Today’s Guest Poster is Paul G. Dellit, from The Australian Independent Media Network. It is a good summary much of what many us have been thinking and saying for a long time.
(Image Credit: Otiose94)
Well, we may well have reached the tipping point between genuine democracy in Australia and the beginnings of creeping fascism. You may think this to be one of those ‘shock-horror’ attention-grabbing opening sentences. It is. And I also believe it to be an unalloyed statement of the danger we now face.
History is littered with hindsight surprise that those with power and those who might have opposed those with power didn’t take action to avoid an obviously looming disaster. Of course, the ‘loomingness’ of disasters is often not appreciated by its contemporaries. It would be naïve to expect otherwise. Couldn’t they see that the South Sea Bubble would burst? Couldn’t they see that a grossly overheated investment market populated with stocks that were either massively overvalued or worthless would result in ever-widening ripples of market failures and a worldwide Great Depression. Couldn’t they see you don’t fix Depressions by reducing the size of economies. Obviously they couldn’t see any of those things. And with the dawning optimism of a new century, they couldn’t even remember them, or if they could, they were playing that ‘main chance’ game of ‘I’ll make what I can make out of this and bugger all of the rest of them who lose the lot’.
Prime Minister Abbott and his acolytes, Ministers Dutton and Morrison, propose the passing of a law that would create a precedent for the end of the rule of law in this country. It would invest a Minister with the powers of policeman, judge and jury to act upon an untested suspicion of guilt to deprive an Australian of his/her citizenship. Following current LNP practice, the reasons for stripping someone of their citizenship would be deemed secret for security reasons. So this Ministerial power would be exercised covertly and absolutely beyond judicial or other form of independent review. The Minister would be required to form his suspicions on the basis of the intelligence provided to him. The name Dr. Haneef immediately springs to mind. But even if our security organisations and the foreign security organisations with whom they trade information were as infallible as our PM believes the Pope to be, and even if they had no self-interested agendas, the Minister invested with this power could exercise it to suit his own ends – say, just before an election – to manufacture a terrorist scare and then appear to be the ‘man of the hour’ who restores our peace of mind (coincidentally winning the votes of a few more undecided Alan Jones listeners to save his marginal seat).
The proponents of changing Australia from a common law country, based upon the separation of powers, to rule by ministerial fiat, as their proposal would enable through the precedent it would establish, argue that they are honourable men who would exercise their new powers dispassionately, wisely, and in the public interest. Of course, this is irrelevant. Laws are not made to fit the character of current holders of high office. They are intended to safeguard against, as far as possible, abuse by those who are partisan, stupid, and prone to act in their own self-interest.
The proposed new law deliberately excludes those safeguards.
Consequently, we need some way of ensuring that the current and all subsequent Ministers, thus empowered, will ensure the intelligence they receive is impeccable, and will interpret that intelligence dispassionately, wisely, and in the public interest.
So let’s run an eye over the proponents of the new law, just for starters.
Malcolm Fraser considered Tony Abbott to be perhaps the most dangerous politician in Australian history. You may have thought that a little hyperbolic. I did. There can be little doubt that our current Prime Minister is the least equipped for high office since Sir William McMahon. And the record also shows that Prime Minister Abbott was able to pass through one of Australia’s finest schools and one of England’s finest universities untouched by exposure to academic research methods, the principles of logic and dispassionate evaluation, the values-free acquisition of knowledge, and even by the evidence that compassion and empathy are fundamental to social cohesion. It is apparent that his academic success is based upon often uncomprehended rote learning, the way he learned and then recited his Catechism as a small child. These are flaws in the makeup of the man that speak to his lack of intelligence and general incompetence.
But as we began to see in the run up to the most recent election, and as more information about Tony Abbott’s past was revealed, we began to understand that Malcolm Fraser’s assessment of him was, if anything, an understatement. We began to see his pathological need to win, we read of his violence against a woman when he lost, we observed his relentless, dishonest, misogynistic attacks upon Julia Gillard as part of his strategy to win office, we heard the litany of lies he told to win office, and the lies he has told about lying and about anything else to suit his purpose, after he had won office.
How could we ever contemplate granting power without safeguards to a person with such a pathological need to win, to get his own way, and to retain power regardless of the consequences for anyone else? Can we imagine Peter Dutton having the stomach to independently exercise his discretion against the wishes of Tony Abbott? It wouldn’t matter if he did. Tony Abbott has the Captain’s right to sack him and bestow that office upon himself if he needed to to get his own way. And can we imagine Scott Morrison doing anything that would compromise his leadership ambitions? Smug self-satisfaction was his only reaction to the human tragedy unfolding daily as the result of the exercise of his Ministerial discretion?
