No matter which side of the political spectrum you may happen to be, it is a cringe-worthy account of economic mismanagement, environmental ignorance, and heartless attitudes towards refugees.
Nevertheless, we can be proud of our system that allows us to discuss, debate and correct flaws in our legislation. It is a slow process, but does allow change without jailing or beheading dissidents, or making up lies to denigrate other people.
This book is really a call to each one of us to understand, cherish and protect our system, and demand improvement when necessary. It also warns us against apathy. If we don’t care what sort of government we have or what is being done in our name, or don’t understand what we are voting for, we will lose what has been achieved in the past – as has happened in several instances in the two years under review.
The image of us is projected by our government. Do we want to be known as a people who do not care for human rights, who are not sympathetic to the plight of refugees, who widen the gap between rich and poor, who destroy biodiversity before we even know what we are destroying, and who continue to pollute the air which we all have to breathe?
This book is a very readable (and somewhat uncompromising) call for us to wake up politically, express our interest in important issues, and perhaps to ask our local pollies to explain why they should get our vote.
