Instead, hope for a better life has been replaced by self-sabotaging events like Brexit and the populist presidency of Donald Trump. In China, Xi Jinping has turned his back on the liberalising reforms of Deng Xiaoping. In Russia, Vladimir Putin is restoring the oppressive Soviet levers of state control dismantled by Mikhail Gorbachev.
These trends certainly don’t operate in a vacuum. It’s clear liberal Democrats haven’t done enough to support those impacted by global trade liberalisation. Equally, they’ve failed to explain how liberalisation has improved the lot of millions, including those voting for Trump. It's frustrating to see the very people protesting globalisation enjoying a higher standard of living made possible by all those cheap goods and foodstuffs they buy at Walmart. Likewise, the material economic benefits of the European Union were cynically ignored or downplayed by leave campaigners.
The truth is that globalisation hasn’t let them down. There’s absolutely no reason why the world’s wealthiest nation cannot afford universal healthcare and deliver it without the burden of a profit motive. Equally, the USA, of all nations, can afford to pay its people a living minimum wage. It's no wonder ego-driven populists are having a field day. History will inevitably demonstrate that most of these men (and most of them are men) ultimately leveraged the disenfranchisement of working-class citizens for little more than personal gain, self-aggrandisement and political power.
Why this rant? Sadly, Australia hasn’t been immune to this depressing trend. For the last three months, we’ve been enduring a fractious debate about legalising same-sex marriage. For more than a decade, public opinion polls report a clear and growing majority of voting age Australians support same sex marriage. However, despite this clear and unequivocal message, the current Government lacked the courage to legislate this change without a divisive national plebiscite.
Instead, in an attempt to appease (or more likely, neutralise) the far right of the current Coalition Government, we’ve endured months of debate about a matter most Australians have no issue with. Since 12 September, the Australian Electoral Commission has been conducting a national postal survey, although most people call it a postal vote. Voting ended on 7 November.
The survey results were announced on 15 November. 61.6% of those responding expressed support for legislating same-sex marriage. 38.4% voted no. In every state and territory, a majority of votes also supported the change. Within hours of the results being announced, the Marriage Amendment Bill was tabled in Parliament. This bill passed into law a few weeks later with an overwhelming majority. As of 7 December, same sex couples are finally free to marry.
This article in the Sydney Morning Herald pretty much sums up the last few months and years. What was all the fuss about?
Protesters we encountered in New York in January
The truth is that globalisation hasn’t let them down. There’s absolutely no reason why the world’s wealthiest nation cannot afford universal healthcare and deliver it without the burden of a profit motive. Equally, the USA, of all nations, can afford to pay its people a living minimum wage. It's no wonder ego-driven populists are having a field day. History will inevitably demonstrate that most of these men (and most of them are men) ultimately leveraged the disenfranchisement of working-class citizens for little more than personal gain, self-aggrandisement and political power.
Why this rant? Sadly, Australia hasn’t been immune to this depressing trend. For the last three months, we’ve been enduring a fractious debate about legalising same-sex marriage. For more than a decade, public opinion polls report a clear and growing majority of voting age Australians support same sex marriage. However, despite this clear and unequivocal message, the current Government lacked the courage to legislate this change without a divisive national plebiscite.
Instead, in an attempt to appease (or more likely, neutralise) the far right of the current Coalition Government, we’ve endured months of debate about a matter most Australians have no issue with. Since 12 September, the Australian Electoral Commission has been conducting a national postal survey, although most people call it a postal vote. Voting ended on 7 November.
This article in the Sydney Morning Herald pretty much sums up the last few months and years. What was all the fuss about?
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