It was some small relief to know that the more intelligent members of Cabinet objected to the extreme Abbott proposal that second generation Australians could be stripped of their citizenship based on nothing more than a Minister’s suspicion, as we have said, covertly exercised and beyond judicial or other independent review.
But now, two thirds of the LNP Back Bench have signed a letter in support of the proposed Abbott law. They may be distinguished as a group for being considered not good enough to serve on the most incompetent Front Bench since Federation, but they may just give Tony the support he needs to make another ‘Captain’s Call’.
If Prime Minister Abbott does cross this Rubicon, so will Australia and God help Australian democracy when Ministers of any stripe use the precedent set by this law to expand its operation into other aspects of our lives to suit their own personal ends.
THE PUB 
I did vote Greens for the Senate, once. Kerry Tucker was very good.
No more.
Not a whisper about Broomhilda.
Broomhilda gets more protection than the orange bellied parrot!
BK,
She was made to
endureenjoy nine minutes of Tony Burke this arvo.duck
And wasn’t he in good form!
Dan Tehan on 7.5 supporting his boss to the hilt. Looks like a frog in slowly heating water.
BK,
I didn’t see what the Gibbon had to say but it seems he did OK as well.
Pitiful Pyne was, well, pitiful.
This little black duck
I imagine Broomhilda did a Mrs Richards.
Oh dear, the Brussels Sprout drew the short straw to be on 7.25.
duck
I saw J FitzGibbon. He was fairly emotional in making his points.
kaffeeklatscher,
Broomhilda deliberately turned off the hearing-enhancement device. Only woke up when Tony Burke sat down.
BK,
He wanted a cuppa with Bronnie, who wanted the whole party at a Mad Hatter’s.
2gravel:
I was amazed when they voted against the CPRS. I still am. After all the talk about how urgent it was to act immediately, they blockaded the first chance this country had to do something. I get that they didn’t like the way the Rudd government negotiated (or failed to negotiate), but there was never a sense with them that the need to act was bigger than the politics. Which was their stated position. And I’m still furious that they actually sat and voted against it rather than simply abstaining. That one act resonated down the line and is probably directly responsible for the fact that we now have Direct Action, because it was the foothold the LNP needed to bugger up the whole idea of acting on climate change.
They destroyed any chance of treating refugees humanely too. They virtually applauded the hand wringing and fake tears of the likes of Hockey and Keenan, and managed to turn the whole country against the ALP. When you’ve got the Greens attacking you from one side, and the LNP attacking you from both sides (too harsh on AS and too soft on border protection at the same time?) – AND you have the Greens cheerleading the wedge the LNP are creating – you can’t possibly come up with a workable AS policy position.
I would love the Greens to be a proper environmentalist party. I would love them to take sides on issues and simply work with whichever party is being more sensible (because that party would always be the ALP). I would love the Greens to be outcomes-based. But they refuse to do any of that, and they grandstand whenever they get the chance. So I don’t like them, even as I find myself in sympathy with a lot of their positions.
kaffeeklatscher,
I can never get enough of Mrs Richards, aka C K Watt.
Aguirre,
The Greens do “no loaf better than half a loaf’ and exit stage right, pretending to be miffed.
This little black duck
I do not usually like seeing a program/movie more than once , the novelty has worn off , I know what is going to happen . But by golly Fawlty Towers episodes never fail to make me larf.
Will Risdale bring down Pell?
Ducky – Yes they do. It’s an abuse of the pivotal position they’ve held, and it sets our country back. But they keep getting applauded for it.
I think those 13 episodes of Fawlty Towers have the tightest scripts of any comedy.
Kaffee
I made the mistake of voting Dems in the senate regarding the GST. I only heard their propaganda about not voting for any of it. Never again. I’ve never voted for any other party before or since, except Labor.
Aguirre
I like the way you understand what I need to hear in clear words. I know I asked the question rhetorically, but I do appreciate all the responses I have had.
duck
I have just this minute started watching the remastered Fawlty Towers with commentary by John Cleese.
Thanks 2gravel. I find the Greens very frustrating.
BK
BK,
Exactly what does remastering does (apart from reducing the video tape noise of the original)?
Lovin’ watching Ingurland bowling to NZ’s tail end Charlies. 20 off the last over.
Teh Greens are not frustrating; just wannabees best ignored except when they come in useful.
I’ve just started watching the whole series again, Sat was Melbray, Sun was Orelly men and tonight will be Polly in a green tank top.
kk,
Southee certainly is smiting.
Funny how we in the Antipodes’ tails wag when they have to. No one else seems to tell their lower order that they can actually score.
Gillespie, and McGrath to a lesser extent ( 😀 ), just blew the oppos away when it came to it.
Mrs Richards,
Not a single actor did a bad job.
