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Is Scott Morrison a Donald Trump lite?

Donald Trump and Scott Morrison have much in common.

Their policies and decisions show them both to be opinionated, self-centred, dangerously narcissistic and lacking in empathy.

Trump, as President of the USA, till now, a major world power, has more power in his own country than an Australian Prime Minister, for whom Cabinet’s backing is required – although Congress can still veto some of Trump’s Presidential decrees.

COVID-19 has been a godsend for Morrison, because it gave him the opportunity to cancel sittings of Parliament, and, now that sittings have resumed, his small but sufficient majority in the House enables all motions stating “I move that the speaker can no longer be heard” to be waved through, to stifle discussion points being raised by the Opposition.

This is destroying whatever vestige of democracy might have survived after 7+ years of Coalition rule, and is turning Morrison into a petty dictator.

Worse; because his majority is wafer thin, he cannot afford to call out the idiots in his ranks, truly moulded in Trump’s image, and including the Deputy Prime Minister, no less, who spout insane and dangerous lies and conspiracy theories.

Morrison’s National Cabinet served the purpose of his being able to claim credit for any worthwhile policies agreed to, while passing national responsibility for issues like quarantine – for which the Federal government is responsible – onto the states and territories, brushing aside the appalling level of deaths in Aged Care accommodation – again a Federal responsibility – and generally doing little but appearing to be in charge.

Because of Trump, the USA has experienced a massive loss of respect from the rest of the world.

Recent events have brought out very clearly the extent to which Trump’s Presidency has been a total disaster.

Because of Morrison and his stubborn refusal to properly review his policies on emissions reductions, Australia is also losing respect in the developed world.

The economy should be the servant of the citizens – instead of which, the Coalition government, under Morrison, puts the economy front and centre in its world, subsidises major fossil fuel companies, financially assists businesses more generously than human beings and is responsible for turning the gap between rich and poor into a chasm.

Interestingly, many businesses – apart from the fossil fuel related ones, of course! – are doing much better than the government at moving to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.

But how much more effective might that be if it was properly backed by government.

Morrison claims to keep his religion apart from his role in government, but many are wondering – and I do not want to embrace another conspiracy theory! – whether his belief that the faithful will enjoy some glorious extension of life in the embrace of the almighty – the ‘rapture’ – results in his disregard of the need to intervene to help undo the damage mankind is doing to our climate.

Today was the 50th consecutive Wednesday of my self-imposed, 2-hour weekly vigil à la Greta Thunberg (only I cannot sit on the steps!) outside the NT Parliament House, talking to all who stop by about the need for action on global warming. Many do not stop but give me the thumb’s up sign or wave. A minority go to great pains to not see me!

The Speaker has given me permission to be there, has approved a party – for which she will provide a cake – on 27 January 2021, the end of my first full year of activism, and, today, her PA came to see me and discuss arrangements.

We have a Labor government but, sadly, following the moratorium on fracking before the last election, it is being allowed. Stringent conditions are supposed to be met, but if it is discovered that they have been breached, will the damage be reparable?

Please don’t just bewail the failings of governments.

All that I have said here has been said by others before me.

We know what should be happening.

It is up to us to keep the pressure on until it does. I shall be 85 on Saturday and I aim to continue my vigil until policies change. I do not want to die on the job!

Please do your part to make others realise that policy change is vital and delay dooms the future of all life on earth.

Don’t you, also, care about your  – or other people’s – grandchildren and their children?

 

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16 comments

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  1. Andrew J. Smith

    Unfortunately Australia has been heading in this direction, a nation for whingeing old white men and women (plus too many young fogeys), after a now brief interlude in the ’80s-’90s with a fairly good reputation and even cool brand.

    It’s not just the pro fossil fuel, anti environmental measures and white nativism, it’s been the hollowing out, consolidation and ownership of institutions by external influencers.

    Including and especially Liberal/National Parties and media led by NewsCorp with think tanks piping in US nativist libertarian ideology backgrounded by and catering to ageing, less educated and monocultural electors, to win power.

    My barometer has been mostly German friends, some moved to Australia (Sydney) years ago, but not only are they now contemplating a return to Europe, their own friends are no longer interested in visiting Oz seeing it from the outside as simply a very conservative US satellite readily open to Trump etc. ideas. with nice beaches and interesting wild life.

    Morrison is simply another sympton of the white Christian conservative nationalist PR imagery that has been adopted by the powers that be to be their front or sock puppet.

  2. RosemaryJ36

    I do not believe in giving up!

  3. Keitha Granville

    happy birthday.

