Denis Shanahan asserts in his column today that the public is always right – except when they’re not. The public, you see, can distinguish between our Russell Crowe and his distress at not being able to call Australia home in a New York Hotel, and David Hicks who’s, um, basically a terrorist. And the public is right about Schapelle Corby, or not, it’s hard to work out from his confected reasoning. But strangely he doesn’t mention either John Howard’s siding with the elite over the GST and patting himself on the back for being brave to resist public opinion or the consistent findings of opinion polls over more than a decade that most Australians oppose large aspects of the economic agenda supported by both parties – privatisation for a start. Maybe the public just can’t see – in states like South Australia – that it’s good for them to pay more for electricity than anywhere else in the country while business pays less. Or maybe public opinion is whatever elite columnists say it is. Like the great public can’t wait for their $6 tax cuts denied them by the nasty Beazer, despite the fact that poll evidence is ambiguous. But the elites know best. They have a special relationship with Australians, as is well known.
Elsewhere: A belated hat tip to Liam’s excellent post on elites.
Michael Costello is a naughty spinner. The point the commentariat has made – endlessly – is that there’s limited political advantage in posturing about opposing something that you’ll eventually pass anyway. In opposition you’re ideally carving support from the government and accruing it to your side. You can read the polls upside down and sideaways but there’s bugger-all sign of that effect occuring in rerspect of the budget. I think we can legitimately deduce from the polls that The Beazle hasn’t set the national imagination alight with this one.
I don’t know where Shanahan gets the idea that there would be a wave of Australian sympathy for a posturing, over-indulged, bullying pisshead with an anger manangement problem – the papers have been referring to Crowe as “New Zealand-born” for days….
Michael Costello is a naughty spinner. The point the commentariat has made – endlessly – is that there’s limited political advantage in posturing about opposing something that you’ll eventually pass anyway. In opposition you’re ideally carving support from the government and accruing it to your side. You can read the polls upside down and sideaways but there’s bugger-all sign of that effect occuring in rerspect of the budget. I think we can legitimately deduce from the polls that The Beazle hasn’t set the national imagination alight with this one.
I don’t know where Shanahan gets the idea that there would be a wave of Australian sympathy for a posturing, over-indulged, bullying pisshead with an anger manangement problem – the papers have been referring to Crowe as “New Zealand-born” for days….
No doubt you’re right about both points, Geoff. I suspect people turned off when the stoush over tax cuts became “pollies shouting at each other”. I don’t think Costello’s rants on this are effective as public communication, though they obviously are in depressing ALP morale.
No doubt you’re right about both points, Geoff. I suspect people turned off when the stoush over tax cuts became “pollies shouting at each other”. I don’t think Costello’s rants on this are effective as public communication, though they obviously are in depressing ALP morale.
Though with these polls you need to distinguish between end-goals and means. The public wants more money spent on services – so they got the GST, even though that was obviously painful in itself. The public wanted a return to economic prosperity – so they got the economic reform agenda, even though there was a lot of complaining about individual elements of that. In my view, it is much more dangerous for governments to ignore opinion on end-goals than it is to ignore opinion on means-to-ends. The broad judgments people make each three years are on how good a job the government has done, and how good a job it might do if returned, will be based on overall performance more than individual policies. I think this is why the right-wing elite has fewer political problems than the left-wing elite, since they have fewer disagreements with the masses on end-goals.
Though with these polls you need to distinguish between end-goals and means. The public wants more money spent on services – so they got the GST, even though that was obviously painful in itself. The public wanted a return to economic prosperity – so they got the economic reform agenda, even though there was a lot of complaining about individual elements of that. In my view, it is much more dangerous for governments to ignore opinion on end-goals than it is to ignore opinion on means-to-ends. The broad judgments people make each three years are on how good a job the government has done, and how good a job it might do if returned, will be based on overall performance more than individual policies. I think this is why the right-wing elite has fewer political problems than the left-wing elite, since they have fewer disagreements with the masses on end-goals.
The CIS, vanguard of the proletariat!
The CIS, vanguard of the proletariat!
Great post… a topic dear to my heart.
You neglected to mention the paradigmatic case: constitutional monarchists. These cloistered clowns consistently register no public support whatsoever (a big 10%) and call republicans like me ‘elitists’. They’d need to tie a chop around their necks to get a dog to play with them, but fortunately, they have the PM onside to obfuscate the issue.
And if you thought irony was dead – well, the hoity scion of the Monarchists, David Flint, put 2000 volts through its corpse and bolts to its neck when he penned “Twilight of the elites”. Seriously, when I saw the title, I thought it must have been a autobiographical lament about declining membership standards at the Melbourne club.
