Quote:GD – Besides, a fight or debate between Government and the IOS over ‘regulation matters’, ‘safety matters’, even ‘the DPM’s selfie at a piss trough with one hand pointing to a sign on the wall and the other hand holding his tiny withered member’ is trivial because the media couldn’t give a toss.
Barmybaby’s picture was always going to be ignored – it’s in such poor taste that even the trashiest rag in town wouldn’t lower its standards and publish it. The fun is strictly ‘in-house’ although anyone attending Tamworth would agree the parallels are accurately represented. Anyway, who gives a toss about what the ‘media’ says for longer than the period between ‘story’ and the next advert break. Every night folk sit at home, beer in the fridge, dinner cooking, kids milling about, dogs barking etc. and watch horrendous ‘vision’ of war zones, executions, mass shootings, hurricane damage, flood, fire and violence on the streets of their town or city. Then, within less time than it takes to drink an ale; they are being submerged in advertisements for everything they don’t need from panty liners to the latest slimming marvel. The same folk who couldn’t care a toss about Syria will take note of the latest cut to a budget that affects them directly; but little else. Their child gets hurt and there is an outcry, concern and criticism of the hospital system. A starving kid in the Sudan being beaten, raped, and murdered; or, a toddler laying dead on a foreign beach, drowned trying to escape a conflict not of it’s making may elicit a ‘tut-tut’ from Mum as she heads out to the kitchen to stir dinner. Man’s inhumanity to man is legendary, it has always been thus, since the cave.
I believe it is naïve to think that 15 minutes of air time a week for either the Truckies or aviation will affect the politicians; I believe the politicians capitalise on the result and use the media to promote their ‘image’, post event. The Truckies didn’t win because of the media; they won because someone, somewhere, somehow pushed all the right buttons; and, either through threat to, or benefit for political interests made the wheels turn. I doubt any of the political figures making happy noises after the event were even too deeply involved in the process of ‘real’ negotiation..
Aviation has many monsters to beat before meaningful change can be effected. The USA got it right, first time around and continued on from there; but they are a people with ‘rights’ and ‘freedom’ stamped on their rumps in the womb. The Kiwi’s had to do something after Erebus, it took a while and some blood letting, but they got it right and the Pacific nations followed their lead. No one has looked back since. The USA have not followed Australia’s lead on how to manage reform, neither have the Kiwi’s. The Europeans and the Brits have changed direction and are throwing a fortune at stripping away rule sets which are at best counterproductive, at worst potentially dangerous.
So we arrive at the ‘Why’ point. IMO opinion those responsible for aviation oversight in the grown up, first world aviation nations are ‘expert’ in their field. When expert, experienced, educated folk of good will and intention decide to effect change, it happens. The politicians capitalise, the media reports it and the industry thrives. Take a look at what Australia has for an ‘expert’, educated, front line and weep. Can you imagine anyone, apart from Boyd who actually know what they are about working for CASA? Perhaps we should ask Nick Xenophon to ask a question – on notice – about the dropout rate at CASA; conduct some exit interviews. PAIN has and the results are not pretty.
Until the regulator is reformed – from top to bottom – meaningful reform and resurrection of the almost defunct ‘small end’ industry is doomed to failure. The big boys don’t have to worry, they can and regularly do tell CASA to bugger off and they mark you have the cream of the crop to work with.
Convince senior, sensible bureau heads that reform, real root and bough reform of our regulator is in the national interest and watch the changes happen. Bleating at muppets like Chester just presents another photo opportunity. I know there are some wise owls hiding in the chambers off the corridors of power, who can see far and clear. Just find us a DAS with a little more intelligence than the average house brick, a bit more sensitivity than a pub toilet seat and an attention span greater than that of well trained racing rabbit and watch. The problem costing millions upon on millions is not the regulations; it is internal to and inherent of the body overseeing the application of regulation. Clean them out and all will be well. The protest is not to do with ‘regulation’, that is a cover story – everyone, including the better agency employees is fed up to the back teeth with ‘Ducking CASA’ and that is the plain, simple, unvarnished truth of it.
Oops;…
…sorry chaps, runaway keyboard syndrome. Aye well, it was always coming: now, turn that steam off GD; lets have a coffee and a smoke, lean on the fence and watch the sun rise.
