David Kindon’s letter (MNW June 17) is a timely reminder that Australian democracy is under attack. The Abbott government ticks most if not all the boxes in Britt’s list of “Fourteen Defining Characteristics Of Fascism”.
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Whilst no-one is suggesting that we will see men in brown or black shirts rounding up those who dissent from government policies and decisions there are disturbing signs. Abbott’s latest slogan, “by hook or by crook”, encapsulates his modus operandi.
• Increasingly, decisions are made in secret and information withheld from both Parliament and the public using the flimsy excuse of “national security”.
• Civil liberties are being eroded, the decision to force ISPs to keep metadata being a case in point.
• Executive power is increasingly used in an attempt to bypass Parliament, the courts, and the constitution.
• Government is being outsourced to large corporations both local and transnational. The latest free trade agreement with China, for example, gives Chinese companies the right to sue if Government decisions – which are made in Australia’s national interests - adversely affect them.
Mussolini observed that “Fascism should more appropriately be called Corporatism because it is a merger of state and corporate power”.
It could be said that the Abbott government has actually brokered a takeover of state power rather than a merger!
It is also worrying that the Labor Party – traditionally the champion of civil liberties and transparent government - is supporting the government on some of these issues rather than speaking out in opposition. The good news is that we can still stop the drift to fascism and reclaim our democracy through the ballot box.
Kevin Walsh
Tura Beach