Tea Party politics coming to Australia?

Peter Boyle
March 12, 2011
Issue 
872
Green Left Fighting Fund
However, more significant than Hanson, is the attempt by conservative forces to replicate the US Tea Party movement in Australia

Australia’s most famous racist and one-time MP Pauline Hanson won the attention of big business media at the March 10 ballot draw for the NSW Legislative Council elections.

However, more significant than Hanson, is the attempt by conservative forces to replicate the right-wing populist US Tea Party movement in Australia. This push is headed by right-wing politicians and media shock jocks, and aims to mobilise people on a populist and racist agenda.

Last August, a website called the TEA Party in Australia was launched. TEA stands for Taxed Enough Already, the website says.

In October, Liberal Senator Cory Bernardi helped establish the Conservative Action Network, or CANdo, as a “Facebook for conservatives” the Sydney Morning Herald said on March 5

Federal opposition leader Tony Abbott and 2GB Radio shock jocks Alan Jones and Chris Smith are calling for a “people’s revolt” against the idea that carbon pollution is causing climate change.

They have called for a rally in Canberra on March 23 but a smaller test rally will take place in Melbourne in the lead-up.

Counter-rallies are being planned. But we need to learn an important lesson from the US: the Tea Party is not only the result of right-wing politicians and media shock jocks, but of the failure of the Obama administration to address the needs of ordinary working people, who are suffering the pain of the global economic crisis.

It is estimated that 26.1 million people are either unemployed or underemployed, while a record 43.6 million now live in poverty in the richest country in the world.

Many left and progressive activists have failed to take an independent political stand from the Democratic Party, despite the legitimacy crisis of the two-party system in the US. This has given space to the right.

In Australia, the Greens and a section of the environment movement are being tempted to support the Labor government’s latest version of a pro-big business carbon trading scheme.

If ordinary people are made to pay higher bills, only to see big polluting companies get billions of dollars in government subsidies, it will be much harder to challenge the powerful vested interests that are blocking Australia’s transition to a sustainable and equitable future.

We need to build progressive political movements that are independent of the parties that systematically serve the interests of big business.

Green Left Weekly is committed to building independent progressive political movements. If you want to support our work you can make a donation online today at www.greenleft.org.au/donate.php.

Direct deposits can be made to Green Left Weekly, Commonwealth Bank, BSB 062-006, Account No. 00901992.

Otherwise, you can send a cheque or money order to PO Box 515, Broadway NSW 2007 or phone in a donation on the toll-free line, 1800 634 206 (within Australia).

Anti-racism
Australia

Comments

Anonymous replied on

Ah, yes. An Australian tea party. Why on earth wasn't this thought of earlier? I don't suppose pauline would work as a spokesperson for such a movement. Too stupid. Maybe someone like janet Albrechtsen from the the Australian would be good. She can string a sentence together and possesses the right amount of cruelty, narrowness and bigotry befitting of such a role. Having said all that, it's not as though stupidity has in any way hampered Sarah Palin's career as the "darling" of the American tea party movement. Okay, yep. That changes my mind. Pauline would be perfect to lead such a movement down under. Of course, everyone knows we already have our rush Limbaughs and Bill O'reilly type media buffoons ready to play their role in Australia's tea party. Andrew Bolt and Alan Jones spring to mind. Oh gosh, it's going to be such fun. One can imagine Tony Abbott pretending to play down the extreme diatribes that would be emitted, while at the same time whipping them along into greater slathers of racist fury. Yes, an Australian tea party. We've already got potential members, all we need is a party.

Anonymous replied on

Comments like this are the reason for the frustration with political parties in Australia... no doubt in the US too. Pauline Hanson is clearly not an intellectual, however when did being educated become the requirement for having an opinion and why is it so necessary to assinate others opionion with labels of racism, bigotry and narrow mindedness... maybe if you called her a Nazi, that would work too. Obviously, name calling has proven a highly effective method of discrediting someone or it wouldn't so often be used by pseudo intellectuals who think it's smart to be sarcastic and are not embarassed by being ilinformed... sad really. An Australian issue at the moment is the NBN, which our government is passionately committed to send us into debt over. A contradiction in terms when you consider that a carbon tax ( another government favorite ) will render the NBN impossible to afford because of rising power prices... or maybe we'll stop using hot water... its necessary for the planet for us to chage our lifestyles... bathing isn't important... or eating... we don't need to refrigerate or cook food... or even using other appiances... forget the hairdryer or the airconditioning... we need to advantage of technology that keeps us in contact with the rest of the world. Oh, I know.... everytime we want to use something that requires power, we can take it in turns to ride a bike that turns a windmill... we'll all be healthier... that works. Don't get me started on our current failed immigration policy... but you know what I mean. The US has its own problems... mexico isn't it? Political correctness is falling out of favour with the adult general public in Australia. It's easy for our youth to be passionate about everything. They're staying at home in droves so they don't have to support themselves... unfortunately leaving their parents with rising living costs. The problem in Australia is that a quarter of our population is receiving some type of government benefit in order to survive. We don't teach our people to be self sufficent. We don't give our people the skills to improve their circumstances. If capitalism is the enemy, who will pay for everything when the capitalists are exterminated? What will happen to Australia when our companies relocate oversees? What will happen when we lose jobs and more people join the dole queues? Maybe, when capitalists get sick of being kicked, they'll join the racks of the idealists and we can all sit around hugging trees and singing in unity Calling Tony Abbott a racist... that's laughable... but I forgot... labeling him a racist means people shouldn't listen to him. Have you? I think he's too middle ground and so do a rising number of Australians. Australia needs another party and all the people who were slandered by the original comment here want an Australia who pays its bills and allows its people to pay theirs. I don't want a government who wants to poke its nose into my life. Leave me alone to work and earn money and provide jobs for other Australians.

peter.g.boyle@g... replied on

Wow! This is a classic tea party script. Repeat it over and over again. Intersperse with dog whistles to racists, xenophobes, women-haters, homophobes, conspiracy theorists. And bingo you have become a Glenn Beck clone! No let's get a real dinky di Aussie symbol. Alan Jones? Mike Smith? Stan Zamenek? No good he's carked it - or is that really a problem? Maybe he could be like a Tea Party Martyr? Maybe you could build a myth about him being killed by the slanderous tree-hugging, chardonnay-sipping, cafe-latte-sculling, inner-city scum, etc, etc.

