The usual nonsense from this man. Fortunately most people have never heard of Mr. Kevin and his Marxist opinions. The more mature among us who have come to know him through OLO simply laugh and move on.

I agree with Mr.Kevin, he has hit the nail on the head. Howard is about division, individualisation and corporate greed. Anyone who believes in collectivity will be crushed by the far right. Australia is on its way to Facism, under this persons rule.

I agree with Mr.Kevin, he has hit the nail on the head. Howard is about division, individualisation and corporate greed. Anyone who believes in collectivity will be crushed by the far right. Australia is on its way to Fascism, under this persons rule.

If the ALP would get their act together then Howard would not have had such an easy ride. Latham had the right idea but lacked the necessary character. The infighting of the ALP and Democrats is more to blame for the lack of checks and balances than Howard.

It is interesting that the first comment on any radical or left-dissident essay published by On Line Opinion often comes from someone like Leigh, keen to condemn and dismiss it out of hand : in this case, Leigh's post came in only about an hour after my essay went up on OLO. I wonder if Leigh sees the relevance of this paragraph in my essay:

"Quietly networking in universities and think-tanks, distributing grants and consultancies, vetting appointments and promotions, this hidden army of persuaders is at work in strategic areas of civil society - mainstream media, the Internet, culture and academe. Dissenters are identified, and their personal vulnerabilities filed - ready for co-ordinated attacks when the time is right, with the aim of discrediting and marginalising their voices. In this way, cultural pluralism is suppressed and social consensus around the political centre is strengthened."

Bravo Tony Kevin! I used to feel unambiguously proud to be an Australian—you have beautifully articulated the circumstance underpinning the erosion of that pride. Commensurate with my diminishing pride is the ever increasing sense of alarm I feel that Howard's social and political agenda is propelling me along a trajectory that I have no heart for. However, rather than lulling me “into helpless acceptance of things we should not be accepting”, it has become the impetus behind my (somewhat late in life) resolve to be more politically aware and active.
p.s. Leigh, I for one, am pleased to say that I HAVE heard of Mr Kevin and I value his opinion.