It’s a common fallacy to assume that dictators are never elected. In fact, some of the worst dictators were elected to power rather than seizing it by coup.
Famously, the Nazis were elected, although, to be fair, it was as a minority party. But Mussolini’s Fascists were swept to power in a landslide in 1924. More recently, notorious dictators like Bashar al-Assad rose to office with 89% of the vote — and won 97% of the vote in a referendum to extend his term.
What is common to elected dictators, though, is that, having won office by popular vote, they resort to anti-democratic shenanigans to make sure they stay there.
Over to you, Daniel Andrews.
State Parliament’s upper house has been suspended after three crossbench MPs voted with the government during a heated debate in which the opposition repeatedly accused Labor of avoiding public scrutiny and accountability[…]
The opposition’s attempts to compel the Legislative Council to meet in a COVID-safe manner failed 20 votes to 14 when the Greens’ Samantha Ratnam, Animal Justice Party’s Andy Meddick and the Reason Party’s Fiona Patten sided with the government.
While we shouldn’t be surprised that the Greens are siding with a socialist elected dictator, Patten claims to be a “libertarian”. It’s an odd kind of “libertarian” who supports a socialist government which imposes curfews, grants itself the power to enter homes without warrants and openly touts kicking down doors and forcibly testing citizens.
Let alone suspending parliament in order to avoid being held to democratic account.
“The opposition believes there should be scrutiny, there should be a question time, there should be an opportunity for us as MPs to stand up for our electorates and the people who are being hurt, the children [whose playgrounds] are being closed down, the businesses that are dying and being closed down week by week,” said David Davis, the opposition’s leader in the upper house.
“This is a very significant moment for democracy in this state. Clamping down on democracy like this. This is a very powerful government using every armoured force that they can to actually control the message, control the state, control the community.”
“It is the absolute right of the State to supervise the formation of public opinion”
Joseph Goebbels.
The opposition repeatedly called for the government to release the health advice behind the need to suspend Parliament, with the Liberals’ Georgie Crozier rallying against the letter provided to the presiding officers that did not in detail outline the health advice.
You’ve got to be kidding. This is the same government which keeps secret reports detailing the shocking spike in suicides and mental ill-health under lockdowns.
“There are millions of Victorians who want to understand what is going on,” Ms Crozier said. “They are losing their businesses and [there are] mental health impacts on our children. You laugh at that? You scoff at that? That just demonstrates the arrogance and ignorance you all have.”
Hypocritically, despite siding with the government, the Greens’ MP tried to pose as some kind of protector of democracy.
The Greens’ Samantha Ratnam, who during debate said she would only support Parliament being adjourned for one week, called out the government for not finding a way to hold sittings online, as is the case in the Federal Parliament.
“The Parliament cannot be viewed as just an inconvenience for the government, it is an essential part of our democratic system,” Ms Ratnam said.
The Age
So, why did you vote to suspend this “essential part of our democratic system”?
Troops and police patrolling deserted streets, Australia’s second-biggest city under curfew, house searches without warrant, parliament suspended, daily propaganda broadcasts by the Dear Leader…
“The people want wholesome dread. They want to fear something. They want someone to frighten them and make them shudderingly submissive”
Ernst Röhm
…tell me again that this isn’t an elected dictatorship.
Please share this article so that others can discover The BFD