Nacht und Nebel

Fiona Uncategorized

(Image credit: Wikipedia)

Fifty days ago, the Australian electorate blinked, and chose a Coalition government led by Mr Abbott – devout Catholic, Rhodes Scholar, Oxford Blue, sometime journalist, advisor to former LOTO Dr Hewson, exercise junkie, father of “not bad-looking daughters”, self-proclaimed political offspring of Mrs Bronwyn Bishop and Mr John Howard – a man who counts among his political and spiritual mentors B. A. Santamaria and Cardinal Pell.

The government as a whole, and Mr Abbott in particular, are deeply indebted to two powerful individuals, Mr Rupert Murdoch, and Mrs Gina Rinehart. The debt owed by the new Federal government and prime minister to Mr Murdoch in particular is extraordinary, and is most likely to be paid through the sale hand-over of the NBN and, possibly, the privatisation or abolition of the ABC. Mrs Rinehart’s rewards are the repeal of the MRRT, the “liberalisation” of 457 visas to enable the employment of ever-cheaper labour in her mines, and an open-slather approach to exploration and mining, maybe even in national parks, and to coal seam gas fracking. After all, what else is the environment for?

So, what has the new government achieved over the past 50 days?

  • Abolished the Climate Commission.
  • Sacked three departmental heads.
  • Sacked the NBN Board.
  • Announced the privatisation of Medibank Private.
  • Appointed the head of a major business union to chair the Commission of Audit which also includes (gaia help us) Ms Amanda Vanstone. Mr Tony Shepherd also chairs a company that has substantial contracts with the Commonwealth.
  • Announced a witch-hunt judicial enquiry into the Rudd Government’s home insulation scheme.
  • Cut disaster relief payments in the middle of major bushfires in New South Wales.
  • Denied any possible connexion between bushfires and climate change.
  • Released draft legislation to repeal the MRRT, which also (among other things) repeals
      • – the schoolkids’ bonus
      – the low-income tax superannuation contribution
      – geothermal exploration provisions.

    Then, and worryingly, are

    1. The increased demonisation of asylum seekers arriving by boat by requiring the Immigration Department and detention centre staff to call them “illegal arrivals” and “detainees”,
    2. The militarisation of border protection, which is the excuse for
    3. Attempts to restrict information about the arrival of asylum seekers, and their movement to and from various places of detention.

    What we are witnessing is an attempt – by shutting down sources of information, whether they are bodies like the Climate Commission, or reports in real time of boat arrivals – to keep Australians ignorant of the real state of affairs, and ultimately and as soon as possible to silence dissent. How long will it be before there is federal legislation of the type Queensland Attorney-General, Mr Bleijie, released two weeks ago – legislation that has the potential to control what people wear, what music they listen to, maybe even what books they read and films they see? How long will it be before all Australian courts are effectively instructed to do as they are told by the government that – in Mr Newman’s words – they should come down from their ivory towers and make decisions in line with community expectations?

    Silencing dissent sounds to me very like Mussolini’s third principle of fascism:

    1. “Everything in the state”. The Government is supreme and the country is all-encompasing, and all within it must conform to the ruling body, often a dictator.
    2. “Nothing outside the state”. The country must grow and the implied goal of any fascist nation is to rule the world, and have every human submit to the government.
    3. “Nothing against the state”. Any type of questioning the government is not to be tolerated. If you do not see things our way, you are wrong. If you do not agree with the government, you cannot be allowed to live and taint the minds of the rest of the good citizens.

    Prime Minister Abbott has made it clear time and time again that he will not brook questions, he will not brook debate, he will not brook dissent. He is, as Jeff Sparrow points out, a cultural warrior par excellence. He has no compunction about establishing the slush fund, ”Australians for Honest Politics”, that resulted in the jailing of Pauline Hanson. Is it beyond the bounds of possibility that he might act in a similar way to anyone who dissents, disagrees, or differs? It may seem ridiculous in 21st century Australia even to ask such a question. However …

    … remember,

    Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

    Remember Argentina in 1966, Chile in 1973, Germany in 1933.

    Nacht und Nebel has happened before, and will again unless we heed Martin Niemöller’s words:

    First they came for the communists,
    and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a communist.

    Then they came for the socialists,
    and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a socialist.

    Then they came for the trade unionists,
    and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a trade unionist.

