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.

In recent times, we have borne witness to the age of politicians exiting the Parliamentary stage in an unruly and bitter manner. Harboring only malice and contempt for those who put them in positions of power, these individuals put their true nature on full display, often resorting to unwarranted vile attacks on those they should be grateful to. In doing this, they expose themselves as no more than tragic ghosts, hanging around the political scene like a bad smell, attempting to squeeze anything they can out of their political careers in the hope of maintaining even a shred of relevance.

This is the attitude of Former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, a man who has gone the way of Kevin Rudd, resigning from Parliament after a loss, and using the time since to ruthlessly attack his own colleagues, his own Party, the government that he led. Since his “retirement” from politics, Turnbull has chosen to continue to play politics, popping up every so often to tell Prime Minister Scott Morrison how he should be running the country as if he still considers himself PM. With the poorly timed release of his memoir A Bigger Picture, Turnbull has recently been on the press junket, albeit choosing to appear on media outlets that will not challenge him as such, rather giving him open slather to denigrate his enemies, with the ABC even allowing him to make derogatory and sexist remarks towards political commentator Peta Credlin unchallenged. Rather than going out with his reputation at least somewhat intact, Turnbull has chosen to forego maintaining any dignity whatsoever, tearing to shreds what little humility he had left.

Over the years since Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd left the Parliament after suffering an election loss, he has made it well known that he wishes to remain relevant. He has also made known his utter hatred for the Murdoch owned media, to which there is a sweet irony given Rupert Murdoch himself endorsed Rudd for PM prior to the 2007 election. Rudd has made numerous appearances on various media outlets, in which he has attacked the Murdoch press, the government and the Prime Minister. Most recently, he appeared on Sunrise and once again denounced the Murdoch print media. Additionally, in an editorial written for The Economist, he labelled US President Donald Trump’s decision to cut funding to the World Health Organisation (WHO), a move which was deserved given the way the WHO have acted throughout the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, a “lunatic decision”. Rudd has also attempted to become the Secretary General of the United Nations, a position he failed to attain due to the Turnbull government’s decision not to nominate him, however has just recently attained a position on the International Monetary Fund external advisory group, again linked with the United Nations, a position which will no doubt fuel his attacks on the government. Rudd’s relentless attacks on those who run this country, and his obsession with the Murdoch media, has resulted in his becoming what we in the political world now refer to as a miserable ghost.

Much like Turnbull and Rudd, former Liberal Opposition Leader John Hewson has also been hanging around the political scene like a miserable ghost. His failure to win the so-entitled “unlosable” election became relevant yet again last year when Bill Shorten suffered the same fate. In recent times, Hewson has strayed from Liberal lines, writing articles and making appearances on the ABC to peddle the climate agenda. In fact, just this week, Hewson penned an article using the current health crisis to push climate change and believing the “science”, something that could be viewed as opportunistic. Like Hewson, both Rudd and Turnbull have also pushed climate change as a major world issue, when there are more pressing matters at hand. All three of these miserable ghosts refuse to go quietly and maintain some dignity, unlike two other former PMs of recent times who have done just that.

If Turnbull, Rudd, and Hewson were to look to anyone for an idea of how they should be acting post-Parliamentary life, they should look no further than former Prime Ministers Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott. Both these former PMs have gone on to do good after their time in Parliament came to an end. Since leaving office, Julia Gillard has become the Chair of Beyond Blue, using her platform to help those struggling with their mental health, no doubt saving lives through this work. For this, she should be applauded. Tony Abbott has followed a similar path of helping people, continuing what he has done for many years, even while he was still in Parliament, through volunteering as a firefighter. This is something he has done for over fifteen years, and continues to do now, serving his community and saving homes and lives in the process. Like Gillard, he should be applauded for the work he does. Both these former PMs are doing work that paints them in a positive light and garners great respect from the wider community, rather than moping around attacking their former colleagues and those that work hard to keep this great country running.

If anything is to be taken from the actions of former Prime Ministers following their departure from the Federal Parliament, it is that being humble and using your platform to engage in positive work is far more respectable than hanging around the political scene like a miserable old ghost, tragically attempting to haunt those who you think have wronged you. For the latter only carries a single fate: loss of dignity, loss of respect, and a tragic, miserable life.

