The Times They Are A Changing…a song maybe the Grammy Award winning solo artist Gotye with his group The Basics (Kris Schroeder and Tim Heath) could be singing? Get ready Victoria – you will be hearing a lot more from them as they run in the upcoming state election in Victoria.
Gotye, aka Wally De Backer along with long time friends Schroeder and Heath, have formed The Basics Rock’n’Roll Party (BRRP) and have confirmed their acceptance of running on November 29.
“We want to demonstrate that it is possible to have a political party in Australia that is not Labor or Liberal. A group that is not ultimately driven by the Mining or Union sectors. A party that’s players are not treated like Royalty with glossy leaders” said Schroeder. He went on to say “we are not politicians, we are ordinary folk without an agenda who work on the basis of honesty and integrity. We are not being paid by lobby groups for what we want to achieve. We just want people to have a voice to ask questions. Questions I am sure we would all want the answers too. Why is this happening? Who made that decision for me?”
The trio do not want to change the political landscape as they have in the music industry, they want to prove anyone can take their place in politics – there is enough room for everyone!
The three pillars of the parties political movement are quite impressive; innovation, education, and of course Rock ‘n’ Roll. Their objectives include improving indigenous local learning in Victorian schools, compulsory first-aid training in high schools and having more access to music in rural areas.
With over 13,000 registered interest parties on the groups Facebook page, the small number of 500 registered members needed with the Victorian Electoral Commission is just a formality. One of the latest quips on the page is over 60% of the members so far are Red Heads; this did set the cat amongst the pigeons – we all know the most memorable of Red Heads that was at the helm of a major political party & our country – some may say changed the landscape for the better or worse? Don’t let this put you off. They are not Red Head bias – we have confirmed this for you!
The firm thoughts of the group are that decisions do not have to be made by the elite, well-to-do, or purebred politicians. A large part of the issues that they are discussing are federally based, and this is an arena for the future of BRRP.
History has shown that well know personalities perform well in the political arena. Peter Garrett would be one of those that come to mind. Possibly misguided, he did not stick to his own thoughts and agenda. In my humble opinion I think it was a bit of a compromise between his own ideals and what was convenient at the time. Looking back at the Midnight Oil the music completely contradicted his outward Labor political views, maybe a lesson that convenience is not always the best choice.
Enough political insight. The Basics Rock’n’Roll party will shake things up I’m sure. If you’re interested in keeping up with everything BRRP, check out the Facebook page in preparation for the Election on November 29th – I am sure you will be hearing a lot about it over the coming months!
MELINDA RANSOM
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