Anonymous replied on

How funny! Same ole, same ole! Name calling? Scare mungering? Throw a few minority groups into the body of the text to pretend credibility and social awareness and the cherry on the top... nasty personal aspersions. This comment had it all. Maybe you saw the 'Bully/Victim piece' that's been flashing around the world media and how most people felt the victim had the right to finally stand up? Okay... we get it, but do you? Regurgitated self projection is just plain sad. Propaganda only works on the ignorant... sorry... you need a new plan.

Anonymous replied on

More predictable hysteria if someone remotely "rightist" dares to speak. This pathetic anti-right stance (as if *nothing* the right says has any legitimacy!) is the reason for the Tea Party, Hanson, the surging popularity of nationalist parties in recent European elections. But keep smugly dismissing them and pat yourself on the back at how "enlightened" you green lefties are. You've lost. The tide has turned. Nobody cares about your name calling anymore. Goodbye.

Anonymous replied on

i cant bleave how blaseay you all are about a movont that tearing on being fassiceast at climeat change dennialast rallaley with fring elmeants licke citzioans elicrioal counceal leage of rights pulean hansioan holding up sighans reding julear gileard is bob browans bich calining hear wich carbioan tax becom raling call for tee party how are shovainast racests homofbic resioan becom so strong in unitad sates left was to wake that whay we shoud be vigleant uniting agenist tham if socalliast / communiast partys uions countear act enney raleys kill the tee party this movoant off befor it has chances to grow becom right wingd forces it workad with ante pulean hanioan ralleys by sam bullock brisbande

Anonymous replied on

In a lot of ways, the original rise of One Nation was a kind of Tea Party dynamic, used by the Liberal party (then in government, not opposition) to take a big step to the right. Most obviously this was on the issue of refugees, only really a scapegoating distraction while they slipped through the substantially important (to them) policies like war and union-bashing. Abbott might try to ride this new "mass movement" into government, but there are plenty of weak points. I mean, look at his obvious lying over climate change. One week he doubts it's a real problem, next week it's a serious issue that we can't deny. He only gets away with this because the mass media are treating him with kid gloves. "If ordinary people are made to pay higher bills, only to see big polluting companies get billions of dollars in government subsidies" the carbon tax will damage public support for climate action. Higher bills is Abbott's line. It may well be true, but the exemptions and subsidies to polluters are a worse problem - yet that isn't what Mr Abbott is likely to be complaining about. Another weak point in his argument.

Anonymous replied on

These comments show your out of touch with reality, and are pushing a very very narrow minded, left wing agenda. "This push is headed by right-wing politicians and media shock jocks, and aims to mobilise people on a populist and racist agenda." The TEA Party in the US is a grass roots Libertarian movement, yeah there will be extremists amongst it, and sadly (just as regulation works or the blame game everywhere around the world) those minority people are the people used to corrupt a movement or make it look bad for political purposes. It has been hijacked by the Neo Cons like Palin and more recently Herman Cain to try and destabilize, but really the true hero is Ron Paul, a staunch Civil Rights advocate, freedom of Speech advocate and of limited Government, and for keeping your own hard earned money and your rights to individual liberty, and power to the people, thats certainly something no socialist will ever guarantee. And this from you: "If ordinary people are made to pay higher bills, only to see big polluting companies get billions of dollars in government subsidies, it will be much harder to challenge the powerful vested interests that are blocking Australia’s transition to a sustainable and equitable future." We will definitely pay higher bills i'm afraid, do you honestly think imposing a carbon tax on big corporates is going to make them clean their act up? You've got to be kidding me don't you? You obviously have zero idea of how the world works. It will most certainly be passed onto the consumer no questions asked, I don't give a damn what Bob Brown or Gillard say, they're liars, and at times (and this is why the TEA Party exists in Australia now) I think we truly are in a situation where career politicians of all parties are bought out vested interests, and sadly attuned far too much to the corrupt UN organization run by guess who? The Rockefellers, the worlds biggest criminals of all time along with the Rothschilds (seen any humanitarian NATO bombing missions in Libya lately for more oil to prop up an ailing reserve currency?), who own the Federal Reserve banking system to screw us all over, and they are the ones through the Trilateral Commission and Council of Foreign Relations in the US who want a carbon tax for their one world government my friend. I nice bug fat tax so they can embezzle the last hard earned cash from the middle class around the world, and you idiots are supporting that. People need to wake up and fast. The green movement was founded by these very same people under the guise to do the right thing, very much so for a one world government, sadly headed by the biggest criminal organisation man has ever known. Basically the IMF, WTO and affiliated organisations, and using the US military industrial complex to make sure non-players are pulled in line.

You need Green Left, and we need you!

Green Left is funded by contributions from readers and supporters. Help us reach our funding target.

Make a One-off Donation or choose from one of our Monthly Donation options.

Become a supporter to get the digital edition for $5 per month or the print edition for $10 per month. One-time payment options are available.

You can also call 1800 634 206 to make a donation or to become a supporter. Thank you.