Before Indira, Angela, hopefully Hilary
and, dare I say it; our Julia there was Maggie. A trailblazer and iconic figure
of the 20th century, she passed away yesterday from a stroke which
followed declining physical and mental health over the last ten years.
The voice, the hair, the blue power suits,
not to mention her policies and leadership, for us children of the 80’s, her
long tenure over our teenage years meant she embodied many our first memories
of Britain as we made our way into adulthood. For fans of the brilliant BBC TV
series “The Young Ones”, who can
forget Rick’s sustained attacks on Maggie’s conservative government?
Far more informed and learned scholarly
writers than I will no doubt devote many column inches to the good and the bad
of the Thatcher Years. My take on her commanding and sometimes brutal style of
governance is an open admiration of what she would have had to endure and
overcome to become the first (and only) female prime minister of Britain. If
only half of what was depicted in Meryl Streeps’ pitch perfect portrayal of her
in "The Iron Lady" is true, then she
deserves all the accolades and eulogising (begrudging or not) that will come
her way in the next few weeks.
I may have my rose-coloured glasses on but
as I remember Margaret Thatcher and contrast her conviction and determination
to transform Britain with her unpopular policies to the back flipping, spin
doctoring style of our current leaders (male and female) I am overcome with ennui
towards politics that is depressing. Damn it, I’m 45 and ready to care about
what Australia will look like for my children and grandchildren. Like the single
girl pining for the love of her life to show up, when is the leader of my
dreams going to appear? Who is going to make me care?
If we give them the benefit of the doubt,
we can assume most politicians start out with noble intentions to serve the
community. To rise through the ranks of politics necessitates compromises and an ability to make favourable connections and affiliations that
will act as a support base for any individual with leadership aspirations.
Yet, time and again, the reality of the
“system” becomes apparent. We need to go no further than the unceremonious
deposing of Kevin Rudd by the “faceless men” of the Labor party and Tony
Abbott’s current inability to spell out with any conviction or authority his
intended policies or “narrative”, as it is now termed, to highlight what defines
modern politics in Australia.
If a leader (incumbent or aspiring) dares
to state their thoughts or position on a contentious issue, the next morning “statement
remorse” sets in and finds them running scared of what the next Nielsen poll
will show. When inspiring leadership by definition requires a statement of
vision, what hope can we have to feel loyalty to any politician when they are
hobbled by constant inward looking speculation and analysis of their popularity.
This is why Malcolm Turnbull is compelling
for many people. He has an opinion and sticks to it for more than a five second
sound bite. Of course his neck isn’t on the line anymore so that makes it way
easier to speak your mind but I can’t deny he has a statesmanlike air that is
appealing.
And it’s why I give Julia points. However
unsavoury the manner in which she became leader, Julia has shown fortitude and
resolve in the face of scathing personal and professional attacks to continue
to lead Australia and implement policies that the population may or may not
agree with.
Sound familiar?
I suspect history will be a lot kinder to
Julia Gillard like it has been for Hawke, Keating, Howard et al. Hindsight
tends to do that.
So, draw near and listen close, Tony. If or
when on September 14 you are unshackled from the policy clarification limbo we
currently exist in, cut the BS. Tell me what you believe in for Australia. And
why. And don’t backtrack if there’s a dip in the polls. I may not always agree
with you but I’ll respect you for having the courage of your convictions
without always having an eye on how you can stay in power.
We can all take a leaf out of Maggie’s book
on that.
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