When the Prime Minister made his first official speech in Albury after becoming leader of the Liberal Party, he spoke passionately about the principles of Menzies, the culture of the time, and his own personal philosophical beliefs. He spoke about the founding of the Liberal Party and said it was the most successful political party in our history.
Now most people would know that without the help of the unrepresentative National Party, the Liberal Party couldn’t win.
Whilst I admired his craving for his political beliefs, when he spoke of his party’s current achievements he could find no room for self-critique. He never does.
It was as though he was blind to all the chaos happening around him or lost in the elation of getting the top job.
One would have thought he was talking about the best government ever when we all know that they are arguably the worst.
When he spoke of the past I thought “here we go again” with this conservative, tranquil longing for a time that has long passed us by. A time when everything seemed to take an eternity to happen and people knew the difference between manners and civility.
You can go back to the place but not the time. Whatever there is to dislike about our nation now, well it all began with Morrison’s side of politics.
The aforementioned words are taken from a piece I wrote in September 2018 that rather opportunistically leads me into the present.
It is said that truth is the first casualty of war. Unfortunately, it is also the first causality of Australian politics.
Today truth is treated like it has – like religion – gone out of fashion.
1 Take for example the Prime Minister’s and Treasurer’s straight out lying about the economy during and since the recent election. They spent the entirety of the campaign telling us that it was all going to plan.
‘Plan’ is a word you will hear more often than not these days. It’s like the truth; they plan to make it obsolete some day.
They cannot deny that with all the resources available to them they simply had to have known that the economy was in bad shape, but in spite of it choose to lie to the Australian people.
Yes, they said it was all going to plan despite knowing that we were soon to be presented with some of the worst economic growth figures the nation has had for many years.
When Scott Morrison told his audience in a speech at his party’s campaign launch last May, that “You know it all begins with keeping our economy strong,” he must have known he was telling a lie of omission.
The latest GDP figures make it very clear that the economy was clearly tanking when he made his speech, and he must have been well aware of it.
We now know that the economy hasn’t been in good shape for some time – way before he made his speech to the party faithful.
We have been conned by the best in the business but most people don’t give a stuff.
2 This brings me to last week’s Essential survey. Whilst the Coalition continues to govern with the same haphazard ‘born to rule’ turmoil it did before the election and the Labor party, under a new leader, is still under a few meters of snow and as last week’s Essential Report shows, the majority of the public has simply turned off politics.
A bare majority say they are taking notice of federal politics, with just 15% professing to follow events closely.
That leaves half the population either wholly or partly disengaged.
Less-informed voters unfortunately outnumber the more politically aware. Therefore, conservatives feed them all the bullshit they need. And the menu generally contains a fair portion of untruths.
Talking about the Global Financial Crisis Russell Marks of The Monthly today wrote that:
“… Australia avoided a recession through the application of sound economic policy. Now, there would be no way Morrison and Treasurer Josh Frydenberg could claim, as Paul Keating did, that a recession – should it eventuate – is one we “had to have”: it’s entirely avoidable. Future historians may well reflect that the oddest thing about it is that in May 2019, we voted for it.”
The brutal yet incontestable fact is that after six years of three conservative treasurers we have not had a worse financial year since the 1990-91 recession. Best managers of our money? That is what they are still saying, believe it or not.
3 The Parliament returned last Monday for the spring session with the sitting days determined by the Prime Minister. One wonders where they will find the business to fill the working week given their inability to think beyond the next day, let alone the next month.
4 The government – in its attempts to divert the public’s attention from its appalling handling of the economy – now has a number of diversions running simultaneously. In fact, they are drunk on the drug of diversity.
Firstly, we have the time honoured demonisation of anyone who arrived on a boat, known as the ‘systemic cruelty to asylum seekers drug.’ Secondly, the Newstart recipients opiate for great pretenders and the unscrupulous culture drug known as the ‘ice cashless welfare debit card.’ (Still on trial but who cares? Sounds cool to me).
The government has said that trials of the debit card have shown signs that the system works. Perhaps they ought to read the Auditor Generals scathing report that has been deeply critical of claims that this program is working.
But then, they never read the Gonski report into education either.
5 Anyway, if you believe in progressive democracy, as I do, you cannot pre-suppose that the party you support should win every election. What you are, however entitled to expect is that whomever wins will govern for the common good. Conservatives have been in power for six plus years and we have not seen one iota of good governance. The have governed for those that have and forgotten those who have not.
6 As an ashamed Australian I’m appalled at my country’s continuing immoral punishment of children and adults in indefinite detention under the excuse that it is a message to people smugglers.
It is well known that these people have committed no crimes yet have been incarnated for nearly six years. Shame on my country. This government should be charged with child abuse.
Our government is spending inordinate amounts of your money, in your name, to wreck the lives of asylum seekers just to make an example of them and also in the name of Christianity.
It is just as well that Labor has a girl with the qualities of Florence Nightingale who regularly cleans up Dutton’s vomit of hatred and admirably throws it back at him. Kristina Keneally shows all the attributes of a Shadow Minister for Home Affairs to be able to stand up to a former copper intent on unjustly sending home a Tamil Family who have done no wrong.
