Abstract:
It is a truism that politics is the art of the possible. Traditionally, Aboriginal politics has usually shunned compromise, perhaps because compromise has rarely offered very much. It has been suggested that the Aboriginal style of political interaction with mainstream politics is a reflection of black powerlessness: From the Aboriginal point of view they need to carry away from these forums with whites either substantially what they have demanded or the integrity from which their demands are made. Too frequently they are required to relinquish the latter without the merest promise of the former. This engenders a kind of larrikin politics that is always game for a showdown, having been too often manipulated, disappointed and bamboozled by superior skill in dissimulation. Added to this, after years of fruitless struggle, it engenders in many a deepseated tiredness that cannot be roused to meet new challenges but takes the simpler option of grand rejectionist gestures.
Details / PDF:
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