The common good
When, many years ago, the lady with the unruly hairdo uttered her famous and dispassionate condemnation of the human species.
“There is no such thing as society. There are only individuals making their way. The poor shall be looked after by the drip down effect from the rich.”
Successful societies should be built around a common good and we need to examine which political ideology is best placed to build such a society.
In the modern western sense, an enlightened society is a populace of men, women, and children who as a collective desire to express their humanity, work, aspirations, spirituality, art, poetry and play with the richest possible diversity.
It cultivates a common good with equality of opportunity for all.
A society where the health and welfare of all is sacrosanct and access to treatment is assured.
Where the principle that we should treat others in the same manner as we expect them to treat us is indelible in the mind of every citizen. A society that respects science before myth and mysticism.
A society that should be judged by its welcoming, and how well it treats its most vulnerable citizens.
By how well protected we are and how accessible the law is regardless of stature.
So, we need government that is subservient to the will (the common good ethic) of the people and is responsive to public opinion.
So which ideology is best placed at this time in our history to form a government based on serving the common good.
As significant as they are, individual rights and freedoms can never be as important as the common good. They can only ever be an essential component of it.
Bruce Holmes, Portarlington
Praise for Minister Neville
The Liberal Party candidate for Bellarine has said on numerous occasions that “the Bellarine has not had a voice”.
Where has this man been for the past 20 years? Lisa Neville has successfully represented our electorate and achieved remarkable results, namely the Distinctive Area & Landscape plan (DAL) which will protect the Bellarine from further development; Drysdale Bypass; Portarlington Harbour; Clifton Springs boat ramps and jetty; Development of boardwalks at the Dell; Ocean Grove Football oval and complex; Leopold Library; Queenscliff Community Hub; countless grants to primary and secondary schools, and to CFAs, SES, police, life saving clubs, and many other community projects.
Donnie would be well advised to acknowledge, rather than criticise the efforts of Lisa Neville, and to focus on a more positive campaign which informs people of the Liberal Party policies – if they have any.
Further he needs to show up at public ‘Meet the Candidates’ meetings arranged by community associations and other organisations – to explain his party’s policies and answer questions. Being the only candidate not attending these meetings is not a good look and speaks volumes of the Liberal Party’s arrogance and the disinterest in the residents of the Bellarine by the Liberal Party candidate.
Conversely, the ALP candidate replacing Lisa, Alison Marchant, is a genuine, community focused person who intends to follow closely in Lisa’s footsteps, putting the Bellarine and its residents first and foremost.
Peter Coghlan, Drysdale
