Is Racism Infiltrating Australian Politics?

I am watching a documentary on the One Nation Leader Pauline Hanson learning about her right wing politics. She spoke of anti-multiculturalism, anti-Asian, anti-Muslim. She stated she wanted the Australia of her childhood.  She believed Australia would be swamped. She didn’t like homosexuals either. She used the word equality but she didn’t understand that she was excluding by denouncing people by ethnic background, it mattered not if they were born here.  She saw Australia as Anglo Saxon European. She didn’t understand that the aboriginal people were the first people here for 50,000 years. The white Anglo Saxon people had only been here 200 years.  Incredible.  Her appeal was her fish and chip shop ordinary persona.  Recently she has come into the Senate with a Burqa on and starting a campaign to ban the burqa. 

The key message is the infiltration of racism under the guise of unity, truth and loss.  I feel after having examined this and done another blog that the real question for me is racism.  I wonder if there is an organised political movement of white supremacists like Masonic members.  Wow I’ve just searched the Tea Party and found this article which I will publish in full.  It explains to me the concerns around Donald Trump.  I see this energy is infiltrating politics it would be interesting to do an analysis of parties around the world and see if they are linked. In fact what it really is is fundamentalism or extremism which explains to me why the terrorist issue has been focused on. It deflects from other activities designed to change society’s beliefs in multiculturalism. Perhaps it is linked to the fear of privileged white males losing power and control.  Just a thought… hmmm

Refer https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/oct/20/report-links-tea-party-to-white-supremacist-groups (will do a blog now)

Racism is such an incredible energy. I am lucky growing up in Australia and growing up with different nationalities. I had partners from different ethnic groups and enjoyed learning.  When I clown I love to connect with different ethnic groups and can see so easily they are like me and it is a misunderstanding when we group or generalise.  In fact I learned more about true community from Afghans than from Australians. I realised that I didn’t know true hospitality.  It was fascinating to observe.  When I travelled the world I saw the great diversity and saw it as inspiring as they became my teachers showing me different ways of seeing and being yet I could hug them the same as here in Australia. It was like a big human family, I loved it.  I feel such a respect for all people rich or poor. I felt honoured to be in their presence.  So you can see I have a different viewpoint.  Having looked more closely at Pauline Hanson really for the first time I saw her innocence and exploitation. I’ve met other Australian’s who share her fears.  They won’t hear of another viewpoint such is rigidity that believes ‘I am right’.  However, we live in a world of diversity and I wouldn’t demonise a right wing person fearful of difference any more than a ethnic origin. All are part of the human family. 

Below are notes I’ve just taken out of interest from the Pauline Hanson documentary on SBS television in Australia 7/10/2017.  

• Fear of Race riots, civil war, fanaticism, patriotism, Pauline Hanson launches the Party of truth she says for all Australians.
• Pauline Hanson’s Truth book, she spoke of aboriginal people eating their family members.  Indigenous commentator said it was wrong and crazy. 
• The truth was compiled in her name but not by her.  She hadn’t seen the book until it after it was published. 
• 17,000 to 18,000 members and donations flowing in.  Oldfield quit himself and went across to One Nation.  Hanson has been described as a stooge.  
• She also had an anti-globalist drive, she was concerned about the money they were investing. She says in Australia we have a way of life. She didn’t like products and services made in China.  
• She spoke of government by the people 
• James Ashby is her new advisor.  He filed a sexual harassment claim against Peter Slipper (Speaker of the House of Representatives).  She says he is not a David Oldfield.  Her advisor sees her appeal as being ‘real’.
• Oldfield was a employee of Tony Abbott.  He saw Pauline as a myth that was made.  He was working for Tony Abbott at the time and teamed up with David Ettridge.  Refer a recent article http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-04-04/one-nation-co-founder-accuses-party-of-abandoning-him/8412890
• Oldfield and Etterige teamed up with Pauline Hanson.  The flag in a photo with the Australian flag actually came from Tony Abbotts office.
• Oldfield denied a relationship with Pauline in the documentary she verified it publicly. She saw him as a liar.  Sex can deepen emotional attachment and loyalty.
• Pauline Hanson was discussed in the Asian media and her face to them appeared to be representing questions about racism against Asians.
• Howard didn’t say anything against what she said or put cold water on it, instead he cited freedom of speech this conveyed that he agreed.  Some Asian commentators were concerned about John Howard.  
• Racial violence rose as a result of Pauline Hanson’s views. Protests broke out as people became divided.  There were attacks and threats against Asians.
• Left wing Socialist Alliance protests revealed the division.  It is likely that was in Melbourne.
• Many of the death threats that Pauline Hanson received came from Caucasian people.  One mentioned was from Vietnamese.
• Tony Abbott lead an attack against Pauline Hanson when it seemed this party was a threat to the Liberals. He called the party is a business where no-one is allowed to ask questions. So the worm turns given Oldfield was his staffer who resigned and went to Pauline. 
  I would guess that Abbott at that time was fine.  It seems to me to be a political strategic move.
• She and Etteridge were accused with fraudulently registering the party.  She went through court action over and over.  Her former colleagues testified against her she said.  She saw it as a political witch hunt.  She was found guilty of electoral fraud. She says she was not guilty.  Howard said she was a politician who broke the law. (interesting he speaks up then).  She went to jail and was on suicide watch. Her children were her concern and she was very distressed as a mother.  Conflicting claims about what got her there was in the media.  Abbott to Terry Sharples there are others taking a risk to stop the Oldfield Etteridge juggernaut.  Abbott had a flus fund to destroy Hanson in the court it was stated.  He was asked by a journalist and answers as if he doesn’t know but doesn’t say it – I note the political manoeuvre.  Margot Kingston is the journalist that followed her journey (more info could be checked out through her investigation).  Eleven weeks after her jail sentence it was quashed by the Appeal Court.   This article is an ABC report with Terry Sharples who states Abbott is not honest.  Refer http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2003/s938438.htm
• NB: I feel Abbott is the bigger story and his career should be watched carefully as he is still active.  I saw how he treated Julia Gillard. I noted that his advisor Peta Credlin was disapproved of by Rupert Murdoch.  

