Democracy wasted

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Last updated on March 5th, 2018 at 01:45 pm

Gerard Henderson presents his annual roundup of Australian idiocy:

William Mitchell says “Australia is steadily becoming a totalitarian society”. Judith Armstrong writes that it is “tempting to wonder whether democracy is not wasted on voters”. Mitchell and Armstrong are humanities academics. Surprised?

December saw Sydney University vice-chancellor Gavin Brown label opponents of compulsory student unionism as “red-necked philistines”. Alas, he could not outdo Latham for the most incisive comment of the year. Turn to page 377 of The Latham Diaries, where the diarist asks: “Why is it that every time I come to Adelaide there’s a problem?”

Simply do as I do, Mark; never go to Adelaide!

Posted by Tim B. on 12/30/2005 at 08:39 AM
    1. As with the boy who cried wolf, the Left’s crack-whore addiction to over-the-top hyperbole is wringing the impact and meaning out of language.

      The upside is that we’re paying less attention to their incessant bleating.  The downside is that this is their objective.

      Gramsci spins.

      Posted by cosmo on 2005 12 30 at 10:12 AM • permalink

 

    1. I’m sure that the elitist attitude of Judith Armstrong and her ilk is not lost on Australian voters, hence the difficulty academics face in imposing their political hallucinations on the people, hence their frustration with the “inefficiencies” of democracy.

      So, where do y’all keep the gulags over there? And why isn’t Willie Mitchell taking up space in one, sweating over a sewing machine, stitching cheap blue jeans for export?

      Posted by paco on 2005 12 30 at 10:26 AM • permalink

 

    1. Sorry, meant to say the downside of separating words from their meanings is that this is precisely the Left’s objective (e.g.: hate crimes, racist).

      Gramsci spins again.

      Posted by cosmo on 2005 12 30 at 10:28 AM • permalink

 

    1. Hmm–Thursday’s radio national Media Report featured Chris Masters of Four Corners fame and he was talking about “sources”.
      He rather let the cat out of the bag when,in an aside, he referred to how “anyone can get hold of a tame ACADEMIC who will ask you (the journalist) “what do you want me to talk about,what do you want me to say?” He was speaking to Richard Aidy,who heartily endorsed what he said.
      May not be the EXACT words he said but if
      not,extraordinarily close to them..!

      Posted by crash on 2005 12 30 at 10:44 AM • permalink

 

    1. I think the the award for the person who best took on the leftist academics should go to Andrew Bolt.  If anyone hasn’t seen the clips from his RMIT debate you really should watch this.The link is on the right side of the page

      Posted by Melanie on 2005 12 30 at 10:59 AM • permalink

 

    1. #5 Professor Rob Watts -not half up his erudite fundament is he?

      Posted by crash on 2005 12 30 at 11:25 AM • permalink

 

    1. The Left likes to think of itself as of-the-people, but it’s elitist to the core. In 2000 the Democratic party (hah!) gave us a candidate who talked to the American people as if we were retarded children, and in 2004 they gave us a candidate who couldn’t disguise his elitist hauteur if he wore the same clothes for a month, rolled in his own filth, and panhandled for change on a streetcorner. In both cases, their condescension and disdain were palpable.

      And the Left can’t figure out why we retarded, racist, selfish wastes-of-democracy won’t vote for them.

      Posted by Dave S. on 2005 12 30 at 11:35 AM • permalink

 

    1. o/t 10 killed as Cairo authorities “move “ Sudanese refugees on..”They are persecuting us because we are black”..they said.
      Where do the refugees demand to go?
      To those dreadful,racist,ignorant,violent,neglectful,Christian based,greedy,wasteful,environmentally destructive Western Countries,preferably U.S.,Canada or Australia.

