Never before have Australians witnessed their alternative government blame their current government for a terrorist attack. In the midst of that, we have seen what the Jewish Council of Australia has called a “divisive pro-Israel wishlist” adopted as the only answer.
NSW premier Chris Minns has used the massacre to announce his government will adopt gun reform discussed at national cabinet as part of a major crackdown on protests. Neither Minns or his Liberal counterpart Kelly Sloane, who is in wholehearted agreement, have managed to explain how further limiting protest would make anyone safer or improve social cohesion.
I’m glad people are speaking and writing about this. I’m finding it hard to put into words why i’m so disappointed by my country’s reaction to this massacre.
I think, to his credit, Albanese saw the connections that would be made and sought in that first speech on that Sunday night to temporally distance this tragedy from the genocide in Gaza. It might’ve been a futile effort, but he tried so hard in that moment to bring all Australians together, for Australians to reject the malign outside influence of an unstable world, to deal with our problems and disagreements here with compassion.
In this way i think Australia has failed the PM.
Absolutely they have, but to be honest I didn’t expect anything else these days. The conservatives are awful as people and so many of us now have followed that path.
I wrote to my local MP who is a conservative about their behaviour. It’s disgraceful.
The standard that our political leaders operate at a so low it’s a national embarrassment. There’s no question it is the conservatives that have dragged it down.
I’m not sure i’m willing to lay it all at conservatives feet though. I’ve been pretty unhappy with a lot of journalists coverage, like PK and Fran Kelly (and their guest in that first week), Chris Minns hasn’t acted judiciously with pronouncements.
I suppose my problem with your comment comes down to how to define conservatism. I have real trouble now viewing the ‘MAGA’ type reactionaries on the ‘right’ of politics as in any way conservative. There is so much they do smash, or want to break down, from environment, to institutions that traditional 19th or 20th century conservatism would be aghast at. Its some form of revanchivist radicalism so far largely undefined, but i think these people need to lose the conservative label though. So i suppose thats holding me back from agreeing with you more fully.
