It’s a mystery to me as to why Scummo and the gang are trying so hard to make trouble with both the Indians and the Chinese. The announcement that anyone found trying to return from India would risk a $66,000 fine and a possible 5 year gaol term was bound to go down well, especially since it’s virtually impossible to get a flight from India to Australia. As this was never the case with citizens of the United States when the Coronavirus was raging in those parts, it should have been fairly predictable that the Indians would see this as blatant discrimination, if not racism. Even if we don’t play the race card it’s an appalling continuation of the government’s lack of concern for its own citizens who happen to be stranded in India. Scummo’s policy on Australians abroad over the past year seems to have been: ‘Out of sight, out of mind’.
Meanwhile we have the Minister for Defence, AKA. The Boiled Egg, acting like a playground tough guy, telling everyone we need to prepare for war with the Chinese. Well it’s no news that the Chinese government has become more authoritarian and beligerent over the past couple of years, but it’s even less of a revelation that the Chinese hate being denounced or dictated to – especially by a global pipsqueak like Australia. The trouble really escalated when Scummo decided to stand up and call for an international investigation into the origins of the virus in China, to show Donald Trump that he was right on-side. As this investigation was going to happen anyway all he needed to do was keep schtum and vote with the majority. Ever since this idiotical piece of grandstanding we’ve been punished economically, while Australian citizens in China such as newsreader, Cheng Lei, have been victimised.
We’re powerless to do anything about the bans on Australian produce and powerless to help those who have been imprisoned without due process by vindictive authorities. Now the Boiled Egg, who seems intent on emulating Humpty-Dumpty, wants China to know we’re spoiling for a fight. Is that really a good idea? In any armed conflict China could wipe us out in the blink of an eye. It may seem inconceivable that we would ever end up in such a confrontation but the world is a pretty crazy place at present and the people in charge are not the most brilliant statesmen we’ve ever seen.
It’s the sheer ignorance of our politicians that is the problem. The anti-China rhetoric may play well to provincial bigots but it’s only pouring kerosene on the flames internationally. We’d be a lot smarter to shut up and do a little back-burning.
The art column this week looks at Tree of Life: A Study in Endurance at the S.H.Ervin Gallery. It’s the latest thematic extravaganza put together by independent curator, Gavin Wilson, featuring more than 30 artists. This time it’s all about trees, which may sound uncontroversial but the approach is fiercely conservationist. Like most of these shows it’s a mixed bag, but with enough strong works to make it recommendable.
At the movies I’m looking at De Gaulle, the big bio pic of the most influential Frenchman of the 20th century. It’s a rigorously edited portrait because the entire film covers only two months in De Gaulle’s life, when he went from being a loyal soldier in the French army to leader of the Free French, exiled in Britain. The General was a great patriot but perhaps not the most lovable personality to strut the world stage. The film does its best to humanise him, but frankly it’s almost a relief to study a politician who put duty before show business. De Gaulle was a lion tamer in the global political circus – today we’re stuck with the clowns.