7 Yet another raid took place last week by the Australian Federal Police, and yes, we are not allowed to know for what by whom or indeed anything else and as usual the iron-wall of the top echelons of those you govern us have said “no comment” as they incrementally turn us into a police state. And no, we are not allowed to know why that is.
8 Three weeks ago during a chat after a church service I spoke to the Minister about the decline in Christianity in the western world. I said that the media and government didn’t realise that the church in Australia was indeed fighting for its very existence,
He agreed adding that the thought didn’t occur to many in the church either. I have written on that very same subject for The AIMN if you care to read.
9 The Prime Minister’s performance last Monday night was impressive. His unexpected win at the last election has emboldened him to the point where his ability to omit facts and embellish others knows no bounds.
He seems to have, such is his confidence – or downright self righteousness – gone from “my government” to describe what the government has done, doing or has planned, to the word “l” in describing all things Morrison.
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My thought for the day
We dislike and resist change in the foolish assumption that we can make permanent that which makes us feel secure. Yet change is in fact part of the very fabric of our existence.
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When have the Liarbrals and Notional$ been any different?
I understand that the reason NSW and federal funding in New England is kept at an absolutely desperate minimum is that the Nat$ are preparing to make the electorate the first genuine authentic 19th century theme park complete with Bunyip Aristocracy. Landholders with more than1,000 hectares will be given the title ‘Honourable” complete with exemptions from unconstitutional local government rates and payment of traffic fines.
The Great Northern Railway will remain a derelict public asset so that roads can be returned to gravel surfaces, town water supplies will be gifted to foreign owned multinational farming corporations to produce export crops in consideration for financial donations to the party, towns will be disconnected from the national electricity grid to provide more power for the metropolitan city, when essential street lighting will be replaced with whale oil lamps, and carrier pigeons will replace the Internet to ensue that the general population does not receive any news about the future voting rights of women.
must have all fired up on this one, John. Maybe the spellchecker had a mind of its own. Doesn’t take away from what you have written and why. It does add a unique twist. With ScuMo, he delighted in being a child actor, so lying about the economy being strong is just another act. And as an actor he is still at the pantomime level so he will achieve nothing of substance.
All of which begs the question, just where is the “support base” that voted for all this ‘Reform’? The MSM, both here and in the U.S., often refer to this mythical demographic.
The electoral abberation that caused the Morrison and Trump victories were not about people voting FOR them, but voting AGAINST the presumed apocalyptic horror they were being told about if the Opposition won.
Know all no nothing PM more likely
Pastor Promo: our very own Trump
Sadly, as with the US situation, there wasn’t much to choose between. Dumb and dumber appears to be what we are faced with.
I seem to recall the DLP which split off from the ALP playing a big part in keeping Menzies in power so long.
Sadly, this COALition mob can NEVER tell the truth about anything! “Led” (?) by this stupid, lying, flat earth, obscenely over-paid, happy clapper, they are continuing to lead ALL Australians further down the path towards a recession etc. They have absolutely no idea about running this country with any degree of truth, confidence, realism, compassion, understanding or even any real common sense whatsoever! Great article, as usual Mr Lord!
Well said Mr Lord
Really? There’s a labor party?
Back to the future, lord?
Truth is a word dependent on the individual and your truth on the national party is not my truth.
I often wondered whether you were aware that there are no liberal seats in Queensland? They are all liberal/national and however you split it up the result shits all over the extreme parties. Especially since booby’s visit to Townsville..
As for scummo he thanks his god every morning for the two Qld seats, the loonies and for billy’s taking candy from the rich old pensioners. It is not funny but even albo doesn’t seem to mind taking it from welfare. It has been painfully clear that millions of Australians believe that people on welfare cannot manage the money and they vote labor who cannot manage the economy. These people are sure that pensioners waste their money on alcohol, drugs and the pokies. Ironically such chatter is heard in the bar between races, at the casino subsidised food outlets, above the noise of the pokies.
Many of these people are so agitated by the media persuaded image of the dole bludgers and pensioner that to try to discuss invokes anger and smell of violence.
But all my rabbottians think you are a left-wing liar and I am just a labor/green bleeding heart. I think being called a loonie is the greater insult.
ps For a change(hahaha) I agree with your thinks in that my rabbottians agree with climate change being a natural process
There is no “arguably” about it, they are by far the worst. Abbott started off as the worst, then Fizza was the worst and now Scummo is worse again.
By coincidence addressed a group of students regarding corporate social responsibility, ethics, ‘sustainability’ etc.
Further, serious issue of long game of political PR and media used to manipulate electorates, especially regional.
Achieved through astro turfing via compliant academic research, spun by media friends, then below the line comments and SM to leverage word of mouth plus direct lobbying of MPs while funded by donors in lieu of shrinking memberships.
Meanwhile double speak or projection of same issues are used against Labor and Greens whom are seemingly incapable of countering or rebutting, due to media access and being compromised themselves.
Still suspicious of some ‘Labor’ types, namely Bob Carr and Kelvin Thomson… too ambiguous on their ‘solutions’ for ‘sustainability’.
How bad is Fakemo and his crew of hapless yespeople.