Digital Patriarchy by Warrigal

Wikipedia says that “Paternalism refers usually to an attitude or a policy reminiscent of the hierarchic pattern of a family based on patriarchy, that is, there is a figurehead (the father, pater in Latin) that makes decisions on behalf of others (the “wife” and “children“) for their own good, even if this is contrary to their wishes.

It is implied that the fatherly figure is wiser than and acts in the best interest of its protected figures. The term may be used derogatorily to characterize attitudes or political systems that are thought to deprive individuals of freedom and responsibility, only nominally serving their interests, while in fact pursuing another agenda; and when the pursued agenda is directly against the interests of the individuals then the result is oppression.”

As a kid growing up in a trade unionist family, my DNA was shaped by a healthy disrespect for authority.  Not so difficult to understand for a working class family that had been living under Ming the Merciless for 5 years before I hit the planet.

It was to be a massive feat of endurance.  The conservatives stayed in power not because of their wonderful command of the good ship Australia (nor perhaps because of a protracted period of post-war prosperity and growth), but because the opposition parties – the ALP and then (and I use the term “opposition” very loosely) the DLP managed to spend a mind boggling 23 years in the wilderness through factional in-fighting and by having an essentially talentless leadership and front bench.

To be fair, though, Pig-iron Bob – and later his acolyte John Winston, masterfully exploited the pathetic ALP schisms and successfully painted them as a cretinous rabble unworthy of the trust and support of the Australian people at the polls.

A glimpse of any footage of Menzies shows him to be the massive, self-assured father of the nation that he understood himself to be.  The price of certainty for the Australian family was a stultifying wooden half-arsed English bland sameness.  Not so much groundhog day as it was groundhog year.   England lite with more sunshine.

But Pig Iron Bob took us from England Lite to a new and equally obsequious position  – that the Rodent (or Menzies Lite)  made concrete in the second conservative empire – namely the position of being the Side Kick to Uncle Sam.  Not just any Uncle Sam, but the maddest, most moronic demon president delivered unto the modern world. Or perhaps more accurately his secretaries of State and Defence.

Now it seems to me that we’re going around the loop again.  A slightly different loop and the shoe is on the other foot.

We have a massively popular figure head prime minister.  He has a team of marginally competent ministers – fulfilling the standard role of not particularly achieving a lot, but keeping the lid on the country and keeping the prime minister and the party off the front pages.  Mostly.

One should not forget that this in itself is no mean feat.  In a world that constantly threatens to explode – a planet groaning under the weight of too many people and not enough food, water and renewable natural resources, creating a nation society that mostly does not starve and (for the vast majority) can get up in the morning comfortably predicting that nothing catastrophic will disrupt their morning cappuccino – is a passable result.  But it comes at a cost that looks remarkable familiar.  Remarkably Ming-esque.

And we have all the other key ingredients for a paternalistic society.  An Opposition in total meltdown.  A pack of talent less egoists with no cohesive ideology and no viable leadership.  The conservatives in Australia, it’s fair to say, are as fucked as Labor was in the Ming Era.  And moreover they seem just as likely to stay there for years to come.

Interestingly enough, Kevin Rudd has  a lot of the other key ingredients that Menzies and the post-Ming conservatives enjoyed too.  A hostile Senate – always good for getting nothing much done.  Loony balance of power Senators.  Does anyone remember Senator Albert Fields ?  How incredibly resonant is Steve Fielding !  I find obtuseness and religion a very dangerous mix.

But now we have Kevin Rudd’s mastery of media manipulation – spin doctoring par excellence with the bogeyman of Communist trade unionism well and truly laid to rest.  A new right wing Labor era.  You bet !

The Australian family has never been in better shape.

Well, except that the family values so vehemently proselytised by Howard and Rudd alike are in free-fall in so many families – with both parents working to survive economically and their kids either working their guts out to get a decent HSC for the privilege of getting onto their own gold-plated BMW treadmills – or dropping out with a quiet bong behind the boy’s weather shed.

It’s lucky we have such a wonderful father.  Roll out the barbie, the banana chairs and cricket and footy on free-to-air.  We’re in for the long haul.

Status quo until the waters of global warming start lapping the safe Labor seats of the western suburbs.

Tell us what to do next, Kevin.