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Last updated on August 6th, 2017 at 03:02 pm
Australian leftists howled with fear when the coalition led by John Howard gained a majority – legitimately – of both houses of Parliament. Here’s Greens member Adrian Glamorgan, writing after the 2004 election:
This is a dark time for progressive forces in Australia. If power corrupts, what might absolute power do? … There were tears streaming down the cheeks of one print journalist in the tally room, as she talked about the threat to democracy this result now poses.
Absolute power is attractive to local leftoids in the case of proto–dictator Hugo Chavez, however, who is adored:
Dear President Chávez,
We, the undersigned citizens of Australia, would like to extend a warm invitation for you to visit our country. We have watched developments in Venezuela with great interest. We have been impressed by the great effort that your government has taken to improve the living standards of the majority of Venezuelans. We have also noted with keen attention the moves that your government has begun to make to create a society based on popular participation in all spheres of society—from the workplace up to the national government.
Among the signatories, some of Australia’s greatest losers:
• Andrew Ferguson NSW Secretary, CFMEU Construction and General Division
• Antony Loewenstein – Independent Journalist
• Casper Cumming – Swinborne Student Union President
• Charlotte Boss-Walker -Peace Activist (Tas)
• Craig Bulley – Worker’s Radio
• Dick Nichols – National Co-ordinator, Socialist Alliance
• Dr Alastair Grieg Senior Lecturer, Australian National University: Faculty of Arts
• Jakalene X – Indigenous community activist
• John Pilger – Independent Journalist
• Kerry Nettle – Australian Greens Senator for NSW
• Kerryn Williams – Editor, Green Left Weekly
• Keysar Trad – Islamic Friendship Association
• Mathew Chuk – General Secretary, National Union of Students 2007
• Natasha Stott-Despoja – SA Australian Democrats Senator
• Phillip Adams – Journalist, Republican of the Year 2005
• Tim Anderson – Lecturer, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Sydney
(Via Frollicking Mole)
UPDATE. The Guardian’s Duncan Campbell believes that with his latest Bush insult Hugo Chavez has “probably written himself into the history books”. Judge for yourself.
