This is the personal blog of Ian Ker, who was Councillor for the South Ward of the Town of Vincent from 1995 to 2009. I have been a resident of this area since 1985. This blog was originally conceived as a way of letting residents of Vincent know what I have been doing and sharing thoughts on important issues. I can now use it to sound off about things that concern me.

If you want to contact me, my e-mail is still ian_ker@hotmail.com or post a comment on this blog.

To post a comment on this blog, select the individual post on which you wish to comment, by clicking on the title in the post or in the list to the left of the blog, and scroll down to the 'Post a Comment' box at the foot.

Search This Blog

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

If You State The Truth Often Enough…

Josef Goebbels infamously said that:
“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.”

Well, I believe the converse is also true: If you state the truth often enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually accept it and recognise the lies for what they are.

It is, of course, more difficult and requires more perseverance than the State telling lies, because the media mainly kowtow to the power of the State. Thus, while not actively repressing dissent, governments limit the opportunities for its expression. With the notable exception of the ABC, this is very obvious at both State and Federal levels in Australia.

The Perth community is finding its voice - and the ramifications will reverberate well beyond the resolution of the local government so-called reform process. 

I was very encouraged to read, today, this comment by a respected legal practitioner:
The action recently commenced in the Supreme Court by a concerned citizen and three affected local governments will, amongst other things, shine a spotlight on the Minister’s performance of his functions in relation to the 12 proposals. Win or lose, the action will provide an opportunity for public scrutiny and consideration of the fairness and propriety of the Minister’s actions in the allegedly unforced amalgamation process. Every right thinking person must applaud the fact that a process which would radically alter the structure of metropolitan local government, has the chance to be subjected to independent scrutiny by the Supreme Court.

This is but the beginning. Make no mistake, disillusionment with governments and politicians is real - and is transforming into a grass-roots movement to put democracy back into our political system.

No comments:

Post a Comment