I've given myself a little time to think about the apology that Parliament made to members of the Stolen Generation on Wednesday, so here's hoping you understand why this is a little belated. Besides, I only created this blog today, so whaddya want? Unicorns?
Anyway, onward. This post isn't about my opinions on the Stolen Generation. I understand that there are a lot of people out there who've suffered immensely. But I personally don't care that the apology was made. I'm not Aboriginal, and I have no Aboriginal friends. On a humanitarian level, I couldn't care less.
My issue is with the Apology itself, and it's a small and simple issue at that: It was Bad Political Strategy. Here we have a Government that executed a near flawless election campaign. It had a message (primarly, change in a changing world) and it stuck to it. Howard was outdated, Rudd was 18 years his junior, Gillard was female (as far as I know, all three of these things are still holding true. For now.) It was sweet, and this is coming from a guy who voted Liberal.
Then they went and screwed it all up by saying "sorry" the second they jumped into Parliament. An apology to the Stolen Generation is a great strategic move, and impulse would lead the Government to believe that the sooner it happened, the better. But the timing is the major strategic flaw, and the straw that will, in time, break the camel's back. And it's not so obvious right now. Right now, people are so wrapped up in appeasing their social conscience that this slippery gesture will work.* But in time, Rudd will wish he had something up his sleeve instead of playing all his cards at once.
Dealing with Workchoices, putting together a Change Australia Think Tank, restructuring of the public sector, and inventing the Department of Climate Change (which brings on a rant for another time) is enough work for any Government. Saying "sorry" in the first month of office means more paperwork for Federal & State Governments, and more media coverage that distracts the public from other high-value political tricks the Government are playing. But more, much more than that, Rudd has lost that valuable political tool FOREVER. He's forgotten that he has three years to prove himself as a Prime Minister of longevity, a Peter North among the political porn circuit as opposed to a three-thrust buster.**
I'm sure that the next twelve months will bring new challenges, but nothing worth basing a second-term campaign on. In eighteen months the Opposition and the nation will ask, in the style of Janet Jackson, "What have you done for me lately?"*** People forget easily, and short of making February 13th a public holiday, there will be no more leverage to be gained from such an early move.
Remember this for your future endeavours, be they office politics, a long poker game, or a dinner date: Showing a strong hand is one thing, but overdoing it will weaken your long-term position.
*If you truly think that Kevin Rudd (or any politician, for that matter) actually cares about the Stolen Generation, you don't deserve to vote.
**At the risk of ripping off Dave Barry, Three-Thrust Buster would be a great name for a rock band.
***If you're thinking, "I don't know that song; maybe I should check it out," don't.
Anyway, onward. This post isn't about my opinions on the Stolen Generation. I understand that there are a lot of people out there who've suffered immensely. But I personally don't care that the apology was made. I'm not Aboriginal, and I have no Aboriginal friends. On a humanitarian level, I couldn't care less.
My issue is with the Apology itself, and it's a small and simple issue at that: It was Bad Political Strategy. Here we have a Government that executed a near flawless election campaign. It had a message (primarly, change in a changing world) and it stuck to it. Howard was outdated, Rudd was 18 years his junior, Gillard was female (as far as I know, all three of these things are still holding true. For now.) It was sweet, and this is coming from a guy who voted Liberal.
Then they went and screwed it all up by saying "sorry" the second they jumped into Parliament. An apology to the Stolen Generation is a great strategic move, and impulse would lead the Government to believe that the sooner it happened, the better. But the timing is the major strategic flaw, and the straw that will, in time, break the camel's back. And it's not so obvious right now. Right now, people are so wrapped up in appeasing their social conscience that this slippery gesture will work.* But in time, Rudd will wish he had something up his sleeve instead of playing all his cards at once.
Dealing with Workchoices, putting together a Change Australia Think Tank, restructuring of the public sector, and inventing the Department of Climate Change (which brings on a rant for another time) is enough work for any Government. Saying "sorry" in the first month of office means more paperwork for Federal & State Governments, and more media coverage that distracts the public from other high-value political tricks the Government are playing. But more, much more than that, Rudd has lost that valuable political tool FOREVER. He's forgotten that he has three years to prove himself as a Prime Minister of longevity, a Peter North among the political porn circuit as opposed to a three-thrust buster.**
I'm sure that the next twelve months will bring new challenges, but nothing worth basing a second-term campaign on. In eighteen months the Opposition and the nation will ask, in the style of Janet Jackson, "What have you done for me lately?"*** People forget easily, and short of making February 13th a public holiday, there will be no more leverage to be gained from such an early move.
Remember this for your future endeavours, be they office politics, a long poker game, or a dinner date: Showing a strong hand is one thing, but overdoing it will weaken your long-term position.
*If you truly think that Kevin Rudd (or any politician, for that matter) actually cares about the Stolen Generation, you don't deserve to vote.
**At the risk of ripping off Dave Barry, Three-Thrust Buster would be a great name for a rock band.
***If you're thinking, "I don't know that song; maybe I should check it out," don't.
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