Great post… a topic dear to my heart.
You neglected to mention the paradigmatic case: constitutional monarchists. These cloistered clowns consistently register no public support whatsoever (a big 10%) and call republicans like me ‘elitists’. They’d need to tie a chop around their necks to get a dog to play with them, but fortunately, they have the PM onside to obfuscate the issue.
And if you thought irony was dead – well, the hoity scion of the Monarchists, David Flint, put 2000 volts through its corpse and bolts to its neck when he penned “Twilight of the elites”. Seriously, when I saw the title, I thought it must have been a autobiographical lament about declining membership standards at the Melbourne club.
Evil Pundit had a go at interpreting the monarchists as a mass movement. He should stick to his pet subjects.
Evil Pundit had a go at interpreting the monarchists as a mass movement. He should stick to his pet subjects.
My favourite description of Australian elites is Greg Egan’s in the novel Distress. He calls them “professional Australians”.
My favourite description of Australian elites is Greg Egan’s in the novel Distress. He calls them “professional Australians”.
A bit like the professional men and women from Snowy River at the Melbourne protest yesterday – the organisers instructed them to “dress in country clothes”. If you can afford an akubra, and an R.M. Williams outfit, you’re not doing too badly. Reminded me of the graziers who flew down in their private planes to protest against Hawkie’s destruction of their livelihood.
A bit like the professional men and women from Snowy River at the Melbourne protest yesterday – the organisers instructed them to “dress in country clothes”. If you can afford an akubra, and an R.M. Williams outfit, you’re not doing too badly. Reminded me of the graziers who flew down in their private planes to protest against Hawkie’s destruction of their livelihood.
The funny thing is most country people think that high-country cattlemen are a bunch of privileged whingers who are basically getting agistment on the cheap. They go on about how “weeds will overrun the park” is if they’re not the reason the weeds are there in the first place.
The funny thing is most country people think that high-country cattlemen are a bunch of privileged whingers who are basically getting agistment on the cheap. They go on about how “weeds will overrun the park” is if they’re not the reason the weeds are there in the first place.
Elites. Pfah. Do any of these newspaper columnists have the merest clue? To quote The Princess Bride: “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what it you think it means.”
Elites. Pfah. Do any of these newspaper columnists have the merest clue? To quote The Princess Bride: “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what it you think it means.”
Mark, I used to think that the RM Williams/Akubra thing was faux country – but I was working behind the bar at the local rodeo last weekend, and I can assure you that a lot of ‘em get around in precisely that. I dunno if it’s life imitating art or vice-versa. Personally, I look for a big belt buckle, rollies, skin cancer & bad teeth to tell the pretenders from the real thing. And, this being Queensland, rum & XXXX. Bow legs is a pretty good guide as well – some of these blokes looked like extras from Silverado.
Mark, I used to think that the RM Williams/Akubra thing was faux country – but I was working behind the bar at the local rodeo last weekend, and I can assure you that a lot of ‘em get around in precisely that. I dunno if it’s life imitating art or vice-versa. Personally, I look for a big belt buckle, rollies, skin cancer & bad teeth to tell the pretenders from the real thing. And, this being Queensland, rum & XXXX. Bow legs is a pretty good guide as well – some of these blokes looked like extras from Silverado.
Tony, I’ll have to tell my story about the law student, the MG, the moleskins and the disastrous orders at the bar at Dalby one time.
Tony, I’ll have to tell my story about the law student, the MG, the moleskins and the disastrous orders at the bar at Dalby one time.
Where I grew up in the country it was the ‘cockies’ who get around in the RM Williams gear – they are the elites of the farming world. Rich and generally despised by the rest of the community because they also tended to be snobs.
Where I grew up in the country it was the ‘cockies’ who get around in the RM Williams gear – they are the elites of the farming world. Rich and generally despised by the rest of the community because they also tended to be snobs.
No arguments there Polly but also consider that its their contribution that adds substantially to local economies. On a brighter note though, as those areas become more urban and is a mix of urbanisation and farmers, the less chance that a National member gets elected (I’ve got nothing against them) which in turn means the townies get equal representation as well by the elected members, its not just all about the woe is me farmers.
No arguments there Polly but also consider that its their contribution that adds substantially to local economies. On a brighter note though, as those areas become more urban and is a mix of urbanisation and farmers, the less chance that a National member gets elected (I’ve got nothing against them) which in turn means the townies get equal representation as well by the elected members, its not just all about the woe is me farmers.
Interesting commentary on this subject here at sp!ked, by Frank ‘where have all the intellectuals gone?’ Furedi. Well worth a read.
