Wren: I’m not “pointing the finger” at anyone or expecting Dick to do anything. My point is that if Dick wants to achieve change, there’s a way that is more likely to work than the ones to which he is choosing to devote his energy. If he’s going to choose to devote any energy to achieving outcomes through interactions with politicians, here’s what he should do:
1. Ignore what they say. The only measure of progress is outcomes.
2. Be specific about what outcome you want. In the case of amendments to the Civil Aviation Act, Dick gets a tick against 2.
3. Tell all politicians, or at least the parliamentary members of the major parties, that you will run a public campaign to get them all tossed out, until the outcome you want has been implemented. Politics is about obtaining and retaining power, so if you pose a credible threat to someone who is in a comfy position of power, or to someone who has a sniff of a possibility to get into that position, you will have their attention. (This is where Dick has unique power.)
4. Constantly remind yourself of rule 1.
5. Constantly remind yourself that achieving the outcome has nothing to do with the merits of the issue. That will help you to comply with Rule 1 and understand Rule 3.