    Then they came for me,
    and there was no one left to speak for me.

    883 thoughts on “Nacht und Nebel”

    3. With Obeid in the news this bit of Gillies Report from long ago reminds us that NSW is as it was and forever and ever amen.

    4. Hello all you night owls. I have only just caught up on the day’s postings. Barry J thanks for the cute cats. The animated pics are a nice touch Joe.

    5. (1/2) New low in Q Parliament 2nite, in response to Woodridge Labor MP speaking on tactile responsive toys invented at medical research— Jackie Trad (@jackietrad) October 30, 2013

      (2/2) facility @ GC Uni Hospital for dementia patients, LNP MP Ray Stevens asks 'if she managed to get it to work?' #LNPdisgrace— Jackie Trad (@jackietrad) October 30, 2013

      This is the way Newman speaks in Parliament. I was reading Hansard the other night and was shocked with the comments he made to members of the Opposition.

    7. The comments pile up quick here. Thanks to those of you who mused on the election comment. I accept that it only takes a minority to be spooked and that the establishment did well to wet blanket political coverage as a whole.
      But I CANT accept that some voters aren’t complicit perverse and/or thick as fence posts. They FORGOT the fiscal stimulus? They DIDN’T remember the worst of Howardism or understand the goals of politicans from Can-Do to Cameron? They COULDN’t see through Abbott, Murdoch, Jones and the other uglies?
      I forget how timid and corrupt some of the state governments have been, unfortunately people keep reminding me when I grumble.
      For my part, I got sick of federal Labor, somehow infected with the timidity malady, especially on foreign affairs and the surveillance pestilence. For Christ’s sake, I kept thinking, bloody stand up, on something ethical for once.
      So, I wasn’t surprised Labor lost, but was stunned at the margin and worry at what the current parliament will do to this country. After all, the first couple of months has been all arroganceand authoritarianism and they haven’t even started on repealing useful legislation or tampering with the constitution.
      Loved the updater on Goward, had not seen her dial for a while, now I remember why I disliked, DETESTED her so intensely in the first place.

    9. Good morning Dawn Patrollers.

      Here we go. An animal cruelty/live export issue for the Coalition to respond to. Joyce will make a statement today (once cleared by Peta, presumably).
      http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-10-30/new-footage-puts-live-export-industry-back-in-the-spotlight/5059060
      This looks a bit suss.
      http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/minister-chris-hartchers-outrageous-intervention-in-legal-row-over-gold-mine-20131030-2whnj.html
      Nice family!
      http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/first-cousin-cops-a-spray-from-the-fat-budda-20131030-2whi6.html
      http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/cafes-paid-for-housekeeping-20131030-2whi1.html

    10. Section 2 . . .

      Some signs of crumbling as the News of the World tactics come to light in the Coulson/Brooks trial.
      http://www.smh.com.au/business/media-and-marketing/three-news-of-the-world-journalists-plead-guilty-to-phone-hacking-and-prosecution-mounts-case-20131031-2whvg.html
      Labor should engage this guy to apply his statistical capabilities, now acknowledged by Abbott himself, to the pink batts data. Wouldn’t it be a delicious irony!
      http://www.smh.com.au/technology/sci-tech/statistician-terry-speed-awarded-pms-prize-for-science-for-work-in-bioinformatics-20131030-2wh66.html
      Tanya P may be onto something with this line.
      http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/plibersek-warns-abbott-of-using-conservative-values-to-dictate-foreign-aid-20131030-2whhp.html
      The ABC Fact Checker pours cold water on Abbott’s claims for electricity price reduction from the abolition of the carbon tax.
      http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-10-30/tony-abbott-carbon-tax-gas-electricity-bills/5050348

    11. Section 3 . . .

      This report now should force some investigative journalism (and Labor study and questioning) on how Direct Action could deal with an increased reduction target.
      http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/emissions-target-inadequate-says-climate-change-authority-20131030-2wey1.html
      Alan Moir on ASIC’s ferocity.
      http://www.smh.com.au/photogallery/federal-politics/cartoons/alan-moir-20090907-fdxk.html
      David Rowe has his always aggressive Abbott ready to fire on the Climate Change report.
      http://www.afr.com/p/national/cartoon_gallery_david_rowe_1g8WHy9urgOIQrWQ0IrkdO
      Ron Tandberg is questioning Shorten’s strength of position on carbon pricing.
      http://www.smh.com.au/photogallery/federal-politics/cartoons/ron-tandberg-20090910-fixc.html

    12. Barry J
      October 30, 2013 at 7:46 PM

      kaffee,

      Would a chihuahua be classified as a dangerous animal ?