Interesting commentary on this subject here at sp!ked, by Frank ‘where have all the intellectuals gone?’ Furedi. Well worth a read.
Always good to read what the conservative sociologists are up to, Rob. Being sociologists, they still tend to make a lot of sense despite their misguided politics.
Always good to read what the conservative sociologists are up to, Rob. Being sociologists, they still tend to make a lot of sense despite their misguided politics.
Thomas Frank’s One Market Under God is all about market populists like Denis Shanahan. Worth a royd–it’s a larf, too. And so is ‘Us and Them: anti-elitism in Australia’ edited by Marian Sawer & Barry Hindess.
Thomas Frank’s One Market Under God is all about market populists like Denis Shanahan. Worth a royd–it’s a larf, too. And so is ‘Us and Them: anti-elitism in Australia’ edited by Marian Sawer & Barry Hindess.
Frank is topnotch, but not without some room for criticism – there was a big Frank debate on Troppo last year, and another one at Backpages. Since I gather that Barry is going to be marking my PhD, anything he writes is by definition excellent. Seriously, Barry is a very nice bloke and a topnotch political theorist.
Frank is topnotch, but not without some room for criticism – there was a big Frank debate on Troppo last year, and another one at Backpages. Since I gather that Barry is going to be marking my PhD, anything he writes is by definition excellent. Seriously, Barry is a very nice bloke and a topnotch political theorist.
Yeah, Bazza’s tops. Met him at a conference once. Good head on him too.
Dare we ask you the name of the beast, Mark?
Yeah, Bazza’s tops. Met him at a conference once. Good head on him too.
Dare we ask you the name of the beast, Mark?
I haven’t really given it a proper name, Lefty E, except to fill out forms for the Office of Research. I think the latest iteration is “Rethinking Political Sociology: Discourses of (Anti)Politics at the End of History”. Or something.
I did get enthused about completely junking it and writing something on the film version of Titus at one point, so you never know.
I haven’t really given it a proper name, Lefty E, except to fill out forms for the Office of Research. I think the latest iteration is “Rethinking Political Sociology: Discourses of (Anti)Politics at the End of History”. Or something.
I did get enthused about completely junking it and writing something on the film version of Titus at one point, so you never know.
Mmmm, sounds saleable book-wise. Best of luck!
Speaking of film fantasies, Ive always wanted to pen a flim script about Pemulwuy and the brave resistance of the Eora and Dharug people to the Rum corp and the first wave of settlers in the 1790s. Fantastic story, shamefully little known.
Pemulwuy took Paramatta at one point, having hijinksed the the redcoats into rushing to another outpost. They also worked out that if they burnt the crops just before harvest, the Port Jackson colony would starve. This they did in successive years, running a fearsome and effeccive resistance campaign. Several Irish convicts escaped and joined them. Not to mention the time some Camergal warriors speared Governor Arthur Philip. How man Ostrayans know the first British governor was speared through the shoulder? Well, read Watkin Tench’s diary – he was there. Puts rather a clear slant on things, doesnt it, Keith?
Mmmm, sounds saleable book-wise. Best of luck!
Speaking of film fantasies, Ive always wanted to pen a flim script about Pemulwuy and the brave resistance of the Eora and Dharug people to the Rum corp and the first wave of settlers in the 1790s. Fantastic story, shamefully little known.
Pemulwuy took Paramatta at one point, having hijinksed the the redcoats into rushing to another outpost. They also worked out that if they burnt the crops just before harvest, the Port Jackson colony would starve. This they did in successive years, running a fearsome and effeccive resistance campaign. Several Irish convicts escaped and joined them. Not to mention the time some Camergal warriors speared Governor Arthur Philip. How man Ostrayans know the first British governor was speared through the shoulder? Well, read Watkin Tench’s diary – he was there. Puts rather a clear slant on things, doesnt it, Keith?
On another elitist note, since Im in the mood, how about BB being outrated by that colonial re-enactment thingy on Aunty?? Wooohooo! Boy, did i get a chuckle out of that.
Apprently its tanking big time, tawdry bogan rooting notwithstanding. Seems only the cultural elites are watching. Maybe I should revise my attitude and tune in!
On another elitist note, since Im in the mood, how about BB being outrated by that colonial re-enactment thingy on Aunty?? Wooohooo! Boy, did i get a chuckle out of that.
Apprently its tanking big time, tawdry bogan rooting notwithstanding. Seems only the cultural elites are watching. Maybe I should revise my attitude and tune in!
Not sure of the context for your last comment, Lefty E. I rarely watch the ABC except for Lateline.
Not sure of the context for your last comment, Lefty E. I rarely watch the ABC except for Lateline.