So, you comment put me in mind about the latest Gaurdian essential poll podcast I listened to tonight.
Lewis and Remeikis in their discussion really hit on Dutton’s strategy. And discuss why he hasn’t tacked back toward the Teal vote. Just like the revanchivist style populists he’s connected with around the world, neoliberalism is quickly being discarded for more authoritarian power structures. So maybe in Dutton’s mind, and those like him, socialist v capitalist has ceased to be an argument that can sway them.
I don’t know, don’t think i’ve got that quite right. But theres something in amongst all of it.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/0vDPkKWkUgBJszOW2jGglw?si=dnamuUj8SVmlq4tuFlOO8A
p.s. Sorry about the spotify link, tried to get the RSS link but something went wrong with it, (maybe my phone browser, DDG, and the Guardian website?), and it ended up loading the document tree.
I’ve found it hard to motivate myself to listen to the recent essential poll podcasts as the headline numbers involve near majorities believing in patently false information about renewables and nuclear, and 30% being willing to vote for Trump (if he ran in Australia). It’s just depressing that people can be so far from reality, although I get that even highly educated people may not know key facts if they haven’t looked into the issue.
It’s just depressing that people can be so far from reality
It’s good information though, allows you to grok why nothing will be done and why civilisation will collapse and you can use that to make sure you’re not in the front of the queue at least.
Flooding will get worse, move off the flood plain, heat will get worse, SE Vic and Tassie , sea level rise will make some areas unlivable, droughts will get worse, bushgikes will get worse, stay away from them etc etc. Learn some skills, grow some food, all of those actions are an anecdote to that depression. Sure, were all affected but if your burnt out by a bushfire or your house is flooded it makes for a shitter life.
Were not doing anything but make it all worse.
Guy down the road from me here in Tassie moved here 6 months before the mega floods in Lismore, which was why he moved (mand while surprised it happened so quickly after he moved, he knew it would happen again.
Nearly every time I chat to old friends from North Qld (my old stomping ground) every summer all they do is bitch about how hot it is and they can’t handle this shit. (I moved from there 20 years ago becase it was unlivable then)
I’ve found it a harder listen since the doyenne, Katherine Murphy, left. Lewis and Murphy had a rapport that hasn’t yet been replaced. Remeikis’ performance wasn’t bad this week though.
I reckon people are agreeing with the patently simple and wrong ideas for the same reason the world over. We all know somethings not goin right, and theres no one offering us a genuine answer.
The idea that we should be waiting for someone to offer us the answer is patently absurd though. But we are all highly risk averse creatures, lounging in our comfortable information ecosystems, so too few of us are sticking our necks out with genuinely different ideas and going far enough to test them… and here i go again sorry.
I wonder how much Dutton’s strategy will depend on the results of the QLD election. David Crisafulli is using similar tactics (except anti-renewable and not pro-nuclear), he keeps making emotional appeals to Queenslanders telling us what’s wrong with the state, advocating for tougher punishments for crime (policy on the other hand is pretty much Labor’s). The most concerning promises he’s made is to make preferencing optional in QLD elections. i.e. remove the best feature of our democracy. Supporters reckon that those which support mandatory preferencing are just sore because their party lost.
Something I find really concerning about Dutton and his flock is the normalisation of disparaging science with “common sense”. Imagine spending 4-5 years of your life building up HECS debt then, spending more time (and HECs) doing a PhD just for the tough ex-cop from Queensland to say no, you’re wrong.
Dutton and his flock
Its surely the unopposed platforms they constantly get. Same reason that side of politics hate QandA. Their arguments constantly fall over when they’re not in situational control.
Which is exactly why they disparage the ABC as being biased and gut it when in power. I daresay a Dutton government’s first priorities will be to gut CSIRO, the ABC, Universities and Tafe. Investing any research funding in Nuclear related projects or in getting Newscorp to do what the ABC should
Optional preferencing, why hasn’t that set the socials on fire! That’ll lead to disenfranchisement through neglect of less civically focused population segments. I can’t even see it being good for lib/nats just reduces democratic participation for those who might need a nudge to be more engaged.
That might bite them on the arse!
It didn’t in the QLD local government elections where they gave out how to vote cards with only a 1 on them. Pretty strong victories in Brisbane and Goldcoast (I did vote for a Lib aligned independent because they did a good job and were 1 of 2 candidates and yes I preferences both of them)