      If it was the new nickname for Campbell Newman, yes.

    20. Reminded that ‘the upper crust is just a few crumbs held together by a bit of loose dough’

    21. It’s a bit early in the day for ‘get me a bucket’ time, but you’ll need one for this – Bruce Hawker’s diary, how he and Kevin tried to ‘bloke up’ the election campaign.
      http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/30/bruce-hawker-diary-diamond-studded-toolbox?CMP=twt_gu

      Thank God Kevin lost. What would we have been in for if he’d won? More stupid do-nothing websites, promises that couldn’t be funded and would have had to be broken and a lot of pointless flapping around. Same old same old.

    23. leone

      More stupid do-nothing websites, promises that couldn’t be funded and would have had to be broken and a lot of pointless flapping around. Same old same old.

      Very much what we’re having under TA. Don’t you think?

    24. Friom the Tanya Plibersek story in BK’s links –
      “Ms Bishop spoke at the aid conference on Wednesday evening but barred the media from attending.”

      There’s a trend growing – banning the media from anything they might think needs criticising. Mesma’s address wasn’t the only place under a media ban last night. DFAT held a ‘public’ briefing that was actually closed to the public on the TPP. Journailists were invited but on Tuesday they were told their invitations had been taken back and they were not allowed to attend. Add that to the ban on journalists entering detention centres, TBM’s ridiculous once-a-week carefully censored briefings, Abbott’s attempts to prevent his ministers talking to anyone without first asking his permission and you get a very nasty picture.

      This government is trying to avoid any controversy about anything by shutting down media access. If journalists can’t tell us about something then we won’t know anything and so we won’t try to protest bad government decisions. It won’t work.

    25. giglene
      Yes, but without the pointless websites. Abbott – or whoever is running the government, because it certainly isn’t him – is busy shutting down government websites or deleting Labor policy from websites.

    28. gigilene
      Abbott is worse, of course. Rudd would have been a disaster more for Labor than for the country. I really believe he would eventually have destroyed the party.

    29. Members of the team hand-picked by the Abbott government to rein in spending will be paid $1500 a day.
      http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/auditors-to-be-paid-1500-a-day-to-recommend-spending-cuts-20131031-2wi2d.html

      Campbell Newman paid Costello $3300 a day, a total of more than $140,000, for his audit work. Abbott’s commissioners must be feeling a bit cheated. How on earth will Verandah Sandstone be able to afford the odd glass of wine with lunch if that’s all she’s getting paid?

    32. Andrew Leigh:

      In the final rounds of the AFL, a team with no chance of making the finals will
      sometimes be tempted to play more poorly in order to get a better draft pick the
      next year. It’s called ‘tanking’, and it’s against the rules and spirit
      of the sport. When it looks like teams are deliberately underperforming – as
      in the famous Carlton versus Melbourne match at the end of the 2007 season –
      the result is frankly a bit embarrassing to watch.

      And so it is with this year’s budget deficit. As anyone who’s been awake
      this past five years knows, the world has gone through the greatest slump since
      the Depression. Rather than drastically cut government spending – and damage
      economic growth – the federal Labor government chose to save jobs.
      Consequently, we have national debt equivalent to a bit over one-tenth of our
      annual income: one of the lowest levels in the developed world.

      Yet for the past few years, the Coalition has focused its attention not on the
      200,000 jobs saved when the Global Financial Crisis hit, but creating a farcical
      idea that Australia has a ‘problem’ with ‘debt and deficits’. Any
      serious economist would tell you this type of claim is just codswallop.

      But from doing press conferences in front of a ‘debt truck’ to giving
      speeches about a ‘budget emergency’, the Coalition has left no fear campaign
      untested in their crusade to scare Australians about the state of the nation’s
      public finances.

      Now that they’re in government, the game continues. Last week, Treasurer Joe
      Hockey provided the Reserve Bank of Australia with a cool $8.8 billion for its
      reserve fund with a flick of a casual afternoon press release. Justifying such a
      massive sum, Mr Hockey blustered ‘It’s money that should have been allocated
      by the Labor Party in government but they didn’t… Despite the warnings, they
      didn’t do it and they should have done it.’

