Is the die cast?

‘The die has been cast’ (Lt. Alea iacta est) is the phrase supposedly spoken by Julius Caesar in 49 BC as his armies crossed the Rubicon river in defiance of the Roman Senate. Thereby he began the long civil war against the northern Italian states.

Its modern usage is evocative of having gone beyond the point of return; having set things in motion without the ability to cease from moving towards a destiny. ‘Crossing the Rubicon’ holds a similar understanding for obvious reasons.

Some scholars render the Latin in the imperative: “Let the die be cast” or perhaps “Let the games begin”. For the sake of this comment I prefer the former simply because there is an inevitability about it – a reckoning if you will.

So, what’s my point? Four months from now, on March the 20th to be precise, political tribes of every hue will engage in battle. A battle where every South Australian voter will (theoretically at least) determine the winners and the losers. For some this is about as exciting as watching paint dry. For others (like me) it is a fascinating melodrama, a mixture of improvisation and strategy that is eventually reduced to plain numbers and simple mathematics on the tally room floor.

Already the major parties have their ‘troops’ chosen and the lines established. There’s a cold predictability about the outcome for some while, for others, the possibility of loss of ground or the unexpected, but hoped for gain, flairs the nostrils for the battle earnest.

I admit, it’s all too easy to adopt and extend the metaphor of battle – but it does work on so many levels. For those of us who, with the DLP, are concerned about life issues and the gradual decay of the voice of faith and reason in our polity, then the collateral damage at the next South Australian election in the Upper House (the Legislative Council) should be of more interest than who does or does not form government. Why? Because the effects will outlast this government and its successor and will not easily be undone or remedied.

This ‘House of Review’ will grow more hostile to life issues on the 21st of March next. For the first time, those supporting euthanasia will probably be in the majority. I call this ‘collateral damage’ principally because I cannot see that either major party designed or engineered this as a deliberate outcome – they’re just not that organised. It is, clearly, an unintended consequence of the ravages of war.

I return to my question: is the die cast? Well, is it or isn’t it? You tell me. It’s essentially your call now for there is little else that can be done. It depends now on whether or not we’ll simply retreat to our shelters and pretend that all is well; whether we’ll line up with one or another of the major parties ignorant of the possibility that the enemy may be in our midst or whether we can heed the warning and claim the territory under dispute for the side of life. It depends also on accepting the chain of command; else maybe we’re just renegade mercenaries fighting pointless skirmishes at the sides when the real battle lies elsewhere.

Well! Is the die cast? Tell me what you think