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brightlywovenI have been following, with increasing glee, the Australian political situation, and the current state of play is quite delicious.
Some background: In 1996, Labour (PM Bob Hawke, immortalised in the Turf Tavern, followed by Paul Keating, the self styled 'Placido Domingo of Australian politics) lost government. At that point, great changes were afoot. 200 years too late, the government had recognised the legal lie on which white settlement was based, and legislated to enshrine (some) land rights of the indigenous people. A partnership called the 'reconciliation' group were trying to build bridges. The Australian government was making links with Asian neighbours and trying to be a good local citizen. A referendum on the monarchy/becoming a republic was not far away.
In 1996 John Howard became PM. His promise? To deliver a 'relaxed and comfortable' country. He overturned land rights rulings by the high court, and he refused (many times) to apologise as the head of government for the government's role in systematically taking indigenous children from their parents. When an independent member of the lower house began making speeches about 'hordes of Asian immigration' and 'preferential treatment of Aboriginals', he made her rhetoric his, and suddenly we were going backwards. Howards minister for Indigenous Affairs referred to Aboriginal people as 'the lowest rung on the evolutionary ladder', and mocked them for not having invented the wheel (in a desert country).
The list of awful things that have happened in the 11 years of his government is so very long. He has sold out on every principle for the sole purpose of hanging on to power. He has undermined the independence of the press, the national broadcaster, the High Court, the Public Service (who now spend most of there time putting spin on Wikkipedia articles!). He has lied time and again (coining the phrase 'that was a non-core promise'), lying so many times that people expect it. No-one, it seems, was surprised when it became clear that the PM and his defence minister had knowingly lied in their story that 'asylum seekers had thrown their children overboard to force our soldiers to rescue them.' He championed a policy where asylum seekers are locked in prisons (children included), first in the desert, and now overseas. He has increased federal funding to private hospitals and private schools, allowing public services to decline.
And in all of this, he has become increasingly popular. It has boggled the mind. People *know* they are being lied to - about Iraq, about asylum seekers, about government policy - and they don't care. This is a man who stands for nothing except his own power. And 12 months ago, he looked unstoppable as he raised his hand to fight a fifth election.
Something, however, has happened. The new Labour leader has done what his 3 predecessors in opposition could not: got attention. People listen to him. President Hu listened to him last week, as he addressed the APEC conference in Mandarin. He's 2 decades younger than Howard and energised.
More than this though, is that Howard is suddenly on the nose. All year, polls have been worsening. Howard now appears to be struggling to retain his own seat (on current polling he will lose it to an ABC journalise). In this last week, we saw Howard's own cabinet almost turn on him. This is significant, because Howards logic defying success has seen him somewhat deifed by his party. They see him as unstoppable, so no-one has wanted to see leadership change. His deputy, who was promised a hand-over in the 3rd term, has looked increasingly desparate as it becomes clear that Howard will *never ever* go of his own accord, and has been consistently too popular to be pushed. Yet in this last week, when the Foreign minister was asked to 'sound out feeling' on his leadership, not one member of Cabinet would say they wanted him to stay.
Every day the Australian press reports still more shambolic displays of desperation. The election must be called before the end of the year, and with each poll things look worse for the government. After 4 painful elections (the last two seen in utter despair), I am finally allowing myself to hope. Even to dream that Howard, the man who has disregarded all values in clinging to power, will go out in the most ignominious way possible - losing his own seat, as well as his government.
And if this sounds like schadenfreude, I will say this: over 11 years, I've become increasingly ashamed of my country. Howard has chosen the worst aspects of its people to reflect. He has made it backward and insular looking. He has made it a place where opportunity belongs only to the rich (and hopefully white). I do believe that an evil leader can make a people evil. I want to see my country heal.
Some background: In 1996, Labour (PM Bob Hawke, immortalised in the Turf Tavern, followed by Paul Keating, the self styled 'Placido Domingo of Australian politics) lost government. At that point, great changes were afoot. 200 years too late, the government had recognised the legal lie on which white settlement was based, and legislated to enshrine (some) land rights of the indigenous people. A partnership called the 'reconciliation' group were trying to build bridges. The Australian government was making links with Asian neighbours and trying to be a good local citizen. A referendum on the monarchy/becoming a republic was not far away.
In 1996 John Howard became PM. His promise? To deliver a 'relaxed and comfortable' country. He overturned land rights rulings by the high court, and he refused (many times) to apologise as the head of government for the government's role in systematically taking indigenous children from their parents. When an independent member of the lower house began making speeches about 'hordes of Asian immigration' and 'preferential treatment of Aboriginals', he made her rhetoric his, and suddenly we were going backwards. Howards minister for Indigenous Affairs referred to Aboriginal people as 'the lowest rung on the evolutionary ladder', and mocked them for not having invented the wheel (in a desert country).
The list of awful things that have happened in the 11 years of his government is so very long. He has sold out on every principle for the sole purpose of hanging on to power. He has undermined the independence of the press, the national broadcaster, the High Court, the Public Service (who now spend most of there time putting spin on Wikkipedia articles!). He has lied time and again (coining the phrase 'that was a non-core promise'), lying so many times that people expect it. No-one, it seems, was surprised when it became clear that the PM and his defence minister had knowingly lied in their story that 'asylum seekers had thrown their children overboard to force our soldiers to rescue them.' He championed a policy where asylum seekers are locked in prisons (children included), first in the desert, and now overseas. He has increased federal funding to private hospitals and private schools, allowing public services to decline.
And in all of this, he has become increasingly popular. It has boggled the mind. People *know* they are being lied to - about Iraq, about asylum seekers, about government policy - and they don't care. This is a man who stands for nothing except his own power. And 12 months ago, he looked unstoppable as he raised his hand to fight a fifth election.
Something, however, has happened. The new Labour leader has done what his 3 predecessors in opposition could not: got attention. People listen to him. President Hu listened to him last week, as he addressed the APEC conference in Mandarin. He's 2 decades younger than Howard and energised.
More than this though, is that Howard is suddenly on the nose. All year, polls have been worsening. Howard now appears to be struggling to retain his own seat (on current polling he will lose it to an ABC journalise). In this last week, we saw Howard's own cabinet almost turn on him. This is significant, because Howards logic defying success has seen him somewhat deifed by his party. They see him as unstoppable, so no-one has wanted to see leadership change. His deputy, who was promised a hand-over in the 3rd term, has looked increasingly desparate as it becomes clear that Howard will *never ever* go of his own accord, and has been consistently too popular to be pushed. Yet in this last week, when the Foreign minister was asked to 'sound out feeling' on his leadership, not one member of Cabinet would say they wanted him to stay.
Every day the Australian press reports still more shambolic displays of desperation. The election must be called before the end of the year, and with each poll things look worse for the government. After 4 painful elections (the last two seen in utter despair), I am finally allowing myself to hope. Even to dream that Howard, the man who has disregarded all values in clinging to power, will go out in the most ignominious way possible - losing his own seat, as well as his government.
And if this sounds like schadenfreude, I will say this: over 11 years, I've become increasingly ashamed of my country. Howard has chosen the worst aspects of its people to reflect. He has made it backward and insular looking. He has made it a place where opportunity belongs only to the rich (and hopefully white). I do believe that an evil leader can make a people evil. I want to see my country heal.