Originally posted in 2020
Apologies for the coarse language in this one – we know not everyone is a fan. But ever since our founder Don Chipp used the phrase, we have been known as the Party that ‘keeps the bastards honest’; so we’d better define our terms.
Elisa Resce, Democrats campaigner
I say a bastard is anyone in a position of political power, who puts their own selfish goals, vested interests or personal ideologies above the needs of the Australian people.
How do you spot a bastard? Check this list of behaviours. Do they:
If you answered ‘yes’ to one or more of the above points, then you are probably dealing with a bastard.
Where are the bastards? Bastards can exist anywhere, in any political party. But they become more concentrated when political groups put winning elections as a higher priority than governing honestly.
How can we stop the bastards? Legislation that could curb bastard-like behaviour might include:
But getting any of these passed in Parliament, needs a majority vote; and are bastards likely to vote for legislation that would stop them? No! So the bastards need to be voted out.
But bastard behaviour gains media attention and votes!
That’s why we need your help. Have conversations and use social media to remind voters to look beyond the political advertising (and remember, the majors have millions to spend on advertising), and look at actual behaviours.
It doesn’t matter which political party they belong to – if someone is behaving like a bastard, or if a party has lost its way because those driving the ship have ‘winning’ and ‘vested interests’ as their main destination, then preference them last (or not at all!)
Look for political parties / individuals with a track record of honesty and accountability, and preference them ahead of the majors.
We hope we will earn your vote with that criteria, and we encourage you to look for other minor parties / independents to preference, who would work with us to pass the legislation needed to keep the bastards honest (and preferably, keep them out of Parliament).
See here for the ABC podcast interview with Dr Anika Gauja, University of Sydney on the subject of the slogan.
Elisa Resce (2020)
