I hope the Australian public is better than to fall for this. Though I fear we collectively are no better than the USA… somehow Abbot and Morrison were both elected after all.
“the Australian public” is 23 27 million people from different backgrounds, in different environments, facing different stresses.
There is no cohesive identity, just human drives. We are animals, often very gentle and nice animals, but we are animals. We carry the heritage of our ancestors. Fear and doubt, fear of the other, selfishness these are all drives we have and they are easy to play into. Of course it will work, trump isn’t a wizard, the rise of fascism is a systematic problem.
The question is will someone else use a more effective political strategy? Neoliberal politics largely hasn’t been able to because it is neoliberal ideologies which have lead to this world where people are noticing life get harder each year and the upper rungs of society become increasingly unattainable.
“be happy with what you have peasant, at least we won’t do purges” is just… deeply uninspiring.
