Riots 2019

It’s a sobering thought, from Fascism to Communism, Racism to multiculturalism, Capitalism to Socialism, everyone’s a critic.

Right now, in these cities, London, Paris, Berlin, Hong Kong, and Moscow, they’re rioting against authority, or is that Authoritarianism? In all my 69 years I cannot remember another period in history, when the world has stood against it’s governors quite so globally as today.

In London, it’s “You’re not listening to me. In Paris, “Vous n’ecoutez pas.” In Germany, “ Du horst nicht zu.” And so on. The language may change, but the meaning remains the same. Governments and our elected politicians believe they are autonomous, answerable only to themselves.

Alarmingly, here in Australia, we voted back in a government we already knew wasn’t listening to us. It seems world wide our governments are no longer answerable to us, those that voted them into office. In fact it seems it is us that answers to them. Even more alarmingly, we are dissuaded from questioning our elected politicians, news rooms raided, journalists homes raided, why? Revealing the truth. Did we, Australia, really bug the offices of the East Timorese government? If that happened, and it seems it did, do we not have the right to know? I recall a car dealer being jailed for much the same offence. Why should politicians be different?

If laws have been broken, by our Bankers, our armed forces, and yes even our elected politicians, then we have the right to know, and to make our own judgement, when choosing a bank or going to the polls.

Journalism is the corner stone of our democracy, or what remains of it. If an employee of a company behaves dishonestly he, and the company are, or should be, held to account.

We need the media to keep us informed, so we can make informed judgment. Stand up, the freedom our parents and grandparents fought for, is being eroded, by the very governments we elect. Have your say while you still can.