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The far-right agenda of the Turnbull government strikes again

By Loz Lawrey

The Australian well of public debate has been truly poisoned by the hatred, bigotry and racism spewed forth daily by right-wing commentators and politicians.

Now the ABC has succumbed to their onslaught of unthinking vitriol over a well intended Anzac Day post by broadcaster Yassmin Abdel-Mageid and terminated her excellent Australia wide program.

The most disgusting aspect of this whole affair lies in the fact that Yassmin’s call for our Anzac Day remembrance to include other victims of war cast no disrespect towards either our veterans, our fallen, or their survivors.

We’re happy for Vietnam veterans to march on Anzac Day. Why not remember other victims of war as well, at the same time?

It is clear that the howling wolf-pack of haters calling for Yassmin’s sacking are driven by Islamophobia and racism.

Today Australia’s ABC has shed its mantle of decency, fairness and inclusion.

Today we face the reality that our most trusted source of reliable news and information, our beloved ABC, has been stolen from us by the same toxic far right agenda which underpins everything the Turnbull government does.

Our very democracy is being subverted and dismantled before our eyes as Australia under the Coalition government becomes a nastier, less tolerant and overtly racist nation.

On Turnbull’s watch, how much more global shame must we endure?

The public comments from the sociopathic Immigation Minister Dutton calling for further sackings clearly demonstrate the foul unbalanced (one might say insane) attitudes promoted daily on 2GB radio, which is the amplifier of every far right idiot’s hatred.

Let’s face it, this disgusting government wants to privatise the ABC and turn it into another 2GB.

Then Australia can truly reflect the quality of its leaders and be the disgusting nation they want it to become, an intolerant nation of unthinking bigots which has lost sight of its own humanity.

 

20 comments

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  1. Freethinker

    Loz, you are not going to see people in the streets defending ABC, we have the government with an ideology that the majority of people support.
    The only that people (majority)do not agree with the government is what can affect their back pocket.
    That it is the sad reality

  2. Christian Marx

    The problem is that Australia is full of f$ckwits. They love to hate minorities.
    A decent, compassionate society would have rejected the LNP outright and Murdoch
    would have zero readership.

  3. helvityni

    … why doesn’t Mal also tell Dutton and Hanson and others not to preach hate…? Does he think that is OK for Aussie- born to preach hate…not that Yassmin ever did that….

    Finally he has to stand up to convictions, if he has any… He’s no toddler who defends himself by say saying, Jack, Tom and Dick made me do it, or say it…And then proudly and loudly repeat the new naughty word: F**k.

  4. havanaliedown

    “our beloved ABC, has been stolen from us by the same toxic far right agenda”… then you won’t mind if it’s defunded by 90%?

  5. Glenn K

    having recently moved to France after living in Australia for 30 years, I am struck by the intelligence of the political debate in the country. Probably more to the point, I am struck by how infantile it is in Australia. The defining difference I can make out through my early impressions is the intelligence of the press coverage here in France. Yes, I know the “gotcha moments” gets coverage (and that’s all Australia see’s of France), but that is such a small part of it here. Australia’s problem? the news reporting. Someone like Dutton or Hanson would be savaged here and their political careers would die a very quick death. Australia does not have a legitimate MSM. Thank you Murdoch.

  6. helvityni

    Glenn K, before my daughter started University, she did the usual travelling year; she could not get over how much more politically savvy the French students were compared to Oz students…they also new their literature and had opinions about things that matter….

  7. havanaliedown

    Our public education system is woeful – it’s a dumbed-down Leftist indoctrination retard factory, presided over by militant unionist bureaucrats, and good-for-nothing-else low-IQ teachers. The education begins when you escape their morlock grasp.

  8. Rezblah

    Such a shame the last guard did the so called ‘professional’ thing and opted for self preservation in the industry and a quiet departure without ruffling any feathers. Too bad they couldnt have gone down swinging and aired every piece of dirty laundry this obscene government flaps about on a daily basis, a daily demand for abbot to prove he isn’t a dual citizen would have been a good start, but it’s too late now.

