Why Australia prefers political prose to political poetry
Coffee which lives up to that billing, and meals that offer much more than just the representation of food - friends, it is good to be back in the Great Southern Land, even if my car appears to have turned from silver to bronze.
In a week where the region has suffered such unspeakable awfulness, I offer this blog as little more than some light relief. It flows from a trip to Washington, where I have spent the last few days.
With its wide avenues and boulevards, its monumental architecture, and its well-placed sense of self-importance, it is a city which has always inspired and intrigued. And that grandeur is reflected in its politics and statecraft.
So whereas Australian prime ministers travel around in the front seat of a white Holden, a gesture of egalitarianism, American presidents boast multi-vehicle motorcades, the length of which are designed to convey the full measure and majesty of their power.
"Hail to the Chief" greets Barack Obama on his entry into a room, whereas on the rare occasions when Kevin Rudd receives a musical tribute it comes in the form of "Waltzing Maltilda" played at foxtrot pace.
Successful US presidents are memorialised in stone and marble, whereas Aussie PMs might get a suburb named after them in Canberra. Better that than the fate which befell Harold Holt, the prime minister who went missing in the surf. He actually has a memorial swimming pool in Melbourne.
Washington inspires rousing television dramas with stirring background music, like the West Wing. They assume the motives of the main players are honourable and pure. Canberra has produced The Hollowmen, a half-hour comedy where cynicism pervades everything.
US presidents take the oath office on Capitol Hill, one of the most glorious pulpits that America has to offer. Kevin Rudd formally took over as prime minister in a frugal ceremony in the front parlour of the governor general's mansion.
In America, the preference appears to be for large personalities with sometimes epic back-stories. Australians seem happy with leaders who lack charisma and candescence. By the same token, American leaders tend to be more ideological and visionary, while Australians are typically pragmatists. Whereas the Americans hope for greatness, the Australian preference is for competent managerialism.
When I covered the 2007 Australian election campaign, I was surprised that there were not more rallies and razzmatazz. Balloons and bunting were in short supply. But the tradition here is for modesty and understatement.
So aside from the names, the House of Representatives and the Senate, there is not a great deal of "Wash" in Australia's "Washminster" model of government. And I strongly suspect that is the way most people like it.
When it comes to politics, Americans warm to poetry, whereas the Australians have long favoured prose.
UPDATE: Loved all your suggestions on the rebranding of Australia. There appear to be some underemployed copywriters reading this blog. I will pass on the link to Tourism Australia, and, who knows, perhaps you'll be getting a call. Manifest in your comments are most of the traits and qualities which make Australia so attractive to outsiders: the humour, the lack of pretension, the simple beauty of the landscape and that self-confident sense of self-deprecation...
I'm 
© MMIX~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~51~RS~)
Comments
Sign in or register to comment.
Can you imagine someone yelling out "Hail to the Chief" to Kev, or Johnny, or even Hawkey (he'd throw his yard glass at you).
Its all about substance over style in Oz. Look what happended Andrew Peacock.
It's the way we like it down here.
Complain about this comment
With respect Nick, your comparrisons are wrong. Our Prime Minister is equivalent to America's Nanci Pelosi, (please excuse spelling) the head of Congress, not America's President. Our head of state is the British Queen.
Complain about this comment
Australians love stickability; who didn't relish the fact that they read all the way through The Tree of Man? It's the same with the PMs; we'll give them a fair go in office and a cushy posting if not re-elected. We love our PMs with flaws and vulnerability and thank them in our laconic way for a job well done. Leave the razzle dazzle in Washington, it will never catch on in Australia. There are more important things on which to spend tax payers' money.Visionary US presidents? Don't seem to last long enough.
Complain about this comment
If Turnbull ever becomes PM,his memorial could be a very tall poppy,I think there's already a RJ Hawke pub,so that's taken care of.
Complain about this comment
We Ausies don't go in for all this "hail to the chief" militarial pomp and circumstance. What we want is honest straight forward leadership which takes our everyday needs into consideration. If we don't like the government of the day, we can get rid of them at the ballot box, and try someone else. Our system might seem very symplistic to some other countries, but we like it the way it is. Incidently, the fact that we have obligational rules about voting, means that most Australians know a fair bit about politics and anyone who is voted into office is sure to be legitamite.
Complain about this comment
LOL! So Aussies aren't easily sucked into the 'bull', are more then likely to be a tad suspicious of overdone razzle dazzle, and many of us maintain a healthy cynicism toward politicians in general? Well, Amen to that!
Perhaps it also indicates that weren't not so militarily minded as the Americans. They sometimes give me the impression that they think they are the new Romans of this age.
Visionary Presidents? Well, Obama is like a bit of fresh air after the previous president - I certainly wouldn't put Bush into the category of visionary.
Complain about this comment
I prefer the oz way of dealing with politics and politicians compared to countries like the US. Treating the president like a deity who will solve all problems eg Obama is a ridiculour burden to put on anyone. A president, prime minister etc is after all just another politician. When we start having massive meetings with dancing girls, balloons, songs and BS it's the beginning of the end.
Complain about this comment
Nick, I'm not sure about "the Australian preference is for competent managerialism". A recent(ish) example being the dismissal of Brendan Nelson for a perceived lack of flair/leadership. Given the success of his successor, I wonder if that was a good decision.
I do agree that there is a definite lack of glorification of the PM, and I think that this is a great thing. Long may it live on. For a while (under Blair) it looked like the UK was moving from an Australian view of it's PM towards a more USA-style situation (mainly orchestrated by Blair and the press). Bumbling Gordon seems to have rectified that though!
Complain about this comment
Nick, you're becoming more mawkish about Australia than Australians are!
Although I agree about the coffee
Complain about this comment
I remember a great story told by Mick Jagger once. He had "dropped out" from the Rolling Stones for a while, and was on the backpacker trail in Nepal. Being away from the limelight, he was getting a little "attention deprivation" from the locals who saw him as just another backpacker (albeit a rich one). One day whilst travelling along a track in the foothills of the Himalaya's, he noticed a European looking (Aussie backpacker) coming towards him. Preparing to be fawned over and his ego stroked, Jagger was all prepared to sign the obligatory autograph and have his photo taken with the undoubtedly incredulous Aussie. As the two paths crossed, the Australian looked at him and without batting an eyelid said, "G'Day Mick" and kept walking by. Puts everything in perspective don't you think?
Complain about this comment
How Paulcrossley can say Gordon Brown has cured Britain of it's presidential type worship of it's leaders is a mystery to me. Brown destroyed the UK's financial system with his "light touch regulatory system" and his remedy involves "quantitative easing" i.e. printing money as in the 1920's Weimar Republic and today's Zimbabwe. Also, his politicians are on the fiddle (expenses claims). The fact that he is still there beggars belief and represents a level of public/party deference which would never be tolerated by the Australian Labor Party or the population at large. If he was an Australian he would be invited to take a swim, ala Harold Holt.
Complain about this comment
Cynic, he's cured it by being so universally inept (and unelected) that even the more stupid, celebrity-obsessed section of society who had previously been unable to see Blair for what he was, hold very little respect for their 'leader'.
He probably won't be kicked out (and I don't believe for a second that he "would never be tolerated by the Australian Labor Party or the population at large") because noone else wants his job right now. Far easier to pick up the pieces after the election.
Complain about this comment
We need a bit of American Political fervour down here so people in the streets will start yelling -"Long Live the Reublic". Right now they are too concerned about loosing their June-long-weekend aka Queens birthday.
Complain about this comment
Paulcrossley, why wouldn't anybody else want to be the UK Prime Minister? It could well be the second best job in the world (after PM of Australia of course). Even if it was only up until the next election. I would expect anyone else might at least reduce the electoral backlash i.e.reduce the number of pieces/seats they would have to pick up. If I was a Labour MP in a marginal seat I'd have anyone other than Gordon.
I stand by my statement that Australia wouldn't put up with a Gordon equvalent. Someone would step into the breach no matter how poisoned the chalice might be. Nathan Rees as the Premier of NSW is a case in point. Also, if Anna Bligh doesn't pick up her game, the Queensland Labour caucus will fix her up too.
Complain about this comment
Cynic, I suppose being Aussie PM has it's plus points, certainly there's a lot of overseas travel.
There's also lots of people who would love to give Gordon's job a shot, but set against them are two points:
1) GB was univerally chosen by his party, there were no other real contenders. At the time most people were glad to see the back of TB
2) Who wants a job that has an extremly limited shelf-life. Anyone who takes over now is just a stop-gap until the election is lost. The 'sensible' ones are waiting in the wings to pick up the pieces.
I stand by my earlier statement. Given the same system you'd be stuck with GB too. Someone 'stepping-in' now basically involves a messy campaign in which the previously strong leader is possibly deposed by a relative new-comer, with an election just around the corner. It's not a case of someone stepping up a saying, "Steady on Gordon, I'll take the reins now mate"
And what's wrong with our Capn' Bligh? Did her Moreton Bay Bugs not go down well on Master Chef?
