greater than the sum of the parts....
I was fortunate last week to meet with Andy Stern, the leader of the largest union in the world with over 2 million workers living in the US, Canada and Puerto Rico. Over 3 hours he briefed our national leadership group on the experience of progressive organisations in the US under the Obama administration.
Andy spoke about how after so many years of taking an oppositionist approach to national policy making and the decisions of Government the adjustment had not been easy for many and that some groups have struggled to rise to the occasion of what a progressive administration in the White House represents.
Building a progressive voice that can articulate a vision, build consensus around an action plan, prosecute the case for change and deliver on outcomes is no easy task, especially in a country that has seen the politics of division over the last few years being the dominant political paradigm.
A number of things Andy said have made me reflect on how progressive groups in Tasmania organise themselves and how they advocate, for example the environment movement, community organisations and various industry associations. Tasmania unfortunately has seen the politics of division play it self out too may times.
As leaders in our community it’s so important that we focus on what is, and not what isn’t and that to build something greater than the sum of our parts we must act as partners and not critics. We must ensure that we really have something to say, I mean really something to say…what are the big ideas and what can we really achieve if we harness the ideas and goodwill and work together to enable us to think big..
The challenge for us is to ensure that we are not held back by our own negativity and fear and that we see our history not as an anchor but just an experience. We must, whilst acknowledging the journey so far always have an eye on the future, we must look forward.
In relation to the structure of services and institutions in our community we must always remember that things can change, people created our current structure of services and institutions and it is people that can change them to maximise the outcomes for our community. The question that Andy Stern has asked of progressive groups in the US is the question we must ask ourselves and that is how do we aggregate our behavior for the common good when so much of our history, work and activity actually separates, it dilutes at best and undermines at worst our best efforts to make a positive impact on peoples lives.
The tension between incremental and fundamental change is also a challenge, managing expectations and delivering on outcomes that have tangible benefits takes energy, goodwill and leadership. It takes all of us to work together to achieve profound and positive change for the community.
What is the infrastructure we need to build a progressive coalition in Tasmania, a coalition based on respect and passion for the future of our state and a coalition that applies intellectual rigor to confront the problems of today with an eye firmly on the future?
I do believe we have an opportunity over the coming years to build a progressive, vibrant and rich community in Tasmania. But it will not just take the Government, it will take all of us, industry, commerce, small business, community organisations, environmental groups and unions all working together building a progressive agenda. What is our ability to rise to this occasion, the challenge is great, and the road will be hard but the rewards are significant.
Andy spoke about how after so many years of taking an oppositionist approach to national policy making and the decisions of Government the adjustment had not been easy for many and that some groups have struggled to rise to the occasion of what a progressive administration in the White House represents.
Building a progressive voice that can articulate a vision, build consensus around an action plan, prosecute the case for change and deliver on outcomes is no easy task, especially in a country that has seen the politics of division over the last few years being the dominant political paradigm.
A number of things Andy said have made me reflect on how progressive groups in Tasmania organise themselves and how they advocate, for example the environment movement, community organisations and various industry associations. Tasmania unfortunately has seen the politics of division play it self out too may times.
As leaders in our community it’s so important that we focus on what is, and not what isn’t and that to build something greater than the sum of our parts we must act as partners and not critics. We must ensure that we really have something to say, I mean really something to say…what are the big ideas and what can we really achieve if we harness the ideas and goodwill and work together to enable us to think big..
The challenge for us is to ensure that we are not held back by our own negativity and fear and that we see our history not as an anchor but just an experience. We must, whilst acknowledging the journey so far always have an eye on the future, we must look forward.
In relation to the structure of services and institutions in our community we must always remember that things can change, people created our current structure of services and institutions and it is people that can change them to maximise the outcomes for our community. The question that Andy Stern has asked of progressive groups in the US is the question we must ask ourselves and that is how do we aggregate our behavior for the common good when so much of our history, work and activity actually separates, it dilutes at best and undermines at worst our best efforts to make a positive impact on peoples lives.
The tension between incremental and fundamental change is also a challenge, managing expectations and delivering on outcomes that have tangible benefits takes energy, goodwill and leadership. It takes all of us to work together to achieve profound and positive change for the community.
What is the infrastructure we need to build a progressive coalition in Tasmania, a coalition based on respect and passion for the future of our state and a coalition that applies intellectual rigor to confront the problems of today with an eye firmly on the future?
I do believe we have an opportunity over the coming years to build a progressive, vibrant and rich community in Tasmania. But it will not just take the Government, it will take all of us, industry, commerce, small business, community organisations, environmental groups and unions all working together building a progressive agenda. What is our ability to rise to this occasion, the challenge is great, and the road will be hard but the rewards are significant.
posted by David at
10:41 PM
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