When our forebears fought in the Wars, they were not just fighting for the sake of it. They fought to ensure and protect the freedoms of future generations, of generations that now roam this Earth, this country. A significant part of World War II was liberating the Jewish people from the extreme oppression of Nazi Germany. These people had their rights stripped from them, had no freedom, and were imprisoned in concentration camps only to be killed by their oppressors. This was all due to a totalitarian government, and a dictator high on power who had no intention of giving it up. Only after the Nazis were defeated and the surviving Jews liberated did they get back any semblance of freedom. If anything, this should have taught us to value our own freedoms even more. But many of us have done the opposite, we have taken them for granted.

Our forebears did not fight for our freedoms just for us to sit idly by and give them up freely. We were supposed to continue to protect these freedoms for future generations, just as they did for us. See, the whole point of history is for us to learn from the past errors of humanity so that we may prevent them from occurring again. Unfortunately for us, we seem to become complacent, thinking that just because this history is written means it will never happen again. But complacency is dangerous. And in some cases, it can spell the end of democracy itself.

We should have learnt from history that radicalism is never a good thing. Anything that derives itself from Marxism, Communism or the like should never be allowed to fester, for it will only lead to corruption and anarchy. In current times, we have allowed radicalism to seep through again and again, be it in the form of identity politics, climate alarmism, or, as it is now, COVID19 alarmism. Whatever it is, it all leads to an absolute mess, and it gives people in power the perfect excuse to weasel out more power for themselves.

If there is one thing governments love, it is power. And so it should come as no surprise that when an opportunity to grab more power, however unique, presents itself, they will jump at it. So, when a global pandemic came along in the form of COVID19, it was like winning the lottery. It was the perfect chance for governments to take control and, in doing so, subtly prise people’s rights from them.

COVID19 gave power hungry governments and organisations the opportunity to persuade the people that they needed to be saved, and that the only ones who could save them were governments and government bodies. In order to gain as much power and control as possible, they have utilized fear. Governments use fear as a method of control to guarantee obedience to the State. They scare people into thinking their lives are well and truly in danger, and, in doing so, civilians willingly cede some of their rights and freedoms in exchanges for “safety” and some temporary comfort. However, this comfort eventually runs out, and so they hand over more rights and freedoms to attain more of it. And so this cycle continues, until there are no freedoms left to give, and they are ultimately at the mercy of the State.

This is how democratically elected governments can transform into totalitarian ones. It is how the Andrews Government in Victoria is building its power, keeping everyone imprisoned in their own homes with a curfew, something that is unheard of in peacetime. Premier Daniel Andrews also cancelled Parliament and shut down the offices of Members of Parliament, impeding democracy, and, by extension, the will of the people. A democratically elected government should never refuse to work. Politicians in a democracy seem to forget that they are elected by the people, to work for the people. We pay their salaries in our taxes, and we expect them to do their jobs. It is important to note that we do not work for them. Yes, there are public servants and staffers that work for politicians and government departments, but those are the only people that should be working for the government. If there comes a point where everyone is working for the government, we are in deep trouble.

Andrews’ Police State should also serve as a warning and a wake-up call for all citizens of Australia. Giving police the power to enter the homes of private citizens without a warrant, impose major fines for the most absurd reasons, shooting at people’s car windows for breaking curfew, and even policing a permit system introduced by the Victorian Government, similar to the “papers, please” system used by the Germans, is disturbing to say the least. It reeks of totalitarianism and should be abhorred by the public. Rightly so, there are many Victorians who are appalled at how this has been handled, with their freedoms being taken from them “for the greater good”. Yet there remains a sect of society in Victoria that defend this overbearing government and its megalomaniac leader, proving that Stockholm Syndrome is alive and well.

Subservience to the State only ever ends in misery. Governments are quick to take our freedoms from us but are hard-pressed to give them back. This is where the issue now arises in Victoria, and potentially nationwide. The Victorian Government is now working to legislate rules surrounding COVID19 as law. That includes powers to extend the State of Emergency, something that has a limit of six months, indefinitely. This means that current restrictions, or a variation similar to them, could become the “new normal”. But “COVID normal” should never be accepted. That term is simply code for life controlled by government, and that is no way to live. Daniel Andrews clearly wants to hold on to power, and he could not care less if that comes at the expense of your freedoms. When power is involved, your rights do not seem to matter, and that should scare you. You should be more concerned about your freedoms being taken from you, and democracy slowly crumbling.

All we need do is look at New Zealand. They went for an elimination strategy. The government did a hard lockdown, and, similarly to Victoria, imprisoned everyone in their homes, only leaving the essential stores like general supermarkets and pharmacies open. Everyone had to maintain their own “personal bubble”. Sure, it worked for some time, but just a few days after declaring themselves COVID free for one-hundred days, the virus sprung back up and began to spread again. And just like that, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern shutdown Auckland for three days, then extended it to around two weeks. Even more concerning, she postponed the election, a pillar of democracy, for four weeks. Impeding democracy in such a way should disturb the public. If a government can postpone an election, how much further can they go to hold on to power? Postponing indefinitely? Not allowing you access to your democratic right to vote? After all, New Zealand are not the only ones with elections approaching. Queensland and Victoria both have State Elections coming up, one in a few months, and one next year. Queensland’s issue currently is their attempt to restrict journalists from reporting on Government corruption scandals during the election period, as well as unnecessarily closing their borders to NSW. The press exists to hold politicians to account, and so should not be censored simply because the government does not like what they are reporting. Similarly, borders should not be closed without good reason, and protecting yourself in an upcoming election does not fall into that category. As to Victoria, there is no doubt the Premier is doing all he can to clutch on to power. He will not even allow Parliament to open to debate these matters, and if he doesn’t, it is difficult not to view his rule as a dictatorship.

One thing you will notice in relation to COVID19 is that every day, we hear the case numbers and death toll, but we never hear the recovery rates. This is not a mistake. Governments are deliberately not announcing the numbers of recovered cases because they are afraid that if they do, the fear amongst the public will dissipate. Fear is what feeds their control. If the people are not sedated with fear, the government loses control. You will also notice that as soon as Daniel Andrews announced Victoria would enter Stage 4 restrictions, he also made it illegal for people to leave their homes to protest. That is because he does not want you protesting the State for your freedoms. Keep in mind that if this State of Emergency continues forth with no limit, your freedom dies with it. You’re at the mercy of the State. Whatever they say goes. It is a miserable plight.

This is in no way limited to Victoria. Other States have, throughout this COVID19 period, implemented draconian measures that have removed freedoms from the public. Excessive border closures are preventing people from seeing their loved ones, with some set to last past Christmas and into 2021. This could easily be viewed as unconstitutional. Some States have even gone so far as to ban hydroxychloroquine, a drug that has been shown to be effective if used as a preventative or in the early stages of the virus. This begs the question: do these governments really want this virus to disappear? Or are they secretly hoping it continues so that they can grow even more powerful, overriding democracy for the greater good?

Freedom is never free. There is always a price to pay. Our forebears paid for our freedoms with their lives. If we want to maintain them and protect them for future generations, we need to be willing to dedicate time and effort into defending the freedoms that they so valiantly fought for. We have long been too complacent when it comes to our civil liberties. We can no longer take them for granted. It is past time we started standing up for our rights. Yes, our health is important, but so are our civil liberties. We may be tempted by comfort, but if we surrender our civil liberties, we risk a life without freedom, a life of misery. That is no way to live.

Like all good things, freedom is something we must fight for. As the great Benjamin Franklin once said: “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.”

Fight for your freedoms.