Part One

In a dream a post-grad political student meets his favourite political writer, George Orwell, finding that this ghost of the great thinker already can read the student’s mind, telling him that he is not surprised that the world is heading for trouble again, as economic and political greed has again appeared on the agenda, even despite the end of colonialism and the finish of Soviet Communism.

The student had already learnt that colonialism and economic imperialism had simply appeared in a new form, less honest, and more sinister, some of the former prominent freedom fighters themselves becoming colonisers, aping their former European masters and grabbing most of the productive loot like the colonial overseers had done to send home to the Mother Country.

Land of Hope of Glory and Mother of the Free, the old swansong of British colonialism and the earlier free-market, has been now replaced by the Stars and Stripes Forever, carrying on Cecil Rhodes nightly prayer, that America would carry on the global role that Rhodes surely believed a Wise Almighty had predicted for the English-speaking Anglophiles, with the United States of America now top of the list, Britain and Australia, proudly by her side. .

The student has learnt that social revolutions are now seen as not necessary for the defeat of fascism. Neither do people believe in the possibility of promoting individual liberty and self government by means of even a social democrat government. In fact, socialism has ceased to be a part of public debate, even Labor leaders more interested in satisfying powerful pressure groups backed by big corporates, including the mass media.

Part Two

The worried student in his dream asks the shadow of Orwell for an answer - realising it was already in his mind, but he would not have had the courage to announce it to a world so sure of itself because the neo-liberal free market was keeping even battling consumers happy, with cheap imports from countries like China with low-cost labour, as well as dumped frozen or tinned fruit and veges from numberless other countries. .

What was already in the student’s mind was that low priced imported goods meant a call from government for a change in arbitration laws to enable employers to lower worker’s wages in order to compete. The student realised then how much that globalisation as part of the capitalistic free-market, was failing - the insightly student under Orwellian influence, knowing that a major crisis in global capitalism must surely cause a return to some sort of socialism, be it right or left.

The student discerned that the likely change initially would be fascistic, with a democratic government banning all opposition for the good of the country, with big corporates still calling the tune.

The student feels that the best answer from an angry people’s opposition, rather than taking up arms, is at first to challenge for a new globalisation, not based on corporate power and an ersatz free market but on the ethical precepts of a genuine global democracy backed by a strong United Nations, not one literally swept aside by this unipolar nation which naively believes in its own invincibility like middle age Rome. But without a strong UN or a Global Federation of Nations, as Immanuel Kant, the great German philosopher warned, this new Rome must ultimately cause its own demise like Rome, its growing greed accentuating too much the survival of the richest as the fittest.

bushbred,
I like the way you think.

bravo bushie

It's nice to see that Andrew Bartlet has got off the parliamentary grog and has stopped abusing female parliamentarians long enough to tell the public what a bunch of moral reprobates we all are.

Hey Andrew, you wanted Multiculturalism and now you have got it. Terrorism and reductions in civil liberties have been the result. And still you want to bring in everybody who can find an Aussie embassy and ask how to fill out a dole form. Then you complain when the Libs enact legislation, supported by both sides of parliament, which is designed to prevent "Australians" from blowing up Australians.

I would personally like to thank Senator Bartlett for giving the Liberal Party's re election chances another significant boost. When will the Democrats remember that they are supposed to be representing Australians, not Iraqi's, Afghans, Zulu's or Hottentots?

The more that finger wagging, drunken Democrats talk down to the Australian electorate, the more irrelevant they become. The role of moral hypocrite ills becomes the good Mr Bartlett.

Perhaps it is time for Andrew to do a Jimmy Swaggart? Fall down on your knees Andrew, and cry "Ah have sinned, Lord!"

Andrew, your article copped a typical response from the Rabid RatPack who obviously believe that the notion of people having basic human rights in a Democracy is somehow obscene or treating refugees as human beings deserving of compassion has no place in their neo colonial paradise where workers are there to be exploited and Governments role is to stifle dissent and rule the populace through fear . Despite overwhelming evidence of the illegality of the war of agression that Australia helped Bush and Blair to wage, they cannot see the real reasons for Islamic 'terror' and seek to pass laws to keep the people in line with the pretext of fighting terror.
There are moves afoot to launch a Bill of Rights campaign......Get behind it Andrew.