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”

    1. It is wonderful and, sometimes, engaging stuff on PB. Swords at dawn springs to mind.

    2. Broke down & snuck a look into Q&A. Whiney Pyney having a brawl with Fitzgibbon and even causing Judith Sloane to lift her eyebrows and she’s one of the Coalition’s more vocal fan club cheer squad.

      Janet Albrechtson’s fill-in is working overtime putting lipstick on the Abbott Coalition pig but Pyne is making her work overtime tonight.

    9. I hope commenters realize that what they say and post is spouted for eternity.

    11. This little black duck ,

      You still breathing, Scorps?

      Yeah! Love those Kiwi whites. I went and poured out a couple of them since my last comment. Blimey, they slip down quick! 😉

      Starting to get that damn double vision thing back now though. Makes it a fair pain in the ask trying to type and even to spell at times! 😉

    12. Tony’s Fridge,

      After a dose of Prissy, get a load of this….

      One needs at least a two gallon bucket handy to read all of that!

    13. I try to keep my ignorance to a minimum of publicity: others seem to be devoted to making theirs public.

      I have foibles and other stuff I’m happy to cast upon winds.

    14. I’ll do my famous impression of the cast of PB
      You’re an idiot.
      No, you’re the idiot
      I’m not going to play that game. You are an idiot.
      How dare you insult me. You are an idiot.
      when did I call you an idiot? You are an idiot.

      Repeat about fifty zillion times.

    15. http://www.theage.com.au/business/legal-action-on-cba-spying-could-reveal-surveillance-record-20131027-2w9rf.html
      Legal action on CBA spying could reveal surveillance record
      October 28, 2013
      Michaela Whitbourn and Adele Ferguson

      A customer who claims the Commonwealth Bank spied on him is threatening legal action that could expose records of other covert surveillance operations by the company.

      Geoff Shannon, the founder of the Unhappy Banking advocacy group, said he had legal advice that the alleged spying could amount to an ”interference with the administration of justice” because he was involved in litigation with the bank.

      ”We’re actually issuing subpoenas, I think, on them for all the reports and any other surveillance jobs,” Mr Shannon said.
      Advertisement

      Fairfax Media revealed on Saturday that the Commonwealth Bank had hired security firm G4S to spy on Gold Coast-based consumer advocate Michael Fraser, who calls himself The Arbitrator.

      A leaked email from a bank executive to the firm requested ”physical surveillance” of Mr Fraser from August 28 to September 1, when he was in Sydney to attend a fund-raising dinner for Nationals senator John Williams. Senator Williams is part of a parliamentary inquiry involving CBA with Labor Senator Doug Cameron.

      http://www.theage.com.au/business/anz-targets-david-gonski-to-be-its-next-chairman-20131028-2wa7j.html
      ANZ targets David Gonski to be its next chairman
      October 28, 2013 – 6:13AM
      James Chessell and Joe Aston

      ANZ Banking Group has sounded out Future Fund executive chairman David Gonski about becoming the bank’s next chairman, in a move that could result in a change of leadership to the board of the $89 billion Future Fund, The Australian Financial Review reports.

      It is understood ANZ chairman John Morschel is looking for an external ­candidate with experience in Asia to take the helm of the bank’s board well before his term expires at the 2015 annual meeting.

    16. This little black duck ,

      I hope commenters realize that what they say and post is spouted for eternity.

      One good thing though is, none of us will be around to see any adverse reaction to what we write.

      After all, we are here for but a blink of an eye in the terms of time. Eat, drink and be merry………………………………

    17. Keith Whatadick excelled himself with that one.

      There should be a law against such imbecile outpourings.

    18. This little black duck ,

      The ability to post pictures and video clips here is just so good!

      That’s why this place leaves that other place over the road for dead in some respects.

    19. Scorps,

      The amount of tortuous language, ideas and argument posted there is beyond belief.

      You, I and the rest of us owe Joe much.

    20. Scorps,

      Rocky is not too far from Coolum. Have you and your excellent wife met Joe?

    24. This little black duck,

      Scorps,

      Rocky is not too far from Coolum. Have you and your excellent wife met Joe?

      So far, only my good self has met up with our host, J6P. They say first impressions are lasting ones. As far as Joe goes, he’s a champion as far as I am concerned.

