Welcome to my regular Friday song/tune day, ladies and gentlemen, where I pick a piece of music that reflects my mood or the times, to share with you.

I dislike political games and the lies or half-truths that go with them. There is a long history of politicians and vested interests, saying whatever they like about their opponents. It seems to me that without proper checks and balances, a blatant disregard for truth can lead to malignancy, hate and ruin.

Lies create long shadows. A country’s potential is diminished when its citizens are divided and incited to violence, and trust in its leaders and institutions is lacking. Honesty can be a unifying force in building shared purpose. Rebuilding trust is an almighty task. I don’t envy the new US President.

Certain Australian politicians would do well to heed this lesson, although, as yet, there has been no official public admonishment of recent spurious claims and actions.

I think Billy Joel has the right idea, the right song for the times – A Matter Of Trust.

Stay in your corner, everyone.

Kind Regards.
Tracy.

22 thoughts on “Truth Matters”

  2. We seem to exist in a world lacking consequences for so many actions; from small children to politicians and everything in between — when people “get away with it”, they carry on doing the same things. And worse, others see it and do the same. I despair every time I see inconsiderate driving, rudeness, petty vandalism; they all seem like the beginning of something worse.

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  4. ‘recent spurious claims and actions’ Yes indeed. Truthfulness and transparency seem to be in short supply all around the world.

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  5. You’ve chosen a good Friday song, Tracy. When I think about politicians and the question of trust, I can’t help but think about the notion that someone runs for public office to fight corruption and act in the best interest of the people–and ends up having to compromise his or her principles in order to get elected.

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    1. Thank you, Liz. The skills of negotiation and the ability to compromise are important skills. I’ve heard a number of politicians speak on a range of subjects that truly matter to them after they’ve left office and I’ve felt rather let down by the absence of their true voice in parliament. I guess though that in a party system, one can make the arguments in a closed party room discussions and deliberations but one has to be united after decisions are made. We’ve had politicians in this country that have done consensus politics very well. Still, it seems to me that there should be a greater role for conscience votes. Perhaps there would be less compromise on core principles if there was more transparency with respect to the evidence that was being drawn on to make decisions and the opportunity to query that evidence, although the benefits from the opportunity to query that evidence seems now to have fundamentally broken down due to misinformation.
      Sorry for the ramble, Liz. I’ve spent nearly the whole of my working life in policy analysis and advice and I find the current situation globally very depressing.

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  6. Tracy, I do like Bill Joel. This song “A matter of trust” is new to me and it is great! How I missed it in the 1980’s I can only guess but much of my listening in the 1980’s play the music that my young son liked.
    My YouTube suggestion is by Jussi Bjorling singing “Nessun Dorma” (Digitally Remastered). The original recording by Bjorling is from the 1940’s.

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  7. I’m late in the day to this post – and your thoughtful commenters have left me with little to say. It’s hard to know how we can reach a situation where politicians value truth, and honesty in admitting their failures, or inability to reach high..

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