the Feds? Who cares if self serving politicians are concerned only with their own benefits and no longer serve their constituencies?

Who cares if our elected official now only serve those who can pay for the privilege. Robin cares, because he can’t see how someone stricken by adversity, by illness or loss can possibly stand up for themselves, to claim their due in this society.

Indeed, in his quieter, more reflective moments, Robin speaks of the immanent return to a more romantic era, an era when mere mortal did not need to bother themselves with lofty thought of politics. It is in these moments he sees our rapid return to a feudal rule, when the Lord speaks we all jump. But it is not a subject which will keep him quiet and reflective for long.

 

The Wind Sock

A Policy Parable

Once upon a time I visited a little air field in Tasmania. I think it had a fence, though I am not entirely sure, it certainly had no other real conveniences.

One thing I know is that it had a single piece of infrastructure that was totally essential.

The wind along the Bass Straight is so fierce that you have to put the billy on the eastern side of the fire, on the ground, for it to boil.

The second Private Members Bill that I will be putting forward will demand that a wind sock be conveniently placed near every parliament, council chambers and government office in the country.

The major issue here is that we should have a clear indication if we are once more just peeing into the wind.

Speaking to your local member

A policy parable

 

It is quite scary at times when you have a burning issue that you want aired and pluck up the courage to visit your local member.

“Please Sir/Madam”, we say, “There is a hole in the road in front of my shop that keeps eating school busses”, or “There are not enough hospital places.”

The inevitable reply is either “Yes, I know that” or “You just don’t understand the big picture.”

These responses leave you very little room for discussion.

Long, long ago when I was just a pup I used to go to the Royal Easter Show and of an evening, in the main arena, there was a man who flew with a rocket back pack. “By the year 2000”, he would say, “Everyone will have one of them for their general transportation.”

So, when you really need to speak to your local member, you should use the following method.

Storm into the office and ask, very firmly, “Where’s the rocket back pack you promised me?”

You will be greeted by a stunned silence followed by the equally stunned question, “What rocket back pack? I don’t know what you are talking about. Is there something easier we can help you with?”

You respond, “Well you could fix the hole in the road that keeps eating school busses I guess”

Its easy peasy: Try it sometime soon.

Grappling with breasts

Grappling with breasts Port Macquarie News

Wednesday, 2 May 2007
Posted By Robin Cartledge

Breasts might be sexy, but breast cancer can hardly raise a ripple. That seems to be the case with my local independent member for Port Macquarie, Rob Oakeshott.
I have raised this issue before and since the recent state election and still cannot get any acknowledgement that this issue exists.
Detection of breast cancer provides the best chance of effective treatment for women with the disease.
Benefits of early detection include increased survival, increased treatment options and improved quality of life.
These are well recorded facts, and the evidence is available on the National Breast cancer Centre (NBCC) site.
For women, age remains the biggest risk factor in the development of breast cancer with over 70% of cases found in women aged 50 years and older. NBCC claims that women from Around 40 should have regular free access to screening.
My concern, indeed the concern of many younger women I talk to, is that women younger than 50 have limited access to free screening.
In fact even with a doctors referral woman younger than 45 are required to pay for screening regardless of the risk.
Women of different ages who are at population risk and for women of all ages who are at increased risk of developing breast cancer should have access to free screening.
NBCC say that in younger women, tumours are likely to be larger and more aggressive and overall survival is lower than for older women with the disease.
This is not simply a heath issue but an economic imperative. Limiting screening to a narrow age group has potentially disastrous outcomes in both areas.
On a personal level many women are simply not able to access early detection. The knowledge of the potential and the cost restraints for screening must add to the risk through associated stress.
On the economic side the state, or the country for that matter, would be well in front treating early onset rather than needing to fund intensive oncology units.
This issue became a concern to me when I met the lady of my dreams. She is in the high risk group and does not have access to free screening outside of her 2 yearly allowance. Since then I have become aware of many other younger women at risk but unable to easily access screening.
We are not only increasing the risk to our countries wonderful women, we are creating an enormous cost blowout in our health system.

While Vaile chases Queensland…

While Vaile chases Queensland even the village idiot could win Lyne!

While Port Macquarie (Lyne) health and community services steadily fade into oblivion the local federal member has more important issues to deal with.

As leader of the Nationals, Mark Vaile is spending his time trying to win Queensland back to the fold.

He feels safe of course, as the local media are careful to run protection for him in his absence. Queensland is a long way from the electorate of Lyne and a long way from the real problems his government has chosen to ignore.

Health? Community support service? “You don’t understand the big picture”, Vaile is fond of saying.

Indeed, anyone desperately seeking local services really don’t care about the need for the coalition to win back support in Queensland. They don’t even care about politics. They just want effective services.

Take hospitals, and despite the recent flood of budget money, the long-awaited upgrade to Port Macquarie’s public hospital might be more than 10 years away, according to news reports.

But then the budget of Vaile’s government allocated just 5% growth to the hospital budget while the real cost is growing by 7.5% per year.

Reports suggest that much of the budget allocation was simply remedial, to fix existing problems. Nothing has been put into growth and nothing has been put into immediate shortages of funding and staffing.

I understand Mark’s ‘big picture’. I understand how frightened he and his colleagues are of losing the honey pot of government! The little picture is that real people, real Australians are suffering because of this political arrogance.

Come home Mark and face the people!

Off and running

With a federal election due later in the year I am announcing my intention to challenge Mark Vaile for the seat of Lyne. As leader of the Nationals and Deputy Prime Minister Vaile has been consistently lacklustre. As my local member he has been a total failure.

My major concern is with social issues such as health and community well being. A key part of my campaign will be to take the word ‘care’ out of general use, to be replaced by the more accurate ‘Bean Counter’.

Health Care will become Health Bean Counter, for instance, unless a person or organisation wishing to use the word Care is certified and holds a Gold ‘Care’ Tick which must be earned to be gained.

The intention of this control will be to ensure that all Australians are aware of exactly what they are getting.

I realise that I will have to forget my long held love of Constitutional Federalism and adopt the ever popular Centralist stance to achieve this ban but ‘Life was not meant to be easy’ I have heard and there ‘ain’t’ no such thing as honesty in politics.

I shall keep my loyal constituents informed of further policy issues over the coming months and look forward to your feedback.

As ever

Robin A. Cartledge