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Issue No. 132 | 19 April 2002 |
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Brand Spanking
Interview: Generation Next Legal: We’re All Terrorists Now Unions: Holding the Baby International: Taking It To The Streets History: Off the Wall Economics: Financing International Development Satire: Queen Mum's Life Tragically Cut Short Review: Return of The People’s Parliament Poetry: Silent Night
The Soapbox The Locker Room Bosswatch Week in Review
 Free Trade??Where's the Silver Tail?
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Review Return of The People’s Parliament
Big Brother is the show that lets us, the viewer, decide who will continue and who will be evicted from the house. It is The People's Parliament. The show is set in its own ornate parliamentary compound where people are denied access to the players and security guards patrol the perimeter. People come from miles around to visit the great building when it is not in session. But when in session, we are no longer allowed access to the main stage but have to view the events unfold either from the gallery or through the myriad of cameras throughout the building. Unfortunately or fortunately (depending on your viewpoint), these representatives are subject to the full scrutiny of the media and the people 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The housemates as with politicians, are subject to a variety of rules and standing orders that are administered by the speaker (Big Brother) throughout session. Although the speaker is able to ensure the views of the people's representatives are managed, he too guarantees not all of them are heard. And what of the political pundits? Is not Grettal the doyen of her field, the Laurie Oakes of reality TV? Able to ask the hard questions, cutting to the core and incisively extracting what the people have a right to know. And how about the show's new resident psychologist? (Where do these people get those earrings?) Does she not have all the traits the great political analyst Anthony Green brings to the ABC. Facts, figures insights and a somewhat unnerving disposition where there is something not quiet right but you still have to admire the knowledge. Then of course there are the spin doctors, the farmyard of friends and relatives interviewed who continually try to persuade the viewer that the continual gratuitous comments and obnoxious behaviour of their particular housemate/friend/relative is nothing but wacky high jinks that masks a deeper more sensitive an intuitive side. (Obviously many of these people will go on to work for the democrats, no idea but we will keep on plugging away any old how). It is good to see that even in the face of outrageous behaviour they are still able to maintain a straight face when saying their candidate actually brings something to the House and that their contribution will develop and have a greater impact over time ("The GST will destroy the Australian way of life" or similarly "The sky is falling, the sky is falling"). What about the Housemates? Twelve individuals who have had to fight, force themselves forward, embellish the truth and be someone they are not, in order to get the prize, an opportunity to represent the people in the People's Parliament. They have only a short period of time between each election in which to use all their skills and cunning to endear themselves to their electorate, you the viewer, who ultimately holds their destiny in your hands. They are smart and manipulative. Prepared to do deals with one another in order to bring greater equity to the People's Parliament so that none will be disadvantaged. The most recent entailed a deal for all Housemates to shower collectively in order to minimize one of the main issues that appeared to assist previous Housemates in remaining in the People's Parliament, the mystry of the backroom shower deal. Yet, as we all know, even with what appears as a selfless decision and example of cross factional cooperation, there is always the opportunity to position one's self in a slightly more favourable view point to the general public. Its about image and position not substance. Finally, the voting system is fundamentally the twenty-first representational system outlined by Dick Morris in VOTE.com: "In the new era, Congress (The People's Parliament) will have to listen to us. When we cast our votes, our opinions will be instantly conveyed to our congressmen and senator (re Housemates) and they will feel us breathing down their necks..." Is not our little People's Parliament taking us to a new level of participatory democracy? Reengaging the young and feeding off the convergence of technology to give use, the vote, and direct control over our representatives? Is this not the way of the future or has the future already come???? Are their not millions of constituents each week casting their vote? Identifying the under performers, those who have lied and cheated and those who have not represented who they really are? Don't we finally have access to the powerful center of politics where the very decisions made will have the greatest impact on our viewing habits? This show is the future, this show is democracy! Watch, vote, and participate!
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