Complain about this comment
I prefer the Australian attitude to democracy in every point you make.
1. Politics is a serious business. We trivialise it at our peril.
2. With the increasing use of propaganda (ie spin), I become more
suspicious of balloons and razamataz. It suggests that either
politicians have plenty to hide, or nothing worthwhile to say.
Most of all I approve of the Australian pragmatic approach to politics. All the high-falutin principles and theoretical arguments brought into play in the UK and US are usually a smokescreen to conceal the sensible way forward.
God Bless Australian politicians for being so SENSIBLE !
Complain about this comment
It must be noted that a major reason we don't have a Razza a Mataz process in our elections here in Aussie is because voting is compulsory and elections are held on weekends. I was amazed when I heard that other nations held their elections on weekdays, and wondered how people got to organise their working day so as to get to the polling stations. Of course then I realised that there were probably less people at polling stations, compared to here. We have cues lined up for blocks in some places, waiting to get in to vote.
As to the actual like/dislike of politicians, most Aussies speak bad of ANY politician, no matter which party he or she belongs to. Oh sure the media coverage ramps up a particular angle, usually against the incombent, but in the street, the talk is always anti government, no matter who is in power and how good they may be.
This goes back to the fact that most generational Aussies feel we were sold a lame duck when our system was first set up by Britain. We want change, but because there is no real leadership towards change, no one is bothering to alter the status quo. SO even with compulsory voting, most Aussies vote haphazardly, and then blame others for the candidate that gets voted in.
And then we are seen as having a healthy attitude towards politics...when in actual fact we are basically an apathetic lot of ex foreigners...and now the Government is looking to give the vote to 16 year olds and non Australian residents. But no one has, or will, be asked to vote on such a crucial matter. Not happy Jan.
Complain about this comment
#17
except...our system was not 'first set up by Britain'
The Australian colonies became self governing beginning in the 1850s,- WA was the last in the 1880s - and established Chartist democracies. So by the time of Federation in 1901 there had been a protracted period of local governance, including a very vigorous community debate in the 1880s/1890s about the way forward for a united Australia...federation/confederation within the British Empire/ or republicanism.
The type of Federation, with a powerful Upper House Senate representing the states and a Lower House Westminster system were local decisions, as was the Constitution which was written here and then voted on by the then electorate
So I think the feeling is more that the people own the political system and the pollies should stop messing about with it
Complain about this comment
I'd still like to see any prominent Australian political figure come up with a Gettysburg Address or the 'I have a dream' speech or 'ask not what your country can do for you..' - as a UK example, Blair's Diana speech was Shakespeare compared to our pollies' attempts at national communication.
Regardless of the "can you change your own headgasket?" practicality that most of us value, it would still be nice to see a pollie who can do an oil change AND inspire through speaking/writing. Anyone tried to read any of Rudd's publications or decipher his speeches lately? I mean I know what specificity means but why is it in a public speech?! Yes, you can speak Mandarin, good - want to try english some day, Kev? Huh?
Why cant he manage his words in the same way he's managed the financial mess? One apparoach is clear, clean, direct and necessary... the other is a blancmange of verbositude.
So yeah, gimme some sparkle once in a while. Yes you can. That our compulsory (and weekend) voting system doesn't require the "get out the vote" heart stirring of the US shouldn't mean we're left with public servantese and lawyerism by default.
P.s. Go Storm.
Complain about this comment
Australia the nation wasn't established with a strong ideology or over-riding vision.
It's just evolved to become what it is, and is still evolving.
I think the "public servantese and lawyerism" comes about to some extent because of the sheer number of levels of representative government in Australia. Even so it might be a bit better than rule by charismatic populists. But do we really need bicameral state assemblies (I know Qld doesn't!)
Do we need state governments at all?
Keating made many good speeches, and was an example of someone taking on an unpopular position and winning. But he really wanted it.
Complain about this comment
Thecamo, how about Rudd's 'sorry' speach as a starter? The only problem with razza-mataz is following it up with a bit of substance.
I'm not massively impressed by Blair's cheesiness or a phrase stolen from Bob the Builder by Obama. Perhaps there's a happy middle ground in which the Aussie politicans stop abusing each other in parliament (always good entertainment) but don't descend any into cheese and spin?
