Image: The Guardian
By Situation Theatre 27/10/2016
When you use racism to erode class consciousness, at least be efficient about it.
You could always rely on Tony Abbott for some good old-fashioned racist rhetoric. Whether he was dismissing the ‘lifestyle choices’ of remote Indigenous people, saying Australia was ‘nothing but bush’ before the British arrived, or banging on about Team Australia, the former Prime Minister’s brand of racism was nothing if not obvious.
Now with the smooth-talking Malcolm Turnbull at the helm, the Liberal Party has opted to leave most of the crass racism to Pauline Hanson, but maintain its strict regime of institutional racism.
As Hanson builds on fifteen years of racist government propaganda, the government can quietly get on with locking up and torturing asylum seekers, perpetuating the mass incarceration of Indigenous people, and targeting Muslims with anti-terrorism legislation.
The new arrangement is a win-win for the One Nation leader and the government. Hanson boosts her profile with inflammatory rhetoric and increases her chances of appearing on future reality TV shows, while the Liberals appear a bit less racist by comparison.
In fairness to the Liberal Party, some Ministers claim they are opposed to Pauline Hanson’s views. You can see various perspectives of that strident opposition pictured below.
Image: News.com.au
Image: SMH
Image: SMH
Image: AAP/Mick Tsikas