Fascism; one of the most misused terms in the modern age. The definition of fascism is as follows: a political philosophy, movement, or regime that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition. Fascism is oppression. Fascism is the silencing of those who have opposing views to your own. Fascism is censorship. Fascism is violence. Fascism is not democracy. In the modern day, fascism is a destructive force, however, just who it is being perpetrated by is heavily misconstrued.

Fascism is often claimed to be a trait of the ‘radical right’. Whilst this may be true, it is not simply limited to one side of the political spectrum. In fact, contrary to what the Left would want you to believe, fascism has been displayed by both sides of the spectrum, including their own. In modern times, a group known as Antifa have began to draw more attention, claiming they are doing what is necessary to stop fascists. Antifa (which is a shortening of anti-fascist) have existed in some form since the early 20^th century when Mussolini came to power in Italy under his National Fascist Party. They began as the antithesis to his fascist party, which could be seen as making sense. However now, their view of fascism has become extremely distorted, to the point where Antifa themselves have become the fascists.

Antifa have a logo. On that logo are three phrases: ‘ANTI-FASCIST ACTION’, ‘SMASH FASCISM’, ‘ABOLISH CAPITALISM’. Now sure, it makes sense that they don’t like fascism. No one really does. But that is some strong language they’re using there, & you’d be forgive if you began to wonder if they’re really going about all this the right way. Additionally, there’s nothing explicitly wrong with capitalism. It’s clear they only want to abolish it so that they can then proceed to replace it with the system of shared misery that is socialism. Antifa are described as a ‘militant, anti-fascist’ conglomerate of Left-Wing individuals. This description is in most ways accurate. They are indeed militant, often carrying weapons of many varieties, & often engaging in violence. They are also all of the Left politically. In fact, & I’m sure many would agree, those who are members of Antifa are far Left. The only part of the aforementioned description that is no longer accurate is that the group is anti-fascist. Allow me to explain.

The antics of Antifa have become well known in recent years in particular. They regularly attempt to deplatform those with opposing viewpoints to their own, as well as disrupting & obstructing their events, defacing their propaganda, & committing violent acts. The major issue is that they are no longer going after true fascists. Nowadays, Antifa target those who simply disagree with them & have opposing viewpoints. Antifa practically labels any Conservative as a fascist in the modern world, even though the vast majority clearly are not fascists. They also claim to go after white supremacists, however those they target are, for the most part, not white supremacists. Those who are labelled as fascists by Antifa are likely not as such. Their idea of what a fascist is has become skewed, with the true definition of a fascist now being embodied by Antifa themselves.

In recent days, we have seen just how violent & deplorable these people have become. They hide behind masks, attacking those whose views they do not like. Case in point, Conservative journalist Andy Ngo. Ngo is clearly no white supremacist, being of Asian ethnicity, & an openly gay man. However, Ngo has previously been threatened by members of the violent militant group, & this came to head on the weekend. When Ngo attended a rally taking place in Portland, Oregon, to document & report on the events taking place, he was violently attacked by members of Antifa. These thuggish individuals not only threw milkshakes at him, but also beat him & stole his GoPro camera. They left him bloody & bruised, & without his recording device. In addition to this, the milkshakes thrown at Ngo contained quick drying cement, which resulted in lesions forming on Ngo’s body where the cement made contact. Once the Portland Police finally turned up, having not been present when the attack occurred even though the threat of violence was very real & Antifa were highly likely to commit acts of violence, Ngo was attended to, & was transported to hospital where it was found he had a brain haemorrhage, in simple terms, a brain bleed. Antifa are not only guilty of the assault & battery of this man who had done nothing wrong, who hadn’t even provoked them, who was simply there to do his job & document the events occurring, they are, in reality, guilty of the attempted murder of Andy Ngo.

It is disgraceful that the authorities allow this violence to continue to occur in their jurisdictions. This is not the first time Antifa have been violent or had the intent to be violent. And it likely will not be the last. In the past, Conservative commentator & comedian Steven Crowder has had his people successfully infiltrate Antifa, & has shown that they have the intent to deploy violence wherever they go. In his video, members of Antifa state they have guns & knives, amongst a range of other weapons, at the ready. In the case of Andy Ngo, Portland Police should have known, in fact it would be extremely difficult to see how they wouldn’t, that Antifa are dangerous & that they were likely to deploy violence when crashing the rally occurring. It also brings into question the intentions of higher authorities, particularly the Mayor of Portland, Ted Wheeler. In some sense, the police & authorities such as the Mayor are just as complicit in the violence as those who commit it, as they stand idly by & allow it to occur. It has also been claimed that Wheeler had a stand down order for Portland Police, which allowed Antifa to run rampant on multiple occasions, a despicable act if true. Not only was Andy Ngo violently attacked at that rally, but a number of others, civilians who had turned up to the rally, were also beaten, two men being attacked with a crowbar, leaving them with head injuries. None of this should have been allowed to have occurred, yet it was, & it is at the behest of a group who are no longer anti-fascist, but are indeed fascists themselves.

