Associating Peter Dutton With Donald Trump
0
0
James Paterson reckons associating Peter Dutton with Donald Trump is a desperate smear. Well, there are differences, decidedly, Donald Trump has more hair for instance. It is true, however, that both men have cosied up to Benjamin Netanyahu on junket tours to Israel. Both right wing leaders do not appreciate the plight of Palestinians if their behaviours and statements are anything to go by. Bashing any protest against the genocide of women, children and men in Gaza, with the ‘antisemitism’ accusation. The divisive Dutton has repeatedly called for the power for politicians like himself to deport dual citizens. In America, Trump is having masked, plain clothed police grabbing academics from campuses and disappearing them. These professors and Fulbright scholars who are legally working in the US and have broken no laws have been taken and locked up. The only thing they did was write a pro-Palestinian essay in an academic journal. This is the behaviour of a fascist dictatorship.
Peter ‘Temu Trump’ Dutton
Yes, cruel commentators have called Peter Dutton, ‘Temu Trump’. The budget, lite version, made in China, is, perhaps, the inference here. Dutton is a keen dog whistler on matters of race, whereas Trump is a loud white supremacist who boasts Nazis and thugs as political allies. Peter has been more forthright in his alarmist fear mongering over stateless illegal refugees threatening the safety of the nation. Dutton has called for the army to be sent into Alice Springs to round up the wild Indigenous youth. He championed the assimilation of Aboriginality by bringing down the Voice and telling all and sundry – “if you don’t know, vote No.” Dutton was the winner in marshalling disinformation and negativity to sway the nation against something more than 80% of Indigenous Australians supported. White is right, according to Pete. This was Trumpian, surely.
Dutton’s Trump Inspiration Downunder
Peter Dutton and his LNP Coalition are the most right wing version of this political grouping probably ever. They have embraced anti-wokeness and championed a ‘strongman’ approach to Australian politics. The right wing LNP are quick to seize upon any anti-trans opportunity. Demonising trans people and kiddies especially is a favoured go to move for the Coalition. Exaggerating instances of sex changes in unlikely places like the army and in prisons. You could count on one hand these instances but right wing pollies and shock jocks make out that this stuff is happening in droves. Outrage in the wider community is their aim. Garnering voter support on the back of these outlandish examples of misinformation. Sounds like someone you know of in the US of A? Trumpian you reckon?
“Peter Dutton says if he wins power he will make his first overseas trip to Washington DC to meet Donald Trump, saying he believes he can find “common ground” with the US president.”
The Trumpian LNP Coalition
Associating Peter Dutton with Donald Trump is not that hard despite the lack of hair and orange skin. Both men admire strong men in the political sphere. These sons of Anglo-settlers who believe in the entitlement of white men to rule the roost. One an ex-cop from Queensland and the other a bagman for Russian mafia money. Both men see attack as the answer to most things on the political campaign hustings. Blame a scapegoat from a minority to get the white majority on your side. Demonise someone with dark skin. Accuse clever women of lacking the common sense to know their place. Two roles are up for grabs here for women: sexual object of attraction or motherhood. Power is not one of them. Poor people with their hand out are no better than criminals in the estimation of these rich and successful men. Robodebt was the answer for LNP Coalition in government last time around. An ideological and illegal attack on 500, 000 welfare recipients for 6 years. Yes, a few vulnerable Australians killed themselves in despair. Yes, it cost tax payers $1.8 billion in a settled class action against the government. No, no one has been held accountable, as yet.
Trump’s GOP Inspires Aussie Neocons
Whilst in Trump’s America, they are dismantling social security under the guise of tackling government wastage. Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, is coming after the poorest folk in America. Only in batshit crazy USA would such disgusting stuff occur. Trump has surrounded himself with some really nasty nutjob extremists – the Project 2025 crew. Yes, Donald Trump denied this just prior to the election and yes he is an inveterate liar. The continual lying by right wing folk on Fox News is spreading to the larger right wing media world. Sky News Australia and the other Murdoch platforms are keen to show their lying skills too. They have been emboldened by what goes on in Trump world.
