Australians Defeat Albanese’s Authoritarianism – Can the Brits Do The Same?
By Steven Tripp
An alternate, co-authored piece is also published in facts4eu.org - please support facts4eu.org!
Under the weight of the push-back from the Australian people, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s desperate attempt at censorship crumbled under an avalanche of opposition.
It was formally known as the ‘Communications Legislation Amendment (Combatting Misinformation and Disinformation) Bill 2024, but when you strip away the fluffy Socialist title, it is clear that is was a censorship bill, designed to silence everyday Australians.
Socialist doublespeak was on full display in a media release put out by Communications Minister Michelle Rowland on November 24, in which she claimed, “Seriously harmful mis and disinformation poses a threat to safety, the integrity of elections, democracy and national security, and 80% of Australians want action”.
The 80% figure of support seemed to be plucked out of thin air and ironically is clear misinformation, as the inverse was true. The bill attracted tens of thousands of submissions and was opposed by everyday Aussies, along with all types of community groups, free speech organisations and religious groups.
As the vote passed the House of Representatives, Senators on the crossbench were bombarded with phone calls, letters and emails from Australians urging them to oppose the bill. It worked and one-by-one, the crossbench Senators holding the balance of power came out to express their opposition.
The dreaded Misinformation and Disinformation bill was dead. It shows how much power the people have.
It is not the only failure for the Albanese Government, but it only adds to the disaster of the Voice Referendum result last year, along with an inability to tackle inflation or run stable economy.
Yet, Albanese does not relent. His Government did manage to pass legislation to ban under 16s from using social media.
It is stupid policy. Despite the obvious fact that parents should be the ones to decide whether their kids use social media, not the Government, there are other flaws in the legislation.
The most egregious is that while YouTube, TikTok and Instagram will be banned, sites like PornHub will not.
Then there is the issue of testing whether a social media user is under 16. The big tech corporations will have a year to sort this out. But the reality is that everybody, despite their age, will now need to prove their age before logging on to social media, which for some is a clear sign that we are progressing to a Olwellian Digital ID.
Finally, there is the issue of hosting. Social media companies are not Australian companies, nor do they host their servers in Australia. How then could Australia have the jurisdiction to impose laws upon them?
It is policy on the run and the Government in Australia has lost the plot.
We are completely void of leadership.
Can the same be said for the United Kingdom?
Keir Starmer should still be enjoying a honeymoon period as a newly elected Prime Minister. However, he is already ‘slumping’ in the polls with more than half of the public disapproving of his performance.
It is little wonder, like Albanese, Keir Starmer has donned himself as an internet czar after more than 30 people were arrested and some are now serving jail time for their social media posts.
Echoing Albanese’s Misinformation and Disinformation legislation, Starmer said social media “carries responsibility” for tackling misinformation.
Starmer is also facing rebellion over his inheritance tax on farmers, with 114 of his rural Labour MPs facing pressure in their seats as protests mount against the bill.
It is a clear sign that like Albanese, Starmer is Governing for the city elites. In Australia, the Voice referendum saw its strongest opposition the further you moved away from the city centres.
Is it little wonder that Starmer is targeting farmers? Socialists always do; history is a testament to that.
The stark similarity between Albanese and Starmer is their appearance. With very similar, black rounded glasses and similar hair styles, they share a clear resemblance.
Which evokes when Chinese Premier Li Qiang referred to Anthony Albanese as a ‘handsome boy’ at a press conference in Beijing in November last year.
If Albanese stands at the right hand of China as Xi Jinping’s handsome boy, then Keir Starmer can assume the same position on the left. The two handsome boys, Governing their countries more in the vein of the Chinese Communist leader, rather than Governing for the people they are meant to represent.
By Steven Tripp