Monday, December 11, 2006
OBEY THE MANNE
Throw a few clichés Robert Manne’s way and he purrs like a kitten:
Because we are now balanced between Howard’s neo-liberal and his own social-democratic future, where the value of freedom is balanced against equality, and the animal energy of the market is tempered by the virtue of compassion, Rudd believes we have reached what he famously called a “fork in the road”. Because for him the ugliness of the neo-liberal future is symbolised by the Howard Government’s new anti-family workplace laws, he believes we have already crossed what he called “a bridge too far”.
Just for Robert, let’s repeat Rudd’s finest use yet of his brilliant fork/bridge formulation:
This fork in the road has emerged because John Howard has taken a bridge too far — a bridge too far on industrial relations, a bridge too far when it comes to Iraq, and a bridge too far on climate change by not going far enough.
Intellectuals love that sort of crap, evidently. In fact, Manne loves it so much he’s called for a crushing of dissent:
For those who long to see Australia change direction, Rudd deserves, in my opinion, not the customary carping of the intelligentsia but our wholehearted support.
Cease your criticism, intelligent carp! Meanwhile, John Howard maintains a narrow lead in this crucial poll.
(Via Doug Cox)
UPDATE. Joe Hildebrand reports live from the Fork in the Road Tour.