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 First published in Overland Issue 228 23 March 2023 Trans rights Why gender essentialism is a white supremacist ideology Maddison Stoff The idea that these neo-Nazis are just ‘cosplayers’, rather than the local version of an international and decades-long attempt by numerous lone wolves and paramilitary groups to seize control of multiple countries, is too dangerous to seriously contemplate. The better question might be: why do so many anti-trans rights activists, who often see themselves as left-wing or self-describe as feminists, tolerate or downplay the presence of Nazis in their circles? And, just as importantly, why do neo-Nazis show up to support them? First published in Overland Issue 228 22 March 2023 Cartoons Standing at Solidarity Park Sam Wallman In 1997, in response to anti-union legislation, 30,000 unionists marched on WA Parliament, and were ignored. On May Day, directly across the road from Parliament, aka ‘Bullshit Castle’, a site was pegged and legally claimed by unionists using the Mining Act. Remarkably, Solidarity Park is now Heritage Protected. The site is not just historic though, it’s alive. We ought to keep it overflowing with our movements.