Complain about this comment
Thecamo should read Paul Keating's "Redfern Speech". It was brilliant. He also did plenty of others i.e. at the opening of the tomb of the unknown soldier. I'd prefer ours to plenty of others you refer to like the "ask what you can do for your country" speech. I think that rings a bit hollow when you consider many Americans believe 45 million of their countrymen don't have a right to see a doctor when they get sick. I agree that Rudd does speak a lot of gobbledygook. Mind you, he'd be proud to use your word, "verbositude".
Complain about this comment
#19 - I agree with #22 that Keating gave some amazing speeches - the opening to the tomb of the unknown solder was amazing. Beazley called it the most moving address he has ever heard.
Complain about this comment
Some seem to think the lack of political razamatazz is because Aussies are a laconic, egalitarian and self deprecating lot. Might it not be because Australian politicians are seen by the public as a bunch of largely self-serving mediocrities unworthy of any fanfare? The fact that our politicians fail to inspire and enthuse should be cause for reflection. It would be nice if Australia could have a black president, or at least a few representatives who can write books, recite verse without embarassment and stage meetings that rally people to a noble cause. Instead we get a bunch of 'don't you know who I am?" pre-selected party hacks from branch stacked electorates who hang around in Canberra (Mr Smith Goes to Canberra?) long enough to get their generous pension, free air travel for life and a nice posting as Ambassador to somewhere with culture. Now where's the bunting?
Complain about this comment
=18 Yes from the earliest of days it was difficult for the colony to operate while laws governing here were days away because of only means of communication was by ship and ship mail. Governors were given freedom to make rules that would either be accepted or over riden when the news from Australia to Britan was either accepted or rejected. The so called independence that came from the formation of states, was just an extension of this undertaking, with States premiers replacing Governor's authorities....the laws still had to pass the House of Lords in Britain. The original basis for the States, as far as I know, was not put to the people in the form of a Referendum, but was put there by the land owners, and pasturalists who had the vote. This particularly applies to NSW and VIctoria, and the biggest changes to voting rights for ALL Australians came after the uprising at the Eureka Stockaid, where the outcry was 'no taxation without representation'. The passing of Australian law, via the British House of Lords didn't stop till the 1940's, well after the formation of our Federation, and it was Gough Whitlam I believe who removed all but the connection to the Queen as the last 'apron string' of mother England. She remains as our head of State.
Complain about this comment
I don't know if we can provide links?
If not please consider linking this yourself Nick.
Thsi is Paul Keating's rememberance speech.
This is an example of goos Australian political oratory.
Very little verbose language, plenty of simple english delivered with simple but poetic language (reminiscant of Chruchill at his finest, a great orator who intentionally only used words of old english origin resulting in speeches of beautfil simplicity, without the pomposity of many American and European speeches - stuff Aussies would instinctivley mistrust).
http://www.awm.gov.au/commemoration/keating.asp
Complain about this comment
Hey since you put up the unknown soldier speech, can you put up the Redfern one?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhqAFLud228
Complain about this comment
JP Wallace 27. This is an excellent piece, and thank you for posting it. Also on that particular page at youtube is a number of excellent debates in Parliament> And for those that believed the lies of the Liberals, the PM Paul Keating shows us exactly what we were going to get in Howard's Prime Ministership. Makes you wonder if Paul Keating wasn't a psychic.
Complain about this comment
I'm glad the cars are white, othrewise they'd look like hearses.
I was walking past the ABC on my way to work once, and I saw Brendan Nelson being driven from the studios. It was just before he lost the opposition leadership, he wasn't riding in the passenger seat (I think Turnbull was in there with him). Regardless of the leader it's still more interesting to see the reporters walking to and from work.
We don't have the extravagance of the Americans but we have something else. Elections here are like realestate sales with a few laughs, the results are pulled apart and presented as statistics and the governments quickly show themselves to the same boring administrators we've always had.
That's fine. Even if the displays of egalitarianism are false you get a feeling that voters continue to be heard a little more than they are in other parts of the world (even after the election has been won).
Complain about this comment
Good article Nicholas.
That break to the USA did you a world of good!
Aussie PM's always feel 'behind' the citizenry, rather than out in front.
I'm a fan of TV's The West Wing but always felt that Australia would only ever get a comedy, not a high brow drama, from its pollies.
Complain about this comment
Noticing the references to the eloquence of Paul Keating's speeches and given that the ASEAN summit has just been held, I thought this may be of some interest:
'Australia and Asia and the New Order after the Financial Crisis' - a speech given by Paul Keating in Perth on 2 July 2009.
If you google 'Paul Keating' it should flip up the appropriate link to the website.
Complain about this comment
View these comments in RSS