Perhaps we need My Electorate to rank our democracy

Out on the campaign trail again and It really is like a trail, meandering past the points of interest, other candidates out there on the trail, it is obviously a well worn track around the places in the electorate where people gather.

Engaging with people as they go about their business is always interesting, the vast majority are friendly and polite, some steadfastly look away to avoid any interaction, some small numbers express disgruntlement with politicians and the process and believe politicians are really there to line their own pockets or egos.

The impression that I walk away with from the micro interactions, from body language, is that the ideal of our democracy is very strongly valued but the reality of its operation does not excite or inspire. Perhaps there should be a My Electorate to rank the performance of MPs on a range of factors.

I've just been day dreaming about walking to the bus stop and waiting 6 minutes for a bus, taking a short 8 minute trip to the train station where I wait 3 minutes for a connecting train to the city and then I wait 5 minutes for a connecting tram. I'm dreaming that I do all this without pre-planning and its no fluke that all the connections and times worked and what's more, its a Sunday afternoon.

In my daydream I know there are times when the car is a better option than public transport, I know there are some places public transport will never go, I know some jobs require us to drive all over town and I know that cars are a great form of transport for many things, yet in my daydream I know that for a whole range of trips; work, social and shopping the transport system I am dreaming of is a really convenient option for me.

Having been on and off public transport all my life (parents didn't drive kids everywhere in my day), its been a long held dream. Personally I think its a dream we need to bring to life over the next 30 years or things could get a little sticky.

I know there are many, many, many Australians who share that dream, but you know what, in my lifetime I don't think there's really been anyone in government who's shared that dream. How can I make such an assertion, well if there was, I reckon we would have moved just a little bit closer to it over the last 45 years, just a little bit.