    At least there’s Netflix and chill

  9. babyjewels10

    I liked this conversation on the ABC Facebook page. Names removed. “I guess this is a good life lesson and Yassmin will move on, free speech is OK, but when it is offensive there should be appropriate consequences.
    Like · Reply · 12 · Yesterday at 18:07

    So even if that same free speech offends Muslims? Will there be consequences for that?
    Like · Reply · 2 · 5 hrs”

    I thought the reply nailed it.

  10. susan

    helvityni, I think your daughter needs to meet a larger cross section of French people. They show all the same hatreds of minorities as we do.

  11. helvityni

    susan, I thought it was the young people who voted for the centrist, progressive Macron , and NOT for Le Pen, the hard right-winger who is anti immigration, anti EU….and god knows what else.

  12. Terry2

    So, what do you think Quadrant should do about Roger Franklin, the guy who wrote about the Manchester bombing and lamenting that it wasn’t the ABC ?

    When it comes to free speech I tend to come from the camp that would say, I may not agree with what you say but I will defend, in a democracy, your right to say it.
    Unfortunately that approach has been tainted by the 18C debate where the Right wanted the freedom to make racist and bigoted remarks with no consequences which to me tended to be a backward step as those who are racially targeted frequently are minorities with few if any defences beyond the RDA.

    The Yassmin Abdel-Magied comments on Anzac day really were not offensive to anybody and they did remind us of injustices in other parts of the world including close to home on Manus and Nauru. If Yassmin was sacked for this it is a travesty of natural justice and is totally unjustified.

    Quadrant have said that Roger Franklin has been counselled and will not be sacked. But, I wonder, does he understand that there are out there from the loony Right those who would think that concealing a bomb in the Q&A studios would be a legitimate protest. Why does Franklin call for balance when what he wants is a right-wing dominated forum and how the hell can you invite a group of authors and thinkers attending the Sydney Writers’ Festival onto a Q&A forum and tell them that they must be balanced – if the were balanced they would be boring.

    I think what we need to do is have a Q&A forum dedicated to discussing free speech and invite the likes of Roger Franklin, Yassmin Abdel-magied and perhaps Peter Dutton and others and let’s hear all sides of this fraught discussion and, inevitably in this context, balance is essential as clearly we have two opposing camps with very fixed opinions. Perhaps that balance could be achieved with the likes of Philip Adams and Germaine Greer.

  13. Matters Not

    Terry2, re ‘free speech’. Clearly Dutton doesn’t like it – except at a superficial level in line with his party’s stance. But he gets away with his bullshit because the MSM allow him to do just that.

    As for Phillip Adams, I think you will find that he advocates the removal of 18C using the rationale that it’s better to let them vomit here, there and everywhere so we know what they really think and then we can judge them accordingly. I suspect that Greer is of a similar view.

  14. johnyperth.

    I saw Paul Barry talk about when it happen on Media Watch. Paul has declared himself as a small “L.” Paul said that was in very bad taste, and, she had made her point of view on the wrong day. He also said that she has said sorry, and, had deleted it!! He then said, that, this is the far right are fighting for regarding free speach. He also said that she was using her freadom of speach. Then, he said, let’s hope this is the ednd of it, and, he hopes that s keeps her show!!! As far as closing down Q&A, I think it will cause uproar throught the coumunity!!!!

  15. Graham Parton

    I remember at the time that ANZAC day wasn’t the right time to talk about victims of war. So when will it be ok?

  16. Glenn Barry

    Hey, for balnace, they put Nikki Savva on Q&A with the writers – whomever did that has a wonderfully wicked sense of humour and I enjoyed watching her drown

  17. totaram

    Good to see everyone ignores “havana” trying to stir the pot. Correct approach. I’m sure it will succeed in the long run.

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