      The exact opposite is true. Six months ago, Treasury advised the Labor
      Government that to give the RBA a capital injection could ‘risk undermining
      the credibility of the RBA as an operationally independent institution’.

      Read more.

    33. Will all the msm really sit back and take being shut out of politics? I know they are committing slow suicide now, but surely the won’t just lie down and die.

    35. Barry O’Farrell shows where his true loyalty lies – with Murdoch.
      Premier more into Murdoch than tearing up the dance floor.
      Rupert calls and he obeys –
      “It is understood Mr O’Farrell’s decision to attend the lecture was taken despite the Spring Ball being organised to fit in with his diary engagements. The sold-out lecture was announced early last month.”
      http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/premier-more-into-murdoch-than-tearing-up-the-dance-floor-20131030-2whh1.html

    36. 2gravel @ 8.40
      Yes, it’s certainly an unusual situation, locking the press out to the extent that’s happening. But they’ve been acquiescent in their approach to Abbott so far & there’s no reason why it shouldn’t continue. The occasional opinionista might have a go but the required amount of “political” news content, which isn’t much, can be provided by quoting government releases. Which will give the impression that all’s right with the world & if it isn’t it’s Labor’s fault.
      Journalists are employees & their talents, stretching the word’s meaning a bit, can be redirected. We may yet see the current crop of journos reporting traffic accidents, broken shop windows & of course sports.

    39. Chihuachihuas job used to be lapdogs fot deaf old dowagers. They would sit on their lady’s laps in the tearooms and let her know of anyone approaching. They would also bite the hand off any scoundrel who tried to steal her purse.

      My mum had a lovely chihuachihua a giveaw. He was like that.

    41. 2gravel
      Maybe. With Abbott’s rise in the polls it seems to be working. I suspect most people just want to be under the impression that an all wise government’s looking after them, that everything’s for the best in this best of all possible countries.
      Journalists will have their own opinions but that’s not to say those opinions will be aired.
      But yes “guided democracy” (bet George wishes he’d thought of that one!!) may be where we’re headed.

    43. http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/oct/30/regulator-investigates-charities-fraud

      http://www.mondaq.com/australia/x/271878/Charities+Non-Profits/New+Government+Brings+Uncertainty+to+the+NotForProfit+and+Charity+Sector

      http://sceptical-climate.investigate.org.au/

    47. http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/10/30/241797346/75-years-ago-war-of-the-worlds-started-a-panic-or-did-it
      75 Years Ago, ‘War Of The Worlds’ Started A Panic. Or Did It?
      by Mark Memmott
      October 30, 2013 8:10 AM

      http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/acdc-nearly-fired-bon-scott-after-overdose/story-e6frg6n6-1226750001380#
      AC/DC nearly fired Bon Scott after overdose
      Will Swanton The Australian October 31, 2013 12:00AM

      http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/19618-the-revolt-of-the-lower-middle-class-and-the-stupidity-of-the-elites
      Mike Lofgren | The Revolt of the Lower Middle Class and the Stupidity of the Elites
      Monday, 28 October 2013 10:30 By Mike Lofgren, Truthout | Op-Ed
      (best analysis of the Tea party I’ve seen so far)

    48. You think that’s bad, Gravel? Check out this piece on the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), particularly Lori Wallach’s interview http://www.independentaustralia.net/business/business-display/abbott-set-to-sign-highly-secretive-tpp-agreement-this-month,5787

      Everything’s being done in secret. Even the US people don’t know how it is attempting to screw them, and override sovereignty. The Gillard government at least knew enough to have nothing to do with it, especially after Philip Morris had tried to harass them through other trade agreements.

      No wonder there was so much big money around to get Gillard. This is a recipe for corporate fascism. I don’t use that type of language lightly, but there is no other conclusion.

    49. Good morning all. Back home from Bangkok and now surfing the internet on the end of the copper at a whopping 1.2mbps download and 0.2 upload. Gosh I am going to miss third world internet speeds of over 30 mbps both directions.

    50. Halloweenjack,
      But but but Mr Abbott and PMBO said that’s all we will evah need.

      Welcome back to (Fascist) Australia.

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