• NB: Rupert Murdoch’s intervention in Australia politics http://theconversation.com/murdochs-message-abbotts-chief-of-staff-peta-credlin-must-go-36826 I note he uses American language such as ‘patriotic duty’, in Australia we are not patriotic in that sense. People are more likely to critique and flags are not seen outside of houses here.  We are more critical of leaders probably given our convict past I’d say..
• NB: Refer an article on Peta Credlin, my question is are we in a democracy where people can stand up and run for politics or are they pre-selected by parties. So is it possible for them to represent the constituents? http://www.news.com.au/national/politics/peta-credlin-reportedly-sounded-out-by-disgruntled-millionaires-to-challenge-kelly-odwyer-in-higgins/news-story/c4b521ee548bb891daf6be90c567c281
• NB: I note Tony Abbott is now undermining Malcolm Turnbull’s leadership. Why is that?  I ask the question – is this democracy or is there another agenda playing out that the public do not know? Hence people are used to further division rather than represent the true interests of the citizens.  

• Howard distanced himself from Abbott.  
• Pauline Hanson raised issue of the corruption in politics and she said she wished Australians would wake up. 
• A media commentator indicated that the One Nation Party would always leave a press conference when the questioning became difficult.
• They speak about people trying to destroy her.  She speaks about telling the truth and standing up to the ‘bastards’.
• She said she is not anti-Muslim she says she is anti-Islam.  She wanted to see a moratorium on Muslim immigration (in her words).  What is interesting about that statement is she is clearly anti-Muslim and can’t see it.  Muslims are worshipers of the faith of Islam.

My observation of her watching this documentary and listening to her is that she is an innocent naïve person but believes in what she is saying. It seemed clear to me she was manipulated by men who knew that she could create divisiveness and would be believed as she had that ordinary quality.  She says she is into equality but it seems she doesn’t realise how people respond to her fear of those who are foreign and the loss of what she felt Australia was about.  She didn’t understand inequality comes from racism or discrimination that arises from demonisation of groups of people as not like us.  She appears used by the major political leaders in the Liberal party as is evident by Tony Abbott’s involvement in her rise together with David Oldfield.  Tony Abbott appears indeed a puppet master pulling the strings on a person who was simple.  The simplicity I see is to do with the disadvantage of not being educated to see through masks and analyse the situation. Queensland is known for right wing views given the farming and mining industries. There is less multiculturalism evident in Queensland traditionally it is white Australia. It was stated that she would say ‘no’ to something but could not articulate why.  She didn’t have much understanding of sophisticated words or policy. She was not an academic. I think people liked her courage and that she was a fighter.  I don’t feel she understood the magnitude of those faceless faces nor her own inconsistency in what she has been saying and her evident ignorance.  She did give a voice to those who agree with her and people it appears were more interested when it seemed she was in adversity with all against her.  A battler.  I would also say that given her innocence and pursuit of her own truth she does have a right to stand and add to the debate, this is democracy.  However, I would ask was her rise politically motivated and not due to a support base in the Australian community, was it orchestrated? I don’t agree with her at all but what I find interesting is the political manipulation behind her urging her on.  That is what concerns me. The tension and division she catalysed forced the Australian community to decide if they agree or disagree.  Of course others may say that her views prompted more racism and violence, that would be true as well and it shows how easily people can be manipulated by the media and latent racism.  Contrast stimulates thinking and often the racist card forces people to take a stance on what they believe.  I believe Donald Trump is creating the same vigor unwittingly.  They challenge the dominant values of the culture and it seems people are challenged to stand up for what they believe. However, in climates of suppression given the terrorist card (another discrimination) people’s civil liberties can be shut down in the name of something. Hence again, the question of democracy, is it real?

