Love this post, Iona. So, I’ve been thinking a lot about this. Australia is not built on revolution. The first European settlement was a convict colony in a harsh land, where government frequently had to intervene in the beginning to help people (bushfires, droughts and floods). We did have one rebellion, the Rum Rebellion, where the military junta rebelled against the colonial governor. They dragged Governor Bligh out from under the bed and shot him… No. They dragged him out and put him on a ship in Sydney Harbour where he sat for a year, writing letters to “My dear sirs” “Your most obedient & etc” challenging the legality of the coup. One of the formenters of the coup, one Simeon Lord (the only ex-convict and coincidentally my ancestor) loaned him his copy of Blackstone. Then the military guys all got called back to England along with Bligh, the Colonial office said, “Naughty, actually not legal. By the way we’re sending out a new Governor with a regiment.” The military guys all went back to Australia, did nothing else bad, and Lachlan Macquarie became our greatest governor. This is the Australian mentality. We have a utilitarian and majoritarian outlook - which can be both good and bad. We certainly rejected the divisive parties in this election, IMO. And I thought both Dutton’s and Albo’s speeches were extremely gracious.
What I really hate is, “If you don’t totally object to Y, you must be for X.” It’s an attempt to force a loyalty test on you. It polarises. I’m really glad your friend apologised.
Love this post, Iona. So, I’ve been thinking a lot about this. Australia is not built on revolution. The first European settlement was a convict colony in a harsh land, where government frequently had to intervene in the beginning to help people (bushfires, droughts and floods). We did have one rebellion, the Rum Rebellion, where the military junta rebelled against the colonial governor. They dragged Governor Bligh out from under the bed and shot him… No. They dragged him out and put him on a ship in Sydney Harbour where he sat for a year, writing letters to “My dear sirs” “Your most obedient & etc” challenging the legality of the coup. One of the formenters of the coup, one Simeon Lord (the only ex-convict and coincidentally my ancestor) loaned him his copy of Blackstone. Then the military guys all got called back to England along with Bligh, the Colonial office said, “Naughty, actually not legal. By the way we’re sending out a new Governor with a regiment.” The military guys all went back to Australia, did nothing else bad, and Lachlan Macquarie became our greatest governor. This is the Australian mentality. We have a utilitarian and majoritarian outlook - which can be both good and bad. We certainly rejected the divisive parties in this election, IMO. And I thought both Dutton’s and Albo’s speeches were extremely gracious.
What I really hate is, “If you don’t totally object to Y, you must be for X.” It’s an attempt to force a loyalty test on you. It polarises. I’m really glad your friend apologised.
I am especially thrilled you liked this post, Katy, darling! And yes, the vibe is completely different and I love it.