Opinion
In Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Henry Jones Sr. (Sean Connery) remarks: “I misjudged you, Walter. I knew you would sell your mother for an Etruscan vase. But I didn’t know you would sell out your country and your soul to the slime of humanity.”
We might say the same to the Albanese Labor government.
The Albanese government has flagged its intention to legitimise a literal terrorist state. In one of the most shameful betrayals since Chamberlain and Daladier sold out Czechoslovakia to Hitler, Labor have turned their backs on Israel in order to pander to Hamas. Labor is also turning its back on the wisdom of one of its greatest leaders, Bob Hawke, who warned that, “If the bell tolls for Israel, it won’t just toll for Israel, it will toll for all mankind.”
All for just a few grubby votes.
The anti-Semitic bell is clanging hard in the Muslim heartland of Western Sydney — and Labor is listening.
Labor powerbrokers fear key western Sydney heartland seats with large Muslim populations are vulnerable to high-profile community independents running on pro-Palestine platforms, a key factor behind the ALP’s hardening stance against Israel.
The development comes as sources cited a multi-prong pressure push of Labor leaders waking up to a “moral” but also “political” imperative as key seats threatened to desert the party.
“Moral”, my arse. It’s dirty, sleazy, naked politics, all the way.
Southwest Sydney seats with large pro-Palestine and Muslim voter bases that most concerned party figures include Jason Clare’s Blaxland, Tony Burke’s Watson and Anne Stanley’s Werriwa, as well as places like Parramatta, in western Sydney, and Wills, in Melbourne.
“The government has responded to recent events, and intense pressure both internally and externally,” said NSW Labor MP Anthony D’Adam, a key figure behind the NSW Labor Friends of Palestine.
In other words, they’re selling out to the most vile people in the world, all for a few votes.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 29 of the 151 federal electorates have 5 per cent or more people of Islamic faith. Significantly, 27 of those 29 seats are held by Labor.
Of those 29, four are marginal – Labor-held Werriwa and Parramatta; Fowler, which Labor lost to [Dai Le] at the 2022 election; and the Liberal-held Banks – while 16 are held by Labor on margins of 10 per cent or more.
As I wrote some time ago, Albanese’s hold on government is perilously tenuous. Labor’s vote in 2022 was its lowest in a century, second-lowest in Australian history. The only reason they won is because so many voters deserted the major parties altogether. Most were disaffected Coalition voters. Next time, even the rusted-on Labor drones are likely to follow.
Although Anthony Albanese led Labor to victory two years ago, the party suffered primary vote swings against it of up to 18.5 per cent. Six of the 10 biggest swings were in seats with large Muslim communities. Internally, particularly in NSW, there are fears that those Muslim voter bases – historically loyal to Labor – could desert the party if viable independents in certain seats chose to run on pro-Palestine platforms […]
Mr Clare’s Blaxland and Mr Burke’s Watson are both held with about a 15 per cent margin. Muslim voters make up 35 per cent and 27 per cent of the community respectively in the two seats.
The Australian
And you better believe Sydney’s Muslims are anti-Israel. It was Sydney’s Muslims, after all, who erupted into spontaneous celebrations on the night of October 7. Who attacked a vigil for the victims, chanting, “Gas the Jews”.
This was all, remember before Israel had lifted a finger in response. They don’t even have the poor excuse of “pro-peace”. It’s naked anti-Semitism.
And Labor are more than prepared to play along if it wins them a few tawdry votes.