I am a member of the NSW Greens and the decision to become a member is the result of a life long question of where I stand. I am not one of those (lucky) people who has known since they could talk what they believe and why. I simply can’t relate to statements like, “this is what I have ALWAYS wanted to do.“ It has taken me my whole adult life to realise the best way for me to contribute.
Compared to some I am a relatively new member of the Greens and this has its challenges. There are people who have been voicing their opinion within the Greens for years. It has been my observation that a few people love the sound of their own voice and will “pipe up” at any opportunity – but that’s not surprising. I’m not like that. I prefer measured responses that are useful and I like to be heard when I know I can contribute. There will always be people eager to stand out in the hope it gets them somewhere. As an individual I haven’t ever wanted to stand out. To me teamwork is more important than individual accolades. My experience in life has been to be pushed aside and discredited by individuals with selfish ambitions. However, I am inspired by something Ghandi said, “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”
Why the Greens? It is much more than just their superior environmental credentials. The main reason I joined the Greens was because of their views on Social Equity. As an ordinary member of society I feel compelled to:
If social justice is something that helps motivate me then what have I done? I have repeatedly foregone financial reward and professional progression for my stances on equity. I have changed jobs because of injustices to me and others, I have endured criticism, I have been ostracised because I have stood up to bullying. The decisions I have made and the things I have done do not make the headlines and are not visible to others. I am not one to crow about it either. Nevertheless I have done these things and I have learnt many lessons along the way. My CV may not be filled with political jargon but it is definitely filled with real life experience.
I have never aspired to be the PM or a typical politician for that matter, but that is not to say I couldn’t do either, I could, and I could do them well and better than most (in my opinion). It is just that my idea of being a politician seems to be at odds with most other people’s. One of the things about being in the spotlight is that all people will judge you. I’m not worried about it, its a fact of life and I have a pretty thick skin. But I’m pretty straight forward and one day people will realise that my motivations are true and I make my thoughts known to people who ask. There’s no hidden agenda and nor is there ever. If people spent more emotional energy on solving problems then our collective intellect could be a boon for society.
One of my more typical traits is that I always think about what I need to say and that won’t change. I can’t waffle on and I don’t see this as a fault. If a quality required to be a representative is to be able to waffle on then I’m on a flogging to nowhere. I have said before that I don’t believe to be an effective politician you need to be able to talk the ears off an elephant, in fact listening is much more important. Unfortunately, it seems to me that people think being a parliamentarian is some kind of “reward” or “internal party promotion”. No, it is a privilege. Unfortunately in the traditional parties the reward system is rife and the best people never get pre-selected. An example of the reward system……Joe Tripodi and Eddie Obeid, both Labor Party factional “powerbrokers” and now helping to ruin NSW. Are they the best Labor can do? They are both self-indulgent and reticent individuals who should never be allowed to “represent” anyone.