Dutton & Trump
So, is it a smear to associate Peter Dutton with Donald Trump? I don’t think so. Australia copies the US like a kid brother. I mean, we import their CEOs to run our companies and have seen the demise of competition in every sector through mergers and takeovers. The failure of the ACCC under successive federal governments has been legendary. We are the home of duopolies and oligopolies. Consumers now have no buying power. Corporations and multinationals act with impunity. Declaring record profits during our cost of living and housing crises. That is what is so great about privatising everything, according to the neoliberalism model – no body gives a shit about human suffering because only shareholders matter. The market does it more efficiently because its remit is so shallow. Economists know this, of course, but most of them are employed by banks and big corporations. Peter Dutton wants to slash the public service to save money and make thing more productive. But at the same time, he wants to spend $800 billion on establishing a nationalised nuclear power sector. Make your mind up Peter. Similarly, Pete reckons he is going to tackle the gas reserve situation, which most experts say is legally impossible. Unless he is going to do a Trump and force them via strongarm tactics. Political promises prior to an election are about as reliable as the climate these days. Pete hates renewables and has told the fossil fuel industry he will be their best friend in government. There is the small problem of the transition we are currently undergoing and have spent billions upon. Will we see another ideological reversal costing tax payers hundreds of billions?
The LNP don’t believe in climate change and have done everything possible to delay and disable our efforts to reduce the carbon being emitted via the Australian economy. Trump and Dutton reckon that making money is more important than doing anything about global warming. Is this a diabolical short term view of things?
“There was a moment in Coalition leader Peter Dutton’s pitch to voters on ABC TV on Thursday night when the full Trumpian catastrophe of his climate, energy and industry policies could have been exposed for all to see.
Dutton had earlier – in his Budget reply speech – presented a carbon copy of Donald Trump’s cynical vandalism of climate and energy initiatives – promising tear up the Rewiring the Nation program, disrupting the roll out of large-scale renewables, and betting the whole economy on fossil gas and the magic pudding of nuclear power.”
AUKUS & Our Unreliable Ally
AUKUS was a Coalition deal that saw Scott Morrison betray the French who we had an existing deal with. Australians were never asked whether they were OK with the nuclear submarine arrangement. Australia has had a long standing non-nuclear policy. This $368 billion deal has been called the worst deal in history by former PM Paul Keaton. It signs Australia up to a US military strategy to patrol the South China Sea to ring fence China. There are no guarantees that we will ever see a nuclear submarine, as it is dependent upon the US increasing its ability to build more subs. We get to contribute billions toward the American shipyards. Trump is now going around insulting allies and pissing off everyone globally. America is an unreliable ally under Donald Trump. AUKUS looks like a terrible arrangement and many folk would like to see us say, thanks but no thanks, to the Trump regime.
Oh and Trump’s USA is cosying up to Putin’s Russia.
Will Australia Continue To Support Ukraine Under Dutton?
The LNP Coalition is telling folk that Peter Dutton will have a better relationship with Donald Trump than Albo. That the bald avenger will be better at sucking up to the bullying mob boss Trump. Right wingers understand these types of hierarchical relationships better apparently. Donald Trump admires the dictator Vladimir Putin and their relationship goes back to the days when Russian mobsters bought apartments in Trump tower. The Trump 2.0 administration has already removed sanctions against Russia and has suspended military aid to Ukraine. This 180 degree reversal has shocked and angered NATO allies.
The question has to be asked – will Australia continue to support Ukraine under Dutton? If Pete is busy sucking up, will this become a transactional pawn to curry favour with the Donald? Betrayal of allies is a LNP Coalition thing after all, just ask the French.
Robert Sudha Hamilton is the author of America Matters: Pre-apocalyptic Posts & Essays in the Shadow of Trump.
©MidasWord
