"Maintain the Rage"

As Tony Abbott is sworn in this morning, more will change than the residency of Kirribilli House - despite my regular proclamations during the campaign that was all that the man stood for.  Some of the change has already begun - although more than a week since the election it must be said: not very much.  But enough of a change in atmosphere had developed by last night that I realised I was already "livid" and despaired at how I might cope for the next three years - and I realised that hoping that it is *only* three years is a good start.  But as many have said, "hope" suggests you have no control over events.  This post is to say "yes we do".

As I tweeted out my despair, a fellow left-leaner tweeted back "as a great man once said: maintain your rage".  

That great man was Gough Whitlam and he said those words on the steps of the old Parliament House after The Dismissal (I now understand after furious Wiki-searching I must confess).  It echoes something said to me on election night at Tanya Plibersek's party for volunteers where my attention was drawn to a "fire in your belly".  I have come to realise that channeling the rage that is already fuelled by conservative outrages is the secret to weathering this storm on social, environmental and political reason.

So what else changes today?

  • The Department of Immigration has already been ordered today to stop issuing Permanent Protection Visas and now to issue only Temporary ones, re-birthing that outrage of the Howard era
  • Not only has work begun on the repeal of The Carbon Tax* but also the Clean Energy Fund has been ordered to stop work - permanently
  • The least gender diverse Cabinet in 20 years is also sworn in

Who knows what else is brewing in the background as a Government focussed more on administrative and financial efficiency than social welfare or equity takes the reigns.  My ire rose up like bile most when I heard last night that the Chairman of Abbott's Business Advisory Council said that anthropological climate change is a "myth", echoing the PM-elect's own famous words: "climate change is crap".  

So with rage already at potentially unbearable levels, what to do?  It heartened me greatly to hear that far from being Kevin Rudd who "saved the furniture", ordinary Labor members were responsible for the surprisingly Parliamentary position Labor achieved 10 days ago in the face of a pundit-promised wipe-out.  Volunteer sign-up and activism was at all-time high despite the leadership malaise, as was online micro-donations, in a curious mirror of a hitherto American Democrat phenomenon.  ALP National President Jenny McAlistair reported that Labor's ground game was at its height with a quarter of a million homes door-knocked (I letter-boxed more than 1,000 homes myself).  It is this that "saved the furniture", not Kevin Rudd's chaotic campaign.

Taking a lead from Tony Abbott's own aggressive opposition, Labor can limit him to only one term as Anthony Albanese promised to do with an incessant critique of his failures and policy dysfunction.  As the first Labor leader to be in part elected by the rank-and-file he or Bill Shorten will be genuinely able to campaign on behalf of grass roots party members - and not the Unions.  This can be the basis of a Labor renewal after a wasted mandate and a legacy all-but-destroyed by petty factional disputes and personality warfare.  

So I will maintain the rage - here on this blog - and I will tend to the "fire in my belly".  It is a common analysis that The Coalition didn't *win* the election, but rather Labor lost it.  Labor didn't deserve to be in government.  But Tony Abbott - a policy-free zone - should be on notice that he is only borrowing government while Labor re-organises.  We want it back in three years' time!


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While I totally accept and encourage the balance of progressive and conservative social politics ... peddling by either of patent untruths should be rejected. The Progressives among us need to loose this obsession with climate change (as defined and propagated by groups such as the IPCC) as it is simply not science it is MODELS and THEORY people! That is why we now have the last few years of inconvenient data that shows a cooling trend and a sudden and quite surprising expansion of the arctic ice pack. That said I look forward to the social arm of our political system regaining its cred post RUDD and contributing to the national debate on matters of importance and relevance to ALL Australians and not just inner city folk many of whom seem to think they have the scientific credentials to contribute to one of the more complex and devilish of sciences, that of Planetary Atmospherics.
— Rob Whiter
Ah, its precisely because I know have NO scientific credentials that I lean on people like the Chief Scientist - who said on Lateline last night that the "myth" comment was simply "silly" (http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/). I also believe Tony Abbott doesn't have any scientific credentials which is why he should have a science minister - but he's the first since 1931 to decide he doesn't need one. I believe thats a bit arrogant. It is worth reading this too: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/tony-abbott-will-... - 342 consecutive months of higher than average temps is pretty compelling stuff, and the consensus is overwhelming. I agree about the Carbon Tax was a stupid measure the Greens forced Gillard to pass as blackmail for propping her up. But I do believe we need a price on carbon - avoiding Oil Peak is a good reason even if you don't *agree* with climate change (note I avoided use of "believe"). "Direct Action will take us backwards on this issue. (see my last post). Anyway, I do agree that post Krudd Labor can regain some credibility and rejoin the fight with some dignity. Then maybe you can move from 70% to 90%?;-)
— A posthaven user
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