Published in Overland Issue 213 Summer 2013 · Uncategorized Editorial Jeff Sparrow Last night to the flicks. All war films. One very good one of a ship full of refugees being bombed somewhere in the Mediterranean. Audience much amused … That’s from Winston Smith’s diary in Orwell’s 1984. The idea that misery inflicted upon refugees might be paraded for public approval no longer seems particularly fanciful, not when an immigration minister boasts about his willingness to intern children with disabilities. Politicians invariably attribute their most reactionary idiocies to the population. They are, they say, merely reflecting the electorate’s wishes. But the most recent elections revealed little positive enthusiasm for the conservative program. A survey immediately after the poll showed that respondents expected the new government to make matters worse rather than better on job security, workers’ rights, the environment, public services and welfare. Remarkably, more people thought that, under the new government, their own financial situation would decline rather than improve. Voters elected the Liberals through gritted teeth – not because they wanted Abbott but because they could no longer support Labor. That does not change where we are. But it does suggest a popular mood closer to sullen acquiescence than any genuine enthusiasm for Abbott’s cruelties. Let’s not forget how Winston’s diary continues. [A] woman down in the prole part of the house suddenly started kicking up a fuss and shouting they didnt oughter of showed it not in front of kids they didnt it aint right … It’s hard, sometimes, to be the first to kick up a fuss. But there are many, many people who think what’s happening in Australia now ‘aint right’ – and we won’t find each other unless we are prepared to speak out. Jeff Sparrow Jeff Sparrow is a Walkley Award-winning writer, broadcaster and former editor of Overland. More by Jeff Sparrow › Overland is a not-for-profit magazine with a proud history of supporting writers, and publishing ideas and voices often excluded from other places. If you like this piece, or support Overland’s work in general, please subscribe or donate. Related articles & Essays 17 April 202417 April 2024 · Culture From the edge of the circle pit: growing up punk and girl in Indonesia Dina Indrasafitri Circa 1999, I sat on the floor in a poorly lit house on the outskirts of Jakarta, still in my grey-and-white high-school uniform. The members of the protest punk band Anti-Military were plotting their first album recording in the next room. Scattered around me were political pamphlets, zines and books touching on the subjects of anarchism, anti-work and anti-racism. 15 April 202415 April 2024 · open letter Statement of solidarity with Palestine and call to action from Victoria University staff, students and alumni VU NTEU Palestine Action Group We the undersigned members of the Victoria University community, sign this petition, to urgently appeal to Victoria University to take a principled stance against Israel's genocide of the Palestinian people.