    Religion pervades every essence of this PMs life, and therefore ours. It is a disgrace.

  4. RosemaryJ36

    Thank you Keitha!

  5. Michael Taylor

    Happy birthday for Saturday, Rosemary.

    You’re a damn tough fighter. We need more of you.

  6. pierre wilkinson

    Good on you Rosemary, wish there were more like you.
    ps Morrison has now installed over 50% of his cabinet as fellow pentacostals,
    so much for keeping religion out of politics

  7. Geoff Andrews

    No comment necessary on a rhetorical question, Rosemary.

  8. Matters Not

    Re:

    ps Morrison has now installed over 50% of his cabinet as fellow pentacostals,

    Really? Would you have a link for that? Names and supporting evidence preferred. Here’s a genuine starter. (And please – not to an earlier claim and ‘link’ on this site that simply didn’t check out.) Wouldn’t want nonsense spread would we? Here’s a link that demonstrates the problem with … Bull shit

    .https://www.eternitynews.com.au/australia/mythbusting-a-leftwing-conspiracy-theory-about-hillsong/

  9. Jack Cade

    The best one-word description for Scott Morrison is ‘pecksniff’. although it sums him up perfectly, unfortunately it lacks the punch of all other pejoratives..

  10. RosemaryJ36

    Thanks, Michael. I am crossing my fingers for a good turn-out and some publicity on 27 January – and no rain!

  11. ajogrady

    Jack Cade.

    I like the description of Morrison as a gish galloper that is:
    Gish Gallop is a technique, named after the creationist Duane Gish who employed it, whereby someone argues a cause by hurling as many different half-truths and no-truths into a very short space of time so that their opponent cannot hope to combat each point in real time.

  12. ajogrady

    Re: Morrison has now installed over 50% of his cabinet as fellow pentacostals,
    Could Morrison be using believers rather then critical thinkers to shore up his leadership? This might also explain why,
    Religion is the advertising agency for a unproven and non existent product.
    For some, religion is the cloak they wear to disguise their evil and corrupt behaviour.
    Religion is the curse that stalks the gullible, the weak and the vulnerable in other words the poor that in turn are manipulated by the wealthy for for their own ends. Blind faith is responsible for the elimination of reason and logic from those afflicted with the belief in false promises whilst living in a fools paradise. It is fallacious by definition and a curse not a cure for what are mankind’s failings.

  13. Matters Not

    ajogrady – the evidence is that Morrison hasn’tinstalled over 50% of his cabinet as fellow pentacostals. But because people believe what they want to believe that crap will no doubt join the list of urban myths propagated on a regular basis.

    It’s akin to Indue being owned by the National Party to which (supposedly) large donations are made. While there’s not a shred of evidence to support the claim, (no donations, no ownership) that doesn’t stop people believing that nonsense. And regurgitating same at every opportunity.

    Thus we shouldn’t be too critical of Murdoch when he does exactly that. People believe what they want to believe. No critical consciousness evident. And some wonder why we get the governments we do.

  14. ajogrady

    Matters Not.
    If it is not 50% then what percentage is it? And is this percentage ratio a fair and true reflection of the Australian electorate?

  15. Matters Not

    ajogrady – Logic 101 demands that a person making any claim should provide the evidence. Don’t demand that one should disprove the existence of Santa Claus. Or prove there is no God. Or that 2 plus 2 equals 5. The onus of proof resides with the claim maker.

    Nevertheless that claim about the existence of so many like minded adherents as Morrison has been debunked in the link provided above. Presumably you read it? If not – then why not? Or are some ‘truths’ just inconvenient and therefore best ignored?

    As for a Cabinet being a fair and true reflection of the Australian electorate? Hopefully not! What do you want – rapists, child molesters, wife bashers, bikies, skin heads, children, the demented, etc? In the R G Menzies’ years there were no Catholics. Now they’re in plague proportions. Is that where the real problem resides?

  16. ajogrady

    Matters Not

    Your evaluation of the Australian electorate is as precise as your underdtanding of my original post. The 50% was irrelrvant. Logic 101 is that Morrison is surrounding himself with gullible believers rather then critical thinkers. This is his way of protecting his leadership and his position of authority. The main point is that the cabinet make up is fundementally flawed as it is basically not representative of the people. In your own words “As for a Cabinet being a fair and true reflection of the Australian electorate? Hopefully not! What do you want – rapists, child molesters, wife bashers, bikies, skin heads, children, the demented, etc. Do you not think there are not these people in parliament. You made the statement. It is up to you to prove it is incorrect.

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