Australia seems to be sliding down a path towards a dystopia of lies, power, and control . It's been going for a while I guess. John Howard, Prime Minister from 1992 for way too many years, got voted in by appealing to the worst elements of prejudice in all it's forms. Lying about Tampa, then the "children overboard" farce, demonising Asylum seekers. Then demonising and disempowering Aboriginal Australians with "the Intervention". This was the start. I think this showed the disciples of economic rationalism, led by Rupert Murdoch, that they could get away with untruths, with blaming others, with dividing and conquering. These are people who don't believe in society, and don't believe in helping the powerless.

Since this time, the economic rationalists in power have treated Australia's wealth as their own. Moving money and power from public health and education, and into private companies. Allowing wealthy lobbyists and favoured industries free rein. Moving spending from tourism infrastructure into mining and big fishing. Allowing rampant building of apartment blocks, office blocks, and highways. Entrenching their message by discouraging free media. Attacking anyone who questions the new order.. Bob Brown and the Greens, the Guardian, the ABC, Gillian Triggs, many others..

The government seems assured of its power. Ministers are taking the piss, showing us that they are no longer even scared that they can be voted out. Tony Abbott making himself "Minister for Indigenous affairs" then "Minister for Women". Bronwyn Bishop making a mockery of the speaker's role by being unashamedly the most partisan speaker in history. But pushing her impunity too far by taking a $5000 helicopter flight, taxpayer funded. Joe Hockey dividing us into "lifters or leaners", before smugly smoking his cigar on the night of the nastiest budget in memory (thankfully, we did vote then all out, but there is a long list of ministers still spouting malice and nonsense).

I'm sure that the many disenfranchised people of Australia are getting used to the freedoms and rights being trampled on. Not content with demonising asylum seekers and aboriginal australians, the movement has turned on city folk and white folk too. Prisoners (including those in prison for non violent crimes, including kids in youth detention), the unemployed, people with disability, victims of domestic violence, and the mentally ill. The list is expanding and the assault on rights is escalating. Scott Morrison's new idea is to randomly drug test welfare recipients, so he can justify quaranteening their payments. Attacking the integrity of a group then disempowering them is a strategy with a precedent. Ask Aboriginal families in NT communities affected by the Intervention what that's like! And more and more of us are coming under attack. We are giving up our freedoms bit by bit, oblivious like slowly cooking frogs.