Business as usual in NSW

Now that the 'phony' election is out of the way,

It's business as usual on Macquarie St

thanks to an "embedded" Main Stream Media.

By Salvatore Scevola

30/3/2015

It's Monday after the Saturday March 28 NSW State election and I'm watching and reading all of the post election coverage on TV, radio, the internet and social media. I happened to field myself as a candidate for the Upper House, I was duly nominated by 15 of my family and friends, I paid my $500 nomination fee, filled in all the relevant forms (their are many) appointed an Agent (even though I was not intending to collect or spend any money on my campaign) and I was on my way to 'getting myself' out there as a prospective MLC.

I realized after the close of nominations that there were a record number of 394 candidates contesting 21 seats available at this election. Because so much had been exposed about the Labor and Liberal/National Parties at the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) resulting in something like ten LNP members losing or resigning their seats, I thought this would be the election that the New South Welsh-people will surely toss both Labor & Liberal out with confidence. How foolish I was, how quickly people forget the important things. They forgot that it was Mr Baird himself who had appointed Mr Nick Di Girolamo to a $100K PA position on Sydney Water Corporation. They also forgot that both the Chairman of Australia Water Holdings (AWH) and State Liberal Party Treasurer Mr Arthur Sinodinos didn't know anything about a $74,000 donation by AWH to the State Liberal Party? From the fallout of the 2011 elections it seems everyone was led to believe that all of NSW's ills and the corrupt Labor government was at the hands of one greedy reptilian man in the person of Eddie Obeid and his apostles Tripodi, Macdonald, Roozendalh, Kelly & co? Did we all forget that Mr Obeid was also a major shareholder of AWH? Who had his son Eddie Junior sitting on the Board? Can Mr Sinodinos really be believed that he "knew nothing of this"?

Did any of the mainstream media remind people of these facts during the election? No. Is it important? Well, when detectives investigating a crime they need evidence, generally the rule of thumb is to 'follow the money' and if we follow the money in the many transactions that brought about the 10 resignations of the LNP MP's most lead back to Obeid himself in one way or another. If you followed the mainstream media coverage of the election including the ABC you wouldn't have heard much about what I've just listed, why? This represents a gross failure on the part of our media and more importantly our Public Broadcaster. I can somewhat understand an unwillingness on the part of commercial broadcasters to want to chase 'truth' but I find it inexcusable if it is a Public Broadcaster that fails in this regard. The general coverage of the whole election was so entrenched in a two party view that all have failed to notice that at least one million and possibly up to 1.5M voters have deserted BOTH the LAB/LNP choice in favor of minor parties or Independents and that this is a growing number election after election.

The coverage on election night on the ABC (I also flicked between each of the commercials on 7 & 9) featured Chris Uhlmann, Brigitte Glanville and election analyst Antony Green with One rep for the LNP and one for Labor. This was truly reflective of the total coverage across the board. I call it paltry, and the breadth of issues discussed over the night..... well I'm not surprised if people fell asleep.

The media and in particular the Public Broadcaster's have both a duty and an obligation to list, explain and even interview each and every candidate for the election. It should place a series of general questions for each candidate and it should broadcast these over the election period to ALL of the voters via either its website or broadcast a few each day/night. Why must the ABC & SBS simply regurgitate what we all see on the commercial broadcasters? The ABC & SBS Are not governed by the same considerations as the commercials and they are not ratings driven (although over recent years they most certainly are). If a candidate such as I wanted to introduce myself to the electorate and I didn't want to spend money, how else can I get a message out? I've recently written and explained in other papers that politics is a game of ideas, concepts, laws and their applicability to society, they are not the things that can be glossed over in big billboard ads or color photoshopped images or sold as slogans. Our democracy is in deep trouble because an embedded media are giving us the picture that both the major parties want us to see. One that does not adequately question the necessity for some absolutely ridiculous policies such as privatisation.

We have barely concluded the NSW State election and the MSM are tripping over themselves to regurgitate everything coming out of either Macquarie St or Canberra. Now, they are discussing the need to increase the GST. No we won't go after all of these multinationals the Googles, Apple. And EBay's of the world, no let's increase a regressive tax that will most definitely hurt those who are on the margins. Just like creating a great big new tollway called WestConnex in place of a freeway built and paid for TWICE by taxpayers, first via the gov't itself building a majority of the road (F4) then via a pay-to-operate Statewide Roads toll which was removed in 2010. Now, the State & Federal gov'ts would like to re-toll this road yet again to make a good investment for their political donors Macquarie Bank and TransUrban.

Yes, it's business as usual for the machinations of our gov'ts, we will all forget or not remember the facts thanks to a complacent MSM and everything will be hunky dory until the next scandal erupts and blows over without much fuss. I happened to be the ONLY candidate calling for FULL (retrospective) prosecutorial powers to the ICAC and I put it out on Twitter and FaceBook and apart from a few of my friends sharing the "news" it went completely un-noticed by the MSM. Today's 24 minute media cycle means that important details are lost in the "Churnalism" not the respected Journalism of yesteryear. I had to hold one of these young rookie Churnalists on Twitter, Mark Di Stefano of buzzfeed.com to task last week for 'joking' about the electoral ballot paper here in NSW. He thought it would be great to poke fun at the need to put a number in 300 odd boxes on the ballot paper for the Upper House and how long it would take. I didn't see the humor in that because:

1) there is only a requirement to number 1-15 not all 394 as he was "joking"

2) Each person who steps up to the mark for election deserves our respect

3) People have died for the right to vote.

We are losing important values that help us maintain a healthy society. Principles of Honesty, Integrity, Justice, Truth, Accountability, Transparency and fairness are all being trashed in favor of efficiency, cost effectiveness and immediate solution/gratification. We are failing to pay attention to the "fine details" as in a contract (in this case, a social contract with the electorate) to each of our peril. Our "leaders" are not showing the leadership required of the role. I'm so concerned that the little people to be hurt by this process do not see the smoke and mirrors completely surrounding them at this time.

Needless to say, because I was a candidate 'below the line' on the ballot paper I've been completely written off by the MSM as "irrelevant" I must add at this juncture that that definition is by no means a reflection of all of those beautiful people who actually did vote for me.

Watch this space.