Don't mention the war: how politics steers clear of everything that matters

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Uncomfortable Collisions with Reality

Nicholas Gruen

33 episodes

1 week ago

In this podcast, Nicholas Gruen discusses the issues of today in a unique way. The three questions we've always got an eye to are 1) What's missing in the way people normally talk about these issues? 2) Where do they fit in the bigger picture, whether that's * the long history of our species or * the deeper aspects of the way we're thinking about it and 3) Do these ways of thinking help us improve the world we live in? (Which we often focus on in our shorter 'Policy Provocations' podcasts.)

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Don't mention the war: how politics steers clear of everything that matters

Uncomfortable Collisions with Reality

59 minutes 24 seconds

3 months ago

Don't mention the war: how politics steers clear of everything that matters

In this discussion with Crikey's Bernard Keane, we discuss the "don't mention the war" syndrome - how politicians' technique increasingly avoids discussing anything difficult. We start with the proposed Tasmanian AFL stadium inquiry as a case study.

Bernard draws me out on his concern that consultants' reports have become fig leaves for predetermined decisions.

I explore the way in which citizen juries just might be able to take us back to the 'glory days' of the Hawke Government. How? By answering the 'Spice Girls' question before it is debated within parliament. What does that even mean? You'll have to listen to find out!

What I call 'representation by sampling' is a retrovirus that could restore genuine deliberation to our toxic political culture and enable it to engage with our problems rather than the performative buck-passing it's become.

If you'd like to access the video of this discussion, it's available on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/7aYbf3RGktM