There are many (some with quite prominent followings) on social media with the view that the majors are tainted and push the message that both majors are the same. I argue that this is 100% a purely political agenda.
These people link Liberal and Labor together as one in the same and blame Labor for the Liberal’s Bills, practices, programs and behaviour. These people are minor party and IND supporters.
I don’t buy the position that “speaking up against the majors” is a pure non-political pursuit of social democracy, championed by people who are much better thinkers than the partisan aligned of the majors. I completely reject this idea and that is often the theme on Twitter.
I would argue it is a deeply entrenched political campaign based on the belief that Individualism should take prominence over collective platforms the major parties have based on their central ideology.
I would also argue that it is based on Individualism through ego, as they believe the minor parties and Independents will represent their view (often falsely represented as speaking for my community, which is a technical impossibility) or speaking for “my issue”.
This is as opposed to the collective platform of the majors who need to speak for the national interest as a whole and implement that based on the practical methods as directed by their over-arching political ideologies. It is a me versus us argument.
It’s also based on the belief that no need to compromise, purist politics is extremely easy, and effective. Because that is the behaviour espoused by the politicians they admire. It’s an intellectually lazy argument.
Purist politicians believe that everyone must compromise to meet their (superior) demands and get quite shouty when others simply do not agree that their way is best. Although they never have the power to actually enact change.
Therefore, Purists believe that the major’s (particularly Labor) are too evil, too stupid or too lazy to “do what’s right”.
It’s the rejection of the argument that compromise in a democratic society is not only the reality but often a necessity to make incremental progress towards securing outcomes for progressive issues. It should ‘just happen.’
Purists will often tout Labor’s incremental approach as “just a pathetic excuse.” They never talk about the alternative of no progress if a non compromised change is rejected. It doesn’t even fit their reality, that power structures exist in Parliament.
These purists believe that the two Majors never get it right because the minor parties (Greens PHON etc) or IND they look up to, have the luxury of saying and not doing (Governing).
If one fights the Liberals instead, there are a whole range of condemning facts to go wild with. But instead, the anti-major party advocates, always attack Labor, when they present this argument.
During Shorten’s reign the purists couldn’t get enough of arguing that the Greens or IND had better policies and saying not to vote Labor. They spent the first year or two suggesting different leaders as they are doing right now with Albo.
It is not remarkable that the Murdoch press is pushing the overthrow the Labor leader line. It’s not remarkable that the proudly non-partisan repeat Murdoch propaganda, like they have not been influenced by Murdoch’s layering technique at all. They don’t “get” Rudd’s petition.
Presenting Labor in a factual light, would also list literally hundreds of progressive reforms enabled in society because of the Labor Party. Sharing and creating discussion about what Labor is actually doing, would challenge this tired old narrative the Purists dish out.
There are thousands jobless, some without support blocked from JobKeeper, kids having a shitty Xmas, cashless welfare, cuts to social security and more. These people don’t give a stuff about your purist reasoning that the Labor party isn’t behaving how you insist right now.
Imagine telling an Asylum seeker you voted for an impotent party who can never gain power, and Labor lost enough seats and can’t form Govt. Because you needed to teach Labor a lesson, instead of voting Labor who could have freed them.
And please don’t carry on with the “you don’t know how preferences work” because the narrative that Labor is no good, is heard by many and these people don’t vote Labor because you ARE convincing. They certainly don’t vote for progressives either, esp in QLD. They vote PHON.
We have already lost years of progress because of the Liberals. We are seeing worse paternalism and stigma under Morrison, than under Howard & Abbott combined.
We have the most incompetent, emotionally empty, narcissistic, abhorrent PM in my lifetime. Incl Howard! If you aren’t serious about getting rid of him by voting Labor, do not have the audacity to paint yourself as more intelligent, more progressive etc. You are just privileged.
Labor isn’t going to gain advantage if you get your dream of Jim Chalmers or whoever the flavour of the month is. The common factor with Hawke & Rudd wins, was mass collective Unity. So swallow your purist glass of gin, and get behind Labor, for the sake of the most vulnerable.
You can follow @Trish_Corry.
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