Wibble

I take your point that with the erosion of checks and balances we are now susceptible to a less scrupulous government than that of Howard's. The stage is set and we, the people, have allowed it to happen.

Shonga,

Apology accepted. I know all about depression.

mhar,

Would you care to point out in what way my comments are hilarious, and how I got so muddled up when I thought I had carefully traced the connection between Critical Theory and the Moscow Committee, using the literature of people who know far more about the subject than I do.

I certainly did not intend to be 'hilarious', and am always willing to be corrected if I am wrong.

I also agree that the Howard Government is eroding national checks and balances. It is taking advantage of counter-terror hype to bully through some very right-wing agendas such as tight police powers, a strengthened defence force, softening privacy barriers to personal information access, etc.

However, anyone who wrings their hands at the inevitable slide into fascism is ignoring historical precedent or fear-mongering. We live in a cyclical world where everything from house prices to social, political and international attitudes swing between fairly well-controlled extremes. Howard has swung Australian political culture, and to a lesser extent social culture, towards a right-wing extreme. The resistance to this swing has been steadily growing over the past decade and will continue to grow at an increasing rate. When its power is sufficient to influence the ballot box, socielty and politics will begin the long slow swing to a libertarian wonderland where crime, illegal immigrants and fear of real terror are shaping the social agenda. Just wait forty or fifty years and see how we will be screaming for a strong authoritarian opposition to pull us up from the shadow of anarchy and impose some welcome police powers and private information sharing networks over us!

Now that Leigh and Shonga have made their peace, and just to set the record straight in regard to some wild allegations made by Leigh, I am not a Marxist; I know nothing useful about Critical Theory or any Moscow Committee; and Mhar's description of me as "a broadly conservative, certainly realist, Canberra international relations type" is pretty close to the mark - except that I have developed a conscience about Australia's international conduct when it contributes to the deaths of innocent people like those 353 who drowned on SIEV X, the uncounted numbers of Iraqi people who have died since and as a result of the US-led coalition's illegal invasion of Iraq in 2003 that has torn that country apart, and the kids who died when the Australian Government, the AWB and senior Saddam officials collaborated in stealing $290 million from a UN-administered fund intended to buy medicines and food for sick and starving Iraqi kids. No Marxist, Leigh - just an Australian with a conscience who asks, as many do, how can these things be happening over and over again under Howard? Where did our country go ?

Leigh

I just don't know what you think Critical Theory is. Check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_theory for a reasonable introduction.

As for Kevin being a Marxist, again what on earth do you think Marxism is and what did Kevin write that could be construed as in any way Marxist? It is just such an absurd statement that "hilarious" is the only word that seems appropriate.

Whilst on the checks and balances issue we need to look at some recent examples where untruths were told or people wrongly attacked.

When Howard needed the "Family First" parties preferences he promised them a "family impact statement" would be included in major legislation. As that didn't happen with the legislation to sell the rest of Telstra did Mr. Howard tell a big fib to a Christian based party.

Whilst this is not a check/balance it is an indicator as to the honesty of the Govt. and to the ends they may stoop to get what they want. If they can't be trusted to keep this simple promise to a christian based party... how far are they preapared to go in the future to get their own way?

Some people say it was "naive" of Family First but they would have made the decision in good faith. I think they know now what "Good Faith" means to this Govt.

The second incident was the attack on Barnaby Joyce by the Liberals and their yes sir, no sir, three bags full sir mates, the Nationals. Barnaby Joyce was doing for the most part exactly what the Senate was designed for. To give States an input into decision making. When Senator Joyce actually tried to do his job he was lambasted by his own side of politics.

If personal attacks on people from the same side of politics can be attempted as a method of silencing a person actually following the rules and representing his State properly then we are in a very sorry position.

Barnaby Joyce actually let down Qld. when he wasn't told Telstra may dismiss up to 12,000 staff. Seeing how the Howard Govt operates I can certainly understand why he wasn't informed. He did better than the others but he was still misled. I'm sure Senator Joyce was fuming when the truth came out.

Perhaps Senator Joyce might like to remember that the $3billion he gained may be disapper quickly if his vote is not so crucial. Nothing the Howard Govt does is set in stone... ever!