UTOPIA

What a wonderful thing it can be when some observer puts the truth before us ; as our very own Rob Sitch has done in his latest report on the state of our UTOPIA .




It can be good to see the mess we are in; the bad news is sometimes needed before any good news can be proclaimed and therefore  properly framed. Most of us have had more than enough of the  shallow claim and counterclaim of blame when the issue is the cutting edge competency of all claims. 

The frightening but funny thing is that his report cuts deep enough to cut us all deeply. 
 
this moment in history reminds me of the time I corresponded with Antony Jay at some length over what happens when you report  what happens close to the seat of power in Britain in the 80's.
The jester is safe  while the emperor thinks its not him that is the target of the joke . 
 The Hackers of this world may watch "Yes Minister ",  but do they really understand what misguided moves they are constantly making;  We discussed the serious risk  of curtains 4 the Jester if the Emperor realized his recurring error !
  
Not that any of us plebs welcome the truth; the truth that we are often too busy pretending to "solve the worlds problems "to see how our inadequate efforts are costing the household. 

My prayer is that UTOPIA cuts deeply enough to force a change in how we do things .
--  to better plan and provide a process for better planning for our children   

The perception needs to change about what works .  We need to give the power of making good decisions about the environment back to ONLY those heads who have properly and constantly studied it well. At least 2 people though - participant and observer. 

Let all Academia and their sycophantic audience be warned . As one of the best academics ( Whitehead and Ellul) tried to warn us of this current disease in the  last century http://misplacedconcreteness.blogspot.com 

What we have is a new form of the old  disease of thinking we know things, when we don't  . Our age worships half truths. slogans and simplicities  Whiteheads phrase " mere description" describes the phenomenon  well = slogans 

What we who study ,and can apply the science, are doing is working with living systems ( human and the earth in design )and making them work together . 
We need the elasticity of approach that enables us to advise on safe push pull approaches that  respect  the complex push pull forces than operate in ecosystems of all kinds ;the forces that create resilience. 
Why our approach works is because it respects  and works within the miracle of cooperation, the challenges of competition , death and ageing  and is not determined by the dead weight of museum like specimens of nature  and the domination , deterministic rulings and legislation that polys use to try and control things .
The dumbing down systems we see in Sitch's  sketches show many know nothing about risk , real life decision making  but , like our politics , they  run on a changing diet of totally unaccountable speculation.  The people involved make speculation but  don't make decisions ; let alone decisions  that work - sustainable ones . The weeks work goes from one frozen process to another ( What a great analogy that fridge fascination makes ) 

We must insist ( Melbourne was the most livable city once)  that planning works ;  That the things we throw out on the street can be recycled to be even better  than they were . that decisions for you and the neighbourhood can be made , first up and first place,  that use design with nature ( a risk place ) and therefore  work . 

Its only by minimizing the use of the law that we can stave off more unproductive rounds of ignorance power speculation and fear when real risk is involved and is quite normal a consideration in The Provinces (watch George Washington 84 ) where we work. 

The wider public must , while enjoying the drama, recognize the danger of everybody in the audience ( cities parliament and TV ) putting their little bit of knowledge and speculation in--- Too many Voices in no proper order is just NOISE ,.

It's because of noise and good intention (and  great ignorance and inexperience ) that we have courts often ignoring and "gazumping" the voice of those who know enough to make sound risk management decisions .
It's because the attempt to plan is made inside the house and boardroom and not out in the paddock that it doesn't work . Go with Sitch and ditch  most of the paperwork and the nimbyism and learn how to avoid being overloaded by crap  ! ( clearly they have no idea in either party on how to do that) 

Our society must ditch some of the processes that allow people who don't know enough and can't bring themselves to make decisions now survive and even thrive  . Make people make decisions and avoid hiding in the paperwork , diversionary speculation and non integration of issues . 

I am not going to tell all here because politicians are smart enough to name things,   but stupid enough to stuff the right process up if they are not led well --to not follow through and MAKE the answers work . It will be misplaced concrete all over again .. 

Make the job easy
Give the task of sound decision making back to experienced on ground risk management persons and they will make sound decisions where precision in decision will reign ( not fear and wild speculation) and the whole truth can bring rest  ---Earth Doctors 

The current drama maybe fun to watch, but its deeply exhausting .  If our governments keep wasting money in courts of casual speculation , people in the real world will stop taking risks and go elsewhere to work , think and create good jobs for children . Gambling prevents good investment for the future , especially if governments gamble with our money and their own half baked ignorance and arrogance. 

I write this because it's our children's future  we are threatening , By not showing enough care with the  integration of science , practice and faith ( not sentimentality ) , our surgery will bleed the patient to death  and our cushions will only support the already weak .
 Sound work in science and planning is the future .Help us make it happen .