Answer the Question
To answer the question of SMH State Political Editor Michael McGowan in the SMH of 23 April about Premier Minns’ anti-protest laws:
Protesting proclaims that the protesters have no real power!
No the government strategy is not working. It needs to improve a great deal. However the people aggressively protesting mostly achieve little or nothing. They alienate rather than persuade, The politicians. The protesters appeared to make the politicians look stupid and to unjustly blame them for the war in Palestine, the Bondi massacre and the Jewish reaction to it.
When you pay to “say”, you say you are serious
If the protesters seriously wished to influence the government they would have each invested $20 in a Votergram to politely and persistently without any fuss, persuade each of their 130 state politicians in the privacy of parliament, to do whatever it was that the protesters wanted.
When people who disagree with government cannot put their views nicely and politely to all MPs, then cohesion disappears in a screaming match. Democracy is a voter-driven system of government and Votergrams have been around for 40 years. Modern technology has facilitated the quiet gentle political persuasion option. It is a far more effective way to persuade politicians.
Why voters need the network
There is no way that protests in Australia are going to influence governments overseas. The power of the people in Australia relies on two facts. First they can vote against the government in their own electorates. Second they can campaign in marginal electorates where it is easier to remove representatives of unhelpful governments. Australian governments are extremely helpful at taking on board the views expressed by people sending Votergrams. They just need to have voters explain what is wanted. Electoral action is very rarely needed. Explanations are always needed. That is what the Voters Network is particularly good at helping voters with.