Below is an article on the awarding of a Honorary Degree to John Howard the former Primer Minister.  There was a protest by academic staff at Sydney University and there views of him as a racist were aired.  

http://www.smh.com.au/national/education/university-of-sydney-academics-protest-honorary-degree-for-racist-and-war-criminal-john-howard-20160928-grqf2h.html

University of Sydney academics protest honorary degree for ‘racist and war criminal’ John Howard

The university said it is conferring the honour “in acknowledgement of his achievements including world-leading gun law reform, leadership in East Timor and contribution to Australia’s economic reform”.

But about 112 academics from the university had by Wednesday afternoon signed a petition opposing Friday’s planned ceremony with Chancellor Belinda Hutchinson.

“To confer a doctorate on him is an insult to Indigenous people, refugees, and anyone committed to multiculturalism, peace and social progress in this country and in the world,” the petition says.

“Howard’s jingoistic, divisive and reactionary politics are directly responsible for the widening fractures in our society, starkly revealed just last week by the Essential Poll that found that 49 per cent of Australians support a ban on Muslim immigration.”

 

The signatories cite what they say was “a sharp escalation in racism (Tampa affair; Pacific Solution for asylum seekers; Northern Territory Intervention) and militarism (participation in the invasion of Iraq)” and “an assault on the independence of university research (the so-called ‘history’ wars)” under Mr Howard’s prime ministership.

They also blame Mr Howard’s time in leadership for “mainstreaming of far-right politics [which] laid the foundations for the success of One Nation, which today has four seats in the Senate.”

Mr Howard said: “It is a free country, they are entitled to their view.”

The staff and PhD students plan a protest around the university’s Great Hall on Friday morning. 

Academic Nick Riemer, one of the co-ordinators of the petition, said “the basic point is that the things that Howard did as prime minister – namely joining the invasion of Iraq, escalating the government’s harsh stance on asylum seekers, starting the Northern Territory intervention – all of these things are the exact opposite of the kind of rigorously thought-through and socially beneficial and evidence-based kinds of policy that universities see themselves as promoting.”

Dr Riemer, who is affiliated with the tertiary union, also suggested the honour was politically motivated. 

“The truth is that universities use [honorary degrees] opportunistically, to send political messages and to win favours.

“The fact that there is a Coalition government in power at the moment obviously makes it a politically attractive proposition for management to offer an honorary doctorate to an LNP figurehead.”

Chancellor Hutchinson declared a donation to the Liberal party of $2500 in 2011, and her husband, Roger Massy-Greene, has been a prolific Liberal party donor over the years.

A spokeswoman for the university said the University Senate approved Mr Howard’s conferral in December 2015, and that former prime minister Bob Hawke will also receive an honorary doctorate later this year.

Former prime ministers to have been recognised by the university are Robert Menzies, Gough Whitlam, Stanley Bruce and William Hughes.

Howard is an alumnus of the University of Sydney’s law school and a former member of its Liberal Club. He has received similar recognition from the University of NSW, Macquarie University, Bond University and Charles Sturt University.

A background on Chancellor Hutchinson is below.

http://australianphilanthropicservices.com.au/belinda-hutchinson

Belinda Hutchinson AM

Belinda Hutchinson AM is Chancellor of the University of Sydney. She is also a director of AGL Energy, NSW State Library Foundation; and a member of the Federal Government Financial Services Advisory Council, the Salvation Army Eastern Territory Advisory Board and the Australian Treasury Advisory Council.

Belinda was previously Chairman of QBE Insurance Group and a director of Telstra Corporation, Coles Myer, Crane Group, Energy Australia, TAB, Snowy Hydro Trading and Sydney Water.

Her executive career included her role as an Executive Director of Macquarie Group, Vice President of Citibank, and a senior manager at Andersen Consulting.

Belinda holds a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Sydney and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia and the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

The next blog will look at her political affiliations.