What worsens this situation is that there are people out there, including those in media positions, such as commentators & journalists, who are defending the actions of Antifa & blaming the victims for the attacks. A number of Left-Wing journalists & media commentators shared messages over the weekend & the days following, many on Twitter, accusing Ngo of bringing this on himself. For example, journalist for The Guardian Jason Wilson dismissed the claim that the milkshakes contained quick-drying cement, claiming ’Left-Wing protesters’ used ‘actual milkshakes’, whilst also whitewashing the assaults & implying that Andy Ngo exaggerated his injuries. This is gutter journalism. The fact that those in the media would defend actions such as those taken by Antifa is appalling, & continues to show that truth in journalism is still hard to come by, particularly when that journalism comes from those on the Left. Unsurprisingly, Democratic candidates running for President have failed to condemn the violent actions of Antifa & the attack on Ngo. Gay rights organisations have also remained silent, with absolutely zero condemnation of the terrible acts of violence. On the other hand, Republican Senator Ted Cruz has condemned the violence, & has called for action to be taken against those involved. Those who have in the past called for individuals to be milkshaked, including Vox’s Carlos Maza (who, you’ll remember, recently attempted to deplatform Steven Crowder, managing to create the Vox Adpocalypse in the process), still have their posts up on Twitter, & have not yet had any action taken against them, which is entirely unsurprising considering Twitter never seem to take action against those on their own side of the political spectrum. Antifa also still have a platform on Twitter & Facebook, who have banned a number of Conservative commentators & journalists from their platform simply for their Conservative views, which they have deemed as ‘hate speech’, & speech that is dangerous. It is clear that Antifa’s speech would likely be far more dangerous than that of any one Conservative commentator.

Antifa are clearly becoming more violent in their actions. It is past time action was taken to stop this group from hurting more people. In their so-called battle to stop ‘white supremacists’ & ‘fascists’, Antifa themselves have become what they loathe. They may wear masks to hide their identities in an effort to commit violent acts without being caught, but Antifa cannot hide from the darkness that is enveloping them from the inside out. Authorities must take action, & declare Antifa as a domestic terrorist conglomerate. Indeed, in recent days it has come to light that evidence of a working relationship between American Antifa activists & terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda & ISIS is emerging. Antifa may be dangerous individuals, however they do Conservatives a great favour. They are the epitome of everything that is wrong with the Left: They have no interest in respectful reasoned debate, they label anyone with opposing views, even those that may in fact be Left-Wing themselves for the most part, as fascists, racists, white supremacists & more, they resort to insults & extremely foul language, & ultimately, turn to violence when facing those who hold opposing views. It is clear that the meaning of fascism has been lost on these individuals, indeed even on those on the Left who are slightly less Left than those of Antifa are. Many on the Left make the bold & completely misinformed claim that fascism is purely a trait of the Far Right. In reality, fascism has become more aligned with Far Left ideology. That isn’t to say there are individuals on the Far Right who aren’t necessarily fascists themselves. But it’s not something that is limited to one side or another. Fascism is in no way a good ideology. But in some sense, it’s more aligned with Communism, & the Left would know all about that. All in all, violence is never the answer. Violence only shows that you cannot logically defend your argument. And those who commit acts of violence, especially those that occurred over the weekend, should be charged & prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Those that defend violence are just as complicit. Even if it’s an egg or a milkshake, it’s still violence, it’s still assault, & it can escalate from there if it’s condoned. It may start with an egg, or a milkshake, but once those are said to be harmless, the contents of the milkshake can change. It can escalate to a milkshake containing acid, or rocks, or, as was seen over the weekend, quick-drying cement. And soon enough, it’s a knife, or a gun. Violence is never acceptable, no matter what form it comes in, & it has absolutely no place in society. Whoever those were from Antifa that clearly committed assault & battery over the weekend, particularly those who almost killed Andy Ngo, should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law without leniency. Otherwise, their actions will be justified by the authorities, & will continue to occur, likely to greater extremes.