I’ve had a go at drawing together some of my commentary on the politics of and media reaction to the 2020 summit in my New Matilda column for this week.
There’s also a measured assessment of the summit in Eureka Street from John Warhurst, which I think is well worth a read.
Laura Tingle who is usually pretty cynical thought the summit was OK. Talking to Phillip Adams, I’d say that her view was similar to that of John Warhurst. Like him she thought the plenaries were largely a waste of time. She did think the facilitators tended to smooth things to blandness. She thought that the summit, as conducted, was only possible early in Rudd’s first term and that even in a year’s time he would have to approach it rather differently.
Adams remarked that perhaps only in Australia could you have ‘ordinary’ people engaging the bigwigs of industry and politics in the manner they did.
My town is now having it’s own mini-summit made up of local government, industry and local business, local uni grads, community groups etc.
Seems the idea has caught on.
Sure has, bff. I was a booster aforehand, but now can’t wait till we start talking about something/anything else for a change.
(Rudd’d do good to do it every coupla yrs.)
Mark;
[Back online for the moment; computer still stuffed and becoming moreso].
I think a lot of people expected that in an ambitious and visionary two-day Summit, the buzz-word generator would be worn out through overwork, the moribund elite would be up to all their usual tired old stunts, the really good ideas would sink to the bottom while the froth-and-bubble would float to the top. That was what was expected and that, in general, is what we got. Still, there was always the Epotential for great ideas - whether new or repackaged, whether risky or not - to burst through and to light our way to a better future …. and yes, some great ideas did emerge.
I do try to avoid abusing or giving offense to others online but on very rare occasions, like now, I am provoked into swearing by saying things like …. overall, the Australia 2020 Summit was SAFE
Hey Mark, maybe we could have a Larvartus prodeo online ideas summit?
Not only was it safe, Graham. It now appears it was meticulously controlled and ideas Government Ministers - all thise ministerial co-chairs - didn’t want never got up.
A good buzz while it lasted and something to blog about. I hope that’s not all it turns out to be.
I love the smell of limited democracy in the morning.
Bung Karno (nearby) actually made it an institutional framework, Mug. He called it “Guided Democracy”; it was the democracy you’re having when one autocrat is in charge. This was not solely a Javanese concept, evidently.
selamat pagi!
I love the smell of clove ciggies in the morning and the sound of marching soldier’s boots: ah Sukarno, Soeharto, they knew how to get things done, ya?
Boy From Flynn [5]:
Excellent idea! How about it, Mark and Collectiveers? Give a few weeks - or months for the dust to settle …. then let it rip!
BFF [2]:
Anything come out of the local mini-summit?
Ambigulous, MugPunter …. the the ghost of Boeng Karno lurking here:
Ah yes but guided democracy was run by the usual bunch of priyayi whereas we in civilized progressive Australia would never allow the dead hand of our own moribund elite to stifle frank and open discussion of all manner of ideas, would we? See? We are different. [smugness meter set on Maximum. L=O=L!!]