Saturday, February 14, 2009

In Search of an Opposition

People are very dissatisfied with our government recently, but I am far more dissatisfied with our opposition.

This week the national newspapers rang out an alarm across the political corridors of the city. The government has apparently become deeply unpopular and lost many percentage points through informal polling. This is especially worrying for the government now as they face numerous votes and electoral challenges in the coming months. In fact, many people believe this government to be practically finished.

But what alternative is there? The main opposition party has comparatively low numbers in similar polls and many would reject a government lead by the party's figurehead. It really would seem that the people of this country do not know what they want in a government. People could easily link this to a growing level of political apathy, but not all parties lost so badly in these polls.

The most quiet, inoffensive and downright cowardly party has gained a marked boost in popularity. I do not wish to engage in a tirade against this party but it is deeply worrying that the electorate deems them a good alternative without seeing any real definition of policy. The current government have set the agenda, this party simply opposes it without any self-declaration of intent. People are entitled to deride the government for their shortcomings but this certainly should not result in success for an untested and vague political party.

We need strong leaders and representation in this country but without a strong and well-defined opposition we will not get them.

-The English Student

No comments: