The golden sun bathes our lands in warm light, casting a joyful glow as people revel in the delights of summer. Laughter and cheer fill the air as holidaymakers engage in carefree play, focusing solely on the present moment – today, tomorrow, and the week ahead. The looming prospect of an election as early as next month seems far from their minds, a distant thought overshadowed by the joyous rhythms of summer life. Yet, as we bask in the sun’s warmth, it’s essential to reflect on the events that unfolded before Christmas, for they hold the key to understanding how the journey forward in 2025 will begin. Voters beware of what lays ahead. Voters be aware.
1 Mere days before Christmas, Matt Canavan decided it would be a good time to tell the truth about why the LNP chose a nuclear policy. As he said, it seemed a political ploy or stunt. Senator Pitt decided to leave the Nationals, saying that its leader, David Littleproud, was nothing more than a dill. I agree, but I would have been more dramatic about it. Other members have also quit the party or are retiring. Does any of that register with the voter?
Angus Taylor then spat out a few words that convinced me he needed a manager.
See what you make of this:
“I mean, that’s over time, that’s, you know, to the extent that over time, what you see basic economics, as long as you have good competition policy in place, and we intend to do that, that prices paid reflect costs – underlying costs,” he continued.
“That’s, that’s what you expect to see and that’s economics 101.”
Indeed, when voters see Angus on television, they must see his incompetence and incapacity to be an Australian treasurer or any other minister.
Brett Worthington wrote these words on Facebook:
“Not a plan. Not even a concept of a plan. A sham. It is a shameless con trick meant to divide opinion and stir discontent by projecting a distracting false vision that there is any alternative to renewables replacing coal and that “debate” is needed when there is nothing to discuss. The aim is not to build nuclear power plants but rather to delay the end of coal use to benefit mining billionaires. A bonus for the regressive reactionaries, or perhaps their central aim, is to exacerbate social tensions via bogus ideological dissent. Aka, to keep the heat up in the so-called “culture wars.“
I concur with all his words.
2 One of the peculiarities of political polling is the challenge of comprehending how a significant portion of the electorate – nearly 50% – could consider re-electing a political party that presided over a decade marked by ineffective governance and numerous failures. To grasp the reality behind this phenomenon, one need only observe the current political landscape in the United States. There, an unwavering commitment to misleading narratives and persistent propaganda has led to the election of a candidate who prioritises his ambitions and desires over the genuine needs and welfare of the populace. This troubling scenario invites more profound reflection on the disconnect between voters’ choices and the reality of their experiences.
3 A true leader with integrity and moral fortitude would promptly and decisively reprimand any members of his shadow cabinet who indulge in racist rhetoric or constantly criticise policy using the full weight of his or her authority to ensure accountability.
However, Dutton ignores it because he is closely aligned with those who harbour views of superiority and entitlement over others. I strongly encourage voters to take the time to delve deeper into the background and values of the leader of the opposition and his devotees; understanding his record on matters of race and immigration is crucial.
My observations unequivocally tell me that those aligned with right-wing politics in Australia often exhibit a troubling insensitivity toward the common good. This insensitivity stems from a lack of thoughtful reflection and a disconnect from the community’s needs. Their rhetoric is frequently laced with animosity, and it’s disheartening to see how this negativity can manifest even at the surface – a smile can disguise a more profound disdain.
The Conservative Political strategy of painting everything as black as possible and then pretending it’s their leader who has the answers is being duplicated in Australia by Dutton. Australians are falling for it hook, line, and sinker. I thought we were brighter than that.
On other matters
4 Jim Chalmers says “two-thirds of the debt in the budget was borrowed before the start of the pandemic.” Is he correct? ABC Fact Check says yes.
5 In an exclusive interview with the The Saturday Paper Peter Dutton “… ends the year with detailed plans to wind back reconciliation, peppering departments with questions about the cost of Welcomes to Country and promising to scrap flags, dual names and the ambassador for First Nations people.”
I’m not surprised at all. That’s the sort of guy he is.
6 A question: Are Trump voters morally responsible for the harm that may result from his policies? Conversely, can the same be said of Australian conservatives? Just a thought. How can Trump hold the planet’s future in his hand while the remaining leaders kowtow to him?
7 The recent release of cabinet documents after 20 years has unveiled:
- A controversial agreement orchestrated by former Prime Minister John Howard, in which he sold Australian gas to China at alarmingly low prices. This revelation raises serious concerns about the integrity of his decision-making during his tenure. Furthermore, Howard has been accused of misleading the Australian public regarding the existence of weapons of mass destruction. He now claims that there was sufficient evidence to suggest that action could have been taken swiftly, adding another layer of complexity to his past statements and decisions. Or is it just lying by omission?
- Homeownership was becoming increasingly unaffordable, and the states did little to release more land and speed up development approvals. The same problems confront us 20 years on. Sound familiar?
- That in response to evolving perspectives and legal changes at the state and territory levels, the government has revised its definition of marriage to encompass the union between a man and a woman. This amendment reflects a growing recognition of diverse relationships and aims to align federal legislation with the changing social landscape.
- A fund of at least $1.5 billion was agreed to promote low emissions technologies as the Howard government moved to acknowledge climate change was an issue Australia had to deal with.
For more exposure from 20 years ago, go here.
8 How many voters genuinely invest their time to thoroughly read and understand the political news presented to them? The reality is that only a tiny fraction engages with this information in depth. I read somewhere that historically it has been stated that a mere 10% of the population influences the outcome of elections. However, recent discussions suggest that this figure has risen to approximately 20%, indicating a growing awareness among a more significant segment of the electorate about the issues at stake. Voters beware. Be aware.
My thought for the day
We dislike and resist change in the foolish assumption that we can make permanent that which makes us feel secure. Yet change is in fact part of the very fabric of our existence.
PS: Less informed voters unfortunately outnumber the more politically aware. Therefore, conservatives feed them all the bullshit they need. And the menu generally contains a fair portion of untruths.
Tomorrow: Part 2
Also by John Lord: A year has ended. Another has begun.
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A question bound to be asked during the election campaign is ‘Are you better off or worse off than you were 3 years ago?’.
And many, reflecting on the repeated ;cost of living crisis’ meme with resoundingly say “YES, Bugger it, I can’t afford the cinnamon scroll with my morning coffee any more! I am so much worse off than 3 years ago.”
How would that person know?
The cost of living crisis meme, not lived reality.
Or, as mentioned earlier, the climate crisis is made up, right. It was hotter during the time of the dinosaurs…. how does my mate know? Don’t ask, he just does.
I mentioned at the morning coffee with mates yesterday that inflation was down. Three years ago inflation was 6%+, today it is about 3%. Ah yes, but that was due to covid another mate responded…. so it was under the mismanagement of the Libs? No way, it was COVID!
Please don’t expect the thinking to be deep or critical. In fact don’t expect thinking to be any deeper than the meme of the News headlines.
I think Angus caught a major dose of Donalditis not long before spouting that brain twisting classic style Trumpism.
The country is utterly doomed if the LNP get back in. If we thought it was bad under the Mad Monk, Trembles and Scummo then under Der Spud…shiver…
GL, that’s a bit bleak…. there was a poem about that many years ago….
We’ll all be doomed said Hanrahan….
I do admit it won’t be good if the LNP win government, but the likelihood of that happening is pretty slim. We have the ‘TEALS’campaigning hard in traditional Liberal seats, campaigning on the environment and women’s rights.
No matter who ‘wins’ the next election, neither the Libs or Labor will control both houses so any legislation, any issue which needs to be addressed will need to be negotiated. That’s the power of independents, that’s what democracy should look like.
Heaven help us if Potty Boy Dutton becomes PM! His record on immigration speaks for itself! I am friends with victims of the bastard’s cruelty!
On number 2 and polling support for LNP, it’s possibly a symptom of ageing electorates ex urban, where now median age due to increasing longevity is middle aged, even older.
Sweeps up many monocultural, low info and/or rusted onto RW MSM inc ABC which constantly dog whistle climate science, refugees, immigration, woke and cost if living; on the latter it’s exaggerated to influence the same ageing cohorts or ‘silent majority’.
We now have an upside population pyramid with about 8 million GenX, Boomer bomb and silent generations who the right have corralling into an electoral block inspired by ‘pensioner populism’ and ‘collective narcissism’. It deflects from the latter in favour of dog whistling mostly Asian region students mislabelled as ‘immigrants’ and compromising the future of Australian working age and youth….see Brexit, Trump, Orbán and many other European nations.
This has another generation to run before demographic rebalance near mid century after the ‘big die off’ and ‘great replacement’ do their work.
Andrew Smith. You are correct about the dying off of the electorate and something l overlooked. The folk we are talking about were locked on LNP voters in the main. Those replacing them are more likely to vote other than the LNP.
Nothing new, nothing of substance in Dutton’s policy ‘launch’.
Clearly he believes that removing the Aboriginal flag (and that of the Torres Strait) from formal occasions has hit a nerve in the community; he again trotted out his veiled message of “coming together under our one flag”.
I would suggest that there will be no more welcomes to country under a Dutton regime.
He still strikes me as an incredibly lazy and superficial man and certainly not a leader.