The Fall, The Fire and The Garden

But it remains the case that, in this as in other areas, we have vested far too much power in one man, with results we can now plainly see.

Lots of questionable actions in politics these days.  Lost of hasty decision made on narrow interests - go fast to go far, the message goes; win the race and it's too late for your opponents to do anything about it.  Victor, spoils, etc.

Every time that turns out not to be the case, vested interests dig their heels in a little harder, thrust out their elbows a little further.  The choices being made are increasingly selfish and, therefore, increasingly short-sighted.

What's the message that's coming across?

Several themes run through these: a contempt for civil liberties, for due process, for established convention, for consultation, for openness, replaced throughout by a culture of secrecy , control, expedience and partisan advantage.  Worse, there is virtually nothing anyone can do about it. All governments have displayed some of these traits.  If this government has pushed things further, it is because it can: because we have so centralized power in the Prime Minister's Office, with so few constraints or countervailing powers.

PMO has become the new Privy Council; the Prime Minister has replaced the Crown as the divine authority of the land.

It's a system that cannot work, is not working and given the complex, integrated nature of our challenges, will fall sooner or later.

I'm all for reparations, taking what we have and working patiently, collaboratively and structurally to make it work.  It's possible - just not easy.

People tend to prefer the quick and easy path - especially when they're angry.  We're increasingly frustrated; when that boils over, it won't be pretty.

But there will be no excuse, not at any level, for not having seen this coming.  

We can nurture the social garden, but only by committing sociology.  The alternative is brushfire.

Whatever path we choose, we're going to end up in the same place regardless.  Whether the journey is through fire or not is up to us; which is why it pays to look ahead.