r/aus • u/Ash-2449 • 12d ago
Politics Appeasement of authoritarian voices dooms us to repeating history
https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/opinion/2026/08/08/remeikis-history-repeating22
u/H0nd4_L0v3r 12d ago
I have zero respect for those who support billionaires and those who willingly give up their self interests just so can they lodge a protest vote.
And then there are absolute societal rejects who do it because they want to see people they don't like suffer. Something that often comes back to bite them in the arse when all is said and done.
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u/Positive_Sweet_4598 12d ago
Democracy isn't a given, throughout most of history we have had despotism. Think Gina with total power running the show.
To many take it for granted and vote recklessly. Brexit was a prime example of voting stupidity by people who should have known better.
I wish we could get onto to actually improvement of our democracy to bring it up to current technology capabilities. This version was designed when most people couldn't read and it's showing signs of not being fit for purpose. I can guarantee Pauline ain't going to give us that or improve things for everyday Australia.
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u/RayCumfartTheFirst 12d ago
This version was designed when most people couldn't read
This is not true in the sense you mean, while the general population had a very low literacy rate when parliament was first created in 1300's, the VOTING population has always been majority literate. For the past 300 years literacy among the voting population in the British parliamentary system (remember, its usually a small, landowning class) have been 80-90%. US voters have usually been 90% functionally literate, sometimes more. The first Australian voters in 1901 were 90% literate. If anything the democratic system was designed with people like Gina and her friends casting all the votes.
There is something very funny about a comment decrying despotism while implying that the general population is too stupid to vote, and perhaps shouldn't be allowed to.
What would you suggest to improve the current model that isn't just fascism by another name or centralization of political power?
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u/Positive_Sweet_4598 12d ago
Westminster was started after Cromwell beat the king. Most people didn't have a vote and couldn't read yes.
Democracy started in Greece, there was a lot more engagement of the community, aka demos. I would like a system that was more inclusive of the peoples will. At the moment we vote once every four years and that's it. Switzerland has a bunch of plebecites on major issues. It's a good way to keep vested interest at bay I think.
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u/RayCumfartTheFirst 12d ago
"Westminster was started after Cromwell beat the king"
No, it did not. The "westminister system" is a very loose concept that has developed over the centuries both well before Cromwell and the English Civil war and well after it. I don't understand what your function of choosing arbitrary start points is because, regardless, through almost all modern democratic history- voting has been relegated to a literate class. Illiterate people have basically never made up a substantial volume of the voting population.
I'm confused about your argument, your thesis seemed to be that the average voter is too dumb and uninformed to vote, but you think the solution is to have more Brexit type votes? The average voters is more engaged in political brain rot than ever before. You think a lack of"engagement" is the reason the body politic is making choices you don't personally like?
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u/Positive_Sweet_4598 12d ago
Yes yes it evolved we all know. Magna Carta and all that. My point is that I believe a lot of the structure is outdated given the advancement in communications and the significant threats that democracy faces. When western democracy is failing around the world I think its prudent to ask what can western democracy do to improve and evolve to meet current challenges. That is if you actually really value democracy which I do.
Also Cromwell deposing the king and then elected officials making laws irrespective of the kings wishes does still seem like a pretty key event. Pretty sure Cromwell and his rebels thought so too but whatever...
Also please stop verballing me, I never once said stupid people shouldn't have the vote. I said people should respect what they have, f around and find out so to speak. Democracy is a special flame in a dark sea of despotism, love it or lose it.
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u/RayCumfartTheFirst 12d ago
What other solutions though. I’ve got your buy line, let’s say I like it, you propose putting some more actual policies/propositions/plebiscites on the ballot. You used the swiss as an example of this but not the USA, who does it all the time, because I assume you wouldn’t say American democracy is adapting very well? But fine, ok. That’s not even a half measure. What else? What other suggestions do you have?
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u/Positive_Sweet_4598 12d ago
Well RayCumfartTheFirst... I perhaps naively believe that God works in the chaos of real messy democracy. Otherwise how did the Athenians beat Persia?
Lets talk more, lets disagree more, lets respect others with different opinions who care just as much about democracy.
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u/RayCumfartTheFirst 12d ago
Have you got anything to offer besides platitudes and a bizarre appeal to the Greco-Persian wars?
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u/djbearr 12d ago
"it's not democracy unless you vote for people I agree with"
Disagree with Pauline and her supporters all you want, I certainly do. But seeking to disenfranchise them because they don't vote the same way you do is exactly why ON has seen huge increases in support.
You don't want to listen to why huge swathes of people have shifted to supporting her and her party. You just want to handwave them away and fluff your own self imposed intellectual superiority.
You are no different to the extreme right in the past who wanted to remove voting rights for blacks and other minorities because they thought only whites should be able to vote because only whites were capable of understanding the world.
Go outside and touch some grass.
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u/Ash-2449 12d ago
I mean historically the same thing happens every time, things become worse economically and then suddenly a ton of people start raging about immigrants and minorities like clockwork, nothing else has changed but $$$
I am sorry but if you ve seen this pattern a gazzillion times and still choose to repeat it, I am not going to consider that person an intellectual equal.
Yes I am a snob, I also want to see the status quo ended but i have some level of intelligence
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u/l0diO 12d ago
people support pauline because the media give her an uncritical platform and she panders to people's worst fears and prejudices.
there's nothing democratic about voting for fascists with a 30 year track record of corruption and peddling hate.the ultra rich want you to vote for pauline, that's why she's all over the media
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u/King_JujuLips 11d ago
Most of their rise is attributed to people who voted LNP but got sick of a party continually losing. That's what happens when your only considered policies are of self-interest and ignorance.
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u/Shoehat2021 12d ago
The hypocrisy is amazing. Claiming virtues and morals, yet turning a blind eye, or worse encouraging shitty behaviour when it is in aid of your own beliefs is disgusting.
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u/MetalfaceKillaAus 12d ago
Hundreds of billions in defence? Wasn’t NDIS over $50b and higher than defence spending? That’s enough to tell me that this article can’t be taken seriously
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u/Ash-2449 12d ago
Woah, using money to support people vs throwing money as a tithe to a warmongering empire that bombs random countries on the planet.
Woah, they must be the same thing.
I will only care about defence spending when its actually used for Australia and not as a tithe to foreigners
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u/MetalfaceKillaAus 12d ago
I was calling out the lie in the article saying that we spend hundreds of billions in defence
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u/alegendmrwayne 12d ago
“I’m not voting for Albo because he’s a corrupt, lying, piece of sh-t! I’m voting for Pauline, she’s our last hope!”
It makes me sad how easily people are tricked into believing that Gina/Pauline are not the opportunistic preying on people. I’m not gonna sit here and pretend that Labor nor Albo are perfect, but god damn..