I've noticed a trend with liberal-minded people online that hail or pretend to hail from communities with historical reputations for being no nonsense. Like Australians, or Glaswegians, and the like. They really ham it up. It's pathetic.
Perspective: Having been there, and having extensive family roots in that area, I think Glasgow has always been fairly left wing (Rangers fans perhaps excepted). It's just that the "definition" of left wing has changed from "working class politics, egalitarianism, trade unions" to... What it is now (essentially, largely the opposite)...
As for Australia... Something changed, I believe, in around the 80s... Theoretically/nominally "left wing" government. Decided to go all in on neoliberalism/"the free market"/globalisation, etc...
Everything has changed, since that time. The nanny state. "Woke" politics. Intrusion by China. Oppressive, extremely restrictive "big government"...
Although one could go back further to Gough Whitlam (1972-75) for the rise of militant activist universities, feminism (largely) and, in particular, divisive Aboriginal idpol...
But oddly, considering all that, it was a conservative government that took away our guns, bullet proof vests, and many, many other "freedoms"...
John Howard (conservative) through Kevin Rudd (leftist) is the period that really made Australia totally unrecognisable (1996 - 2011, approx.)
That "no nonsense" rep you speak of? I think that was well and truly dead by the time of the 2008 "Apology" to the Aboriginals. In fact, I can barely remember it, in my more than a quarter century of life...
I'm not sure quite how they killed it, but the government, media and universities have done a damn "good" job of doing so, unfortunately...
I sincerely fear for the future of this place. I really, really do.
(Unironically) Chinese vassal state 2030, anyone?
That 1980s - 90s "left wing" government I mention? The second leader of that (the only living one, Keating) was a fanatic fan of Indonesia's previous Islamofascist dictator, and now reckons Australia needs to fully "embrace" China, and that we are "losing out" by not, essentially, giving up our foreign policy independence to bow down to their wishes...
I've noticed a trend with liberal-minded people online that hail or pretend to hail from communities with historical reputations for being no nonsense. Like Australians, or Glaswegians, and the like. They really ham it up. It's pathetic.
Perspective: Having been there, and having extensive family roots in that area, I think Glasgow has always been fairly left wing (Rangers fans perhaps excepted). It's just that the "definition" of left wing has changed from "working class politics, egalitarianism, trade unions" to... What it is now (essentially, largely the opposite)...
As for Australia... Something changed, I believe, in around the 80s... Theoretically/nominally "left wing" government. Decided to go all in on neoliberalism/"the free market"/globalisation, etc...
Everything has changed, since that time. The nanny state. "Woke" politics. Intrusion by China. Oppressive, extremely restrictive "big government"...
Although one could go back further to Gough Whitlam (1972-75) for the rise of militant activist universities, feminism (largely) and, in particular, divisive Aboriginal idpol...
But oddly, considering all that, it was a conservative government that took away our guns, bullet proof vests, and many, many other "freedoms"...
John Howard (conservative) through Kevin Rudd (leftist) is the period that really made Australia totally unrecognisable (1996 - 2011, approx.)
That "no nonsense" rep you speak of? I think that was well and truly dead by the time of the 2008 "Apology" to the Aboriginals. In fact, I can barely remember it, in my more than a quarter century of life...
I'm not sure quite how they killed it, but the government, media and universities have done a damn "good" job of doing so, unfortunately...
I sincerely fear for the future of this place. I really, really do.
(Unironically) Chinese vassal state 2030, anyone?
That 1980s - 90s "left wing" government I mention? The second leader of that (the only living one, Keating) was a fanatic fan of Indonesia's previous Islamofascist dictator, and now reckons Australia needs to fully "embrace" China, and that we are "losing out" by not, essentially, giving up our foreign policy independence to bow down to their wishes...
Frankly, that sounds like treachery, to me...