      Posted by crash on 2005 12 30 at 11:40 AM • permalink

 

    1. 37 Yeah can someone explain to me why S.B.S. just HAS to employ non Australian BORN people(with a non anglo ethnic background of course) as newsreaders.They always are BBC trained with SUCH a plum in the mouth that they need subtitles to be understood.
      Are Australian born “ethnics” just not trustworthy,not qualified,not believable or what?Aren’t aboriginal people considered to be part of the multi culti bandwagon.If so, who pushed them under the wheels so they don’t get a guernsey at being a presenter.
      Of course good old Mary soldiers on sans makeup and wardrobe lady but she is the only one who even sounds a bit Australian…

      Posted by crash on 2005 12 30 at 11:53 AM • permalink

 

    1. pimf–# 7.

      Posted by crash on 2005 12 30 at 11:55 AM • permalink

 

    1. William Mitchell says “Australia is steadily becoming a totalitarian society”. Judith Armstrong writes that it is “tempting to wonder whether democracy is not wasted on voters”.

      It’s obvious that you lot need a strong dicatator to halt your slide toward totalitarianism.

      Posted by Achillea on 2005 12 30 at 01:47 PM • permalink

 

    1. It’s obvious that you lot need a strong dicatator to halt your slide toward totalitarianism.

      I wonder how long it’s gonna be until it’s fashionable for leftists to idolize Russia again, since Putin is playing pretty much that role right now.

      Posted by PW on 2005 12 30 at 04:27 PM • permalink

 

    1. William Mitchell says “Australia is steadily becoming a totalitarian society”. Judith Armstrong writes that it is “tempting to wonder whether democracy is not wasted on voters”.

      Ah, the intelligentsia. They go about doing away with evil democracy (of the unwashed masses) in the name of—of all things— DEMOCRACY. To save us from totalinarianism, they will sneak us into a dictatorship of the elite—er, I mean the “proletariat.” The proletariat. Remember now, I said “the proletariat.” – Kathy K

      Posted by At the Zoo on 2005 12 30 at 06:51 PM • permalink

 

    1. #1 & #3 points well-made, cosmo.

      Posted by Henry boy on 2005 12 30 at 08:58 PM • permalink

 

    1. What’s the term called, when someone inserts Nazi or Hitler into their argument, that the argument is lost there and then?  There seems to be a lot of that happening.

      Posted by Stevo on 2005 12 30 at 09:44 PM • permalink

 

    1. I think it’s Godwin’s Law, or something.

      Posted by Dave S. on 2005 12 31 at 12:01 AM • permalink

 

    1. Yep, it’s Godwin’s Law.

      Posted by Achillea on 2005 12 31 at 01:40 AM • permalink

 

    1. #11 – ‘dictator,’ even.  pimf

      Posted by Achillea on 2005 12 31 at 01:41 AM • permalink

 

    1. #12 Funny–at Christmas SBS or ABC,I think it was sbs was sneering at Russian “consumerism” and how parents were cramming into stores to (gasp) buy presents for their kids.
      Amazing how these media people earn high salaries,are continually promoting and consuming gourmet food,expensive wines,high fashion,overseas sabbaticals,elitist artwork,cruises,expensive cars, expensive books,seachanges for the wealthy and skiing trips.Yet let the common people venture out to purchase a gift once a year for their most precious little loved ones and these ever alert wowsers are immediately on their backs,whingeing about CONSUMERISM..Russians should know their proper place which is disadvantaged and starving and to be pitied,like the media’s pseudo sympathy playground,the ever obliging THIRD WORLD!

      Posted by crash on 2005 12 31 at 02:05 AM • permalink

 

    1. In 2000 when it looked like Americans might elect George W. Bush as President, Jennifer Byrne, then host of the ABC’s Foreign Correspondent program, asked the person she was interviewing, are Americans too stupid to be entrusted with their own Democracy?
      THIS is what passes for “balance” on our public broadcaster!

      Posted by Brian on 2005 12 31 at 03:27 AM • permalink

 

  1. Re: #19
    SPOT-ON CRASH!!!
    Abso-bloody-lutely!!!

    Posted by Brian on 2005 12 31 at 03:30 AM • permalink