The sign-writers were gems, too.
That SSM bill won’t get up; not this year nor for as long as the bastards are in government. It is a Labor initiative and the Noalition will not wear it.
Must be time for the Kiwis to declare. Michael Clarke would. Is Gollum up for it?
This little black duck
When it comes to tails unwagging nothing could beat Bruce Reid’s effort vs NZ in Tassie way back when. Needing about 1 run to win/draw in the last over of a 1 dayer he managed to fail to connect bat to ball 6 times in a row.
kaffeeklatscher,
Funny how no bowler does “if you miss I hit” these days.
The Bedsers, Stathams and Lindwalls are long gone.
It was a bid sad Ray Lindwall bowling an off-break on his last ball in a test match, at the Adelaide Oval.
On the other hand, it was the sign of a bloke who wasn’t up himself.
This little black duck
Reading some of the pomgolian commentators reports they have mentioned several time their GRRRR ! at how few balls their bowlers are on the stumps.
Tail now going the slog.
Should have declared earlier, Gollum!
If Gollum thinks the Poms can score 450 in five sessions …
This little black duck
Declaration 60 seconds ago.
Declared. 30 – 60 minutes too late, son!
TLBD
The trainspotterism of cricket stats people never ceases to amaze me. Just up on the Beeb’s blog was Matt Henry hitting a 6 made him the 8th player in the NZ innings to hit a 6 and in doing so set a test record.
kaffeeklatscher,
The Yanks would love it.
We have the beauty of cricket: the Americans just have statistics.
You don’t hear much about a gentleman by the name of Jack Iverson. Have you? Check him out, especially about his grip on the ball.
Doesn’t it sound a tad strange a Dane being charmed by cricket?
The Danes favour football.
Why do I like cricket? Don’t know, really. Just let me go on. Cricket is a game of languid progress interspersed with a second of intense drama (ball is bowled) followed immediately a batsman reaction. It is that moment that makes the game explosive. He makes a decision, good or wrong, then the ball goes on its way, on the stumps, in the air, along the grass or over the boundary. The fielders react and, through high endeavour at times, grasp the ball, throw it and hope for a run-out. On more felicitous occasions,the fielder will catch the ball and relegate the batsmen to his sombre visit to the pavilion. Then, calm is restored and the bowler returns to his mark.
I’m no C B Fry but you may get what I mean to say.
From James J at PB…
Newspoll
52-48 2PP to Labor
Primaries: Coalition 41, Labor 37, Greens 13
Abbott: Satisfied 38, Dissatisfied 53
Shorten: Satisfied 32, Dissatisfied 50
Better PM: Abbott 41, Shorten 37
1169 sample, May 28-31
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-06-01/former-victorian-premier-joan-kirner-dies/6513086
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/ua-sticks-by-from-fee-deregulation/story-e6frgcjx-1227377664966 no paywall
http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/deregulating-university-fees-not-essential–barney-glover-20150531-ghcu5h.html
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jun/01/the-government-is-a-bigger-obstacle-to-justice-for-victims-than-george-pell
http://www.themonthly.com.au/the-monthly-today/sean-kelly/2015/01/2015/1433137640/gay-marriage-bill
http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/vermont-says-no-to-the-anti-vaccine-movement
Fairfax does weird things sometimes. Like hiding news.
This afternoon they ran this story about the government ignoring Shorten’s SSM bill – not in their main news sites but on their Daily Life page, a place usually reserved for fluff, not political news.
Coalition missing as Bill Shorten introduces his same-sex marriage bill to parliament
http://www.dailylife.com.au/news-and-views/news-features/coalition-missing-as-bill-shorten-introduces-his-samesex-marriage-bill-to-parliament-20150601-ghe3uq.html
This evening the same piece, with a different title, some added graphics and a few tweaks had made it to the real political news section of the SMH and the other Fairfax sites.
Bill Shorten’s same-sex marriage bill introduced to half-full Parliament chamber
http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/bill-shortens-samesex-marriage-bill-introduced-to-halffull-parliament-chamber-20150601-ghdxi7.html
Leone,
And then there are protection rackets . . .
Tribute to the sadly late and very great Joan Kirner:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-06-01/julia-gillard-joins-leaders-in-paying-tribute-to-joan-kirner/6513378
kk
Fortunately a shipwright thought to have the patch weighed before it was applied.
Plenty of work required on the ballast systems to make it ‘truck’ OK in heavy seas.
Glamorgan did a lot of unglamorous work in the Falklands – both direct gun fire support and some aimed to divert the Argentinians.
Despite just having a major refit she was still floating after the fuss ended but buggered. When she was sold even the Chilean Navy couldn’t fix her (if they couldn’t no one could).