This is for all of you who have recently been wondering, “What the hell is going on down there?”, in the nation within the map above. The rumours you may have heard, along with many news reports, have recently portrayed the situation here as being dire and dark, without hope, describing a nation goose-stepping into totalitarianism. Those rumours, those reports, are basically correct.
When I first joined GAG the trends were already evident, our country was already becoming an embarrassment for those of us who actually adhere to civilised values of independence of thought and individual freedoms, and because of this I was simply far too embarrassed to admit that I lived in Australia, especially the state of Victoria. I selected for my nationality ‘Russian Federation’, and I did so with the expectation that no one would comment on it (but of course, they have). After a time I thought that I had better leave it as is, because I believed that too many people would ask too many awkward questions, but now I just don’t care. I changed it to ‘Australia’ at first, but now I’m a “citizen” of Antarctica, because that seems to be one of the very few places left on Earth where people can still legitimately claim to be free.
I will attempt to give a rather brief summary in point form of the situation as it currently is within this ‘MyTake’, because to do otherwise, to attempt to go into detail, would entail writing a book.
1. Freedom of speech is dead. It’s gone, it simply doesn’t exist anymore. For evidence of this fact, I present the following true story -
The link is to a video that is owned by ABC News, a source that is a state-run (yes, you saw that correctly – state run) channel that is so left-wing that it makes others like the BBC, CNN, and MSNBC seem as though they’re run by reasonable, conservative libertarians. If you’re the type of person who values truth and honesty, and you don’t accept the official narrative about the virus and openly say so on social media, you can expect “visitors” to your house who will place nice, shiny jewellery on your wrists.
2. An endless sequence of ‘lockdowns’, one after another, that serve no discernable purpose. Perhaps the purpose of all the ‘lockdowns’ (a term that, by the way, originated in our prison system) is simply to demoralise, in which case they’re working wonderfully, because it’s clear they’re having no effect in combatting the virus. I’ve actually lost count of how many we’ve now had. I think we’re in the seventh so-called lockdown, but I’m not entirely sure anymore. It’s been 245 days in total, according to this article: https://www.timeout.com/melbourne/news/melbourne-has-now-been-in-lockdown-longer-than-any-other-city-100421
which is longer than anywhere else on the planet, including Wuhan.
3. A state government in Victoria that is authoritarian, irresponsible, incompetent and arrogant beyond belief. Victoria is effectively, if not officially, a one-party state, because the so-called opposition party (the ‘Liberal Party’) is subdued, ineffective, and just as incompetent. Daniel Andrews, the premier, holds daily press conferences during which he basically berates and threatens the public for perceived indiscretions, often telling us that we “must do the right thing, and be vaccinated – or else!”
4. ‘Freedom Day’. This is the day on which the state will reopen for business, the government will hand us our freedom back with the expectation we will re-elect them into office for another term when the time comes (that’s assuming, of course, that we’ll still have elections) and things will begin to return to some semblance of normality (although not to how things were in 2019, but the ‘New Normal’). People who haven’t been vaccinated have been told that the procedure isn’t compulsory, and will not be made mandatory, but due to the new rules to be introduced on ‘Freedom Day’ will not be able to go to the shops, restaurants, cinemas, theatres, hotels, petrol stations, parks, government buildings, et cetera. So much for freedom then.
5. Pepper spray, batons and rubber bullets. Peaceful protesters, people who have done no wrong and simply want their lives back, are being met with an amount of force that one would expect from a regime that was afraid of its own people, an authoritarian hell-hole like China or Saudi Arabia. It’s really odd, however, how as recently as mid-2020 the police were comparatively civilised when they were confronted by demonstrators, by people who didn’t even bother to wear masks or practice “social distancing”, but perhaps that had something to do with the fact they were BLM supporters marching for a cause that had (and has) little or no relevance for Australia.
6. A mainstream media that is positively Goebbelesque in its presentation of the news. Peaceful demonstrators are openly demonised, and referred to as being “right-wing anti-vaxxers”, even though there is precisely zero evidence for either charge.
Just for the record, I’m not an “anti-vaxxer”, nor am I a “right-wing conspiracy theorist”. I actually do not believe that vaccines cause autism, but at the same time I am concerned about the manner in which this whole affair is being managed. There should be no need for bribes or threats, no need for coercion if the vaccines actually work as promised, and if the situation really is as dire as they keep telling us.
If the situation ever does return to some semblance of normality, and international travel once again opens up, do NOT come to Australia for your holidays. Go to some other place that is more welcoming (like North Korea), more peaceful (try Afghanistan) or has better beaches (like Somalia). If you come to Australia, especially Victoria, you may not be able to ever leave, and you’ll become trapped because they’ve introduced yet another ‘lockdown’.
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