      Coolum is not as far as you thought. Only 543 km, 6 hours 3 mins according to Google Maps.

      https://maps.google.com.au/maps?hl=en&tab=wl

    25. Good night / evening to Scorps and assorted lurkers. One of my favourite romantic orchestral pieces:

    26. And good evening to your good self. Looks like those visits to the sleep doctor are paying dividends.

      Even allowing for daylight saving, this is an early one for you! 😉

    27. Sturm und Drang.. Nacht und Nebel.
      I notice someone mentioned Sloane. They are actually a an ugly lot, of the same ilk are Robb and Sinodinis, with other market zealots like Sharman Stone in the background. Then are the hollow rattling noise machines, Brandeis, Joyce, Pyne, Morrison Bernardi and Frydenberg and discredited hacks like Brough. Finally, there are the unelected members, Murdoch, Stonehart, Loughnane, Credlin and the maniacs from IPA, CIS and rightists lobby groups.
      Nice prospects, indeed.

    28. Also, well done Leroy Lynch for the CBA surveillance scabbery. When we think Surveilance, we think NSA and the Tea Party.

    29. Their latest excitement seems to be a promised ‘reveal all’ about June 2010 from Bruce Hawker.

      So Hawker’s writing a book, no prizes for guessing that his aim is to absolve his hero of any responsibility for the election defeat.

    30. Apparently the book, called “The Rudd Rebellion” promises this:

      The campaign diaries of Mr Rudd’s political adviser will tell the story of the former prime minister’s removal from the top job in June 2010 through to the September 7 election this year, when Labor’s six years in government ended.

      Mr Hawker also examines the role of News Corp Australia’s newspapers, the portrayal of former prime minister Julia Gillard and the issue of Labor party reform.

      The book’s release will come just a week out from the first sitting of federal parliament since the coalition’s election victory.

      May it go straight to the bargain bin.

    33. AJ,
      Re Adam Smith’s likely (certain ? ) preference for carbon pricing over direct (in)action, don’t expect the IPA to draw attention to one of the great man’s quotations:

      “People of the same trade seldom meet together, even for merriment and diversion, but the conversation ends in a conspiracy against the public, or in some contrivance to raise prices.”

      Canvassing an issue that was raised over the weekend, I think the appropriate nick for the current lamentable occupant of the office of PM, can surely be drawn from his initials TA, which in most bureaucracies stands for Travel Allowance. Henceforth, I will use the appelation Mr Travel Allowance.

    37. Scorpio,
      Yes, but I woke up. Going back to sleep now because this silly jumpy keyboard is driving me nuts.

    39. http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/labor-set-to-bury-carbon-tax-20131028-2wc8m.html

      Stupid article that tells us nothing new. At first I thought Shorten was seriously considering surrendering but really it’s just “Labor is considering the bills”.

      Mind you, if it turns out that Labor says “Alright, Tony, we give up, we’ll repeal it with no amendments but we’ll watch your DAP closely” as the article suggests, then that’ll probably be it for the federal party for me. Being pissweak and abandoning its legacy without a fight only gives them a long stay in opposition.

    44. If the ALP play their cards right, they should be able to drive Abbott crazy. Lull him into thinking the CT will be repealed and then, sorry mate, we can’t do that.

    45. If the ALP does go through with this then Christine Milne should give them a very big thank you present for saving her and her party from the scrapheap.

    46. Newspoll Coalition 56% ALP 44% Tony highest approval rating 47% vers his Afghan trip buddy of 27%. He sure is teflon Tony all the travel rorts, stuff ups straight out lies and nothing sticks to him. I have been waiting for Karma to strike but his invisible friend is still working.

    47. Excuse me, but why are the ABC running a speech by the man who most clearly identified his business with getting rid of Labor by any means – fair or (mostly) foul) – LIVE on prime time TV?

      It is, in effect, rewarding him.

      His company is in disgrace, his employees are on trial, but here… he is treated like a prince.

      More like a prince of thieves if you ask me.

      It’s toadying, pure and simple.

    48. What were the last three years about?

      Certainly not carbon pricing, it seems.

      The photo today of two Jesuit boys, Abbott and Shorten, playing soldiers, did not aid my digestion.

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