14 August, 2010

Election promises

I read with great interest a letter and leaflet sent to me by Jamie Briggs, Member for Mayo following my application for a postal vote.

The promises were very appealing - repaying debt, stopping taxes and stopping "the boats" not to mention "doing the right thing", but it made me realise that no where in the letter were any details of exactly how this was going to be accomplished.

For example, in order to repay Labor's massive debt before my children are grandparents, one would assume that money must be acquired from somewhere. Certainly, governments can reduce their own spending but any thinking person would come to the conclusion that the money will be raised either through increased taxes or by selling what few assets the Australian public possess.

Stopping the boats is also of great concern to many voters, yet the letter is again short on detail. There are many ways to "stop a boat". Do the Liberals intend to use millions in Australian taxes to theoretically "bribe" a foreign nation to house these boat people for a few months until we fly them the rest of the way? Or will millions be sent to dictatorships overseas to deal with the issue at home? Perhaps "stopping the boats" involves our own navy?

Regardless of the questions and the lack of detail, at least we can be assured that Mr. Briggs and the Liberals intend to "do the right thing" - but again, like beauty, that is all in the eye of the beholder.