Low information voters

The low information voter is engaged with our polity - only at the periphery.  We may well be "rusted-on" to a particular political party and its "marketing ideology" but that doesn't mean that we actually understand anything about its real agenda.

That's why the parliamentary turmoil of the past week is a good thing.  A Prime Minister showing some "passion" about something is a great way to re-connect with people who have become increasingly remote from our polity.

The greater the involvement and commitment of the people - the better it is for our democracy.

Unfortunately, that's not what the political parties want.

Most Australian's take our polity for granted - we don't understand it and we aren't interested enough to devote effort to find out about it.  Which is why large numbers of us have become "low information voters".

Low information voters don't understand or question the motives of our political parties.  And we certainly don't consider the consequences of voting for them.  All we are interested in is our team winning the "horse race" come election day.  And as a result, large numbers of us have somehow been convinced to vote against our own personal interests.  Of course we don't even realise it - but that is what we are doing.

Because they have trained us well.  First the political parties captured our polity.  Then they worked out how to make us "rusted-on".  Then they managed to get us to cheer for them during their confected "horse race".  After "the cup" is decided they want us to ignore them for the next 3 or 4 years so they can hoover up entitlements - without our scrutiny.

Because the whole thing is a mirage - designed for the benefit of the political parties.  And without "low information voters" - it just wouldn't work.