THE MORNING AFTER

WINTER No. 6
By Warwick McFadyen
People are bemoaning this election result but I think they have
the wrong end of the stick. We should be applauding the
glorious rainbow that our democracy can create from a million
teardrops, sorry, raindrops.
For instance, our democracy, which compels all adults to vote,
shows that all manner of people are heard and not only are
they heard but they can exercise their inalienable right to be
as stupid as they were born or have grown into. They can then
vote for someone who is as stupid as them. In our democracy,
everyone from the lowest quota of common sense to the
highest - has a chance to win a seat at the big chamber or the
little one.
Now the stupid people may take umbrage (look it up) at such a
description of themselves; they may say they merely hold a
different range of views to the rest of us, and they may even
toss it back and say were the stupid ones for not seeing the

sense of their beliefs. One persons extreme, after all, is

anothers moderation.
Stupidity, in a political sense, is all relative. For instance, you
are the prime minister of the nation. Lets say your name is
Malcolm. You have a healthy majority in the House of
Representatives, but the Senate is a tad troublesome. The
quarrelsome senators wont pass an innocuous bit of trade
union hunting. You think, Ill get a double disillusion election;
that will sort everything out. Ill be rid of the loathsome lot of
them. But then, what happens? The vote goes to the people.
Malcolm must not have seen that coming. It all goes
pearshaped. You find yourself the morning after, and probably
forever after, trying to appear strong from a position of
weakness. Now thats stupid.
Actually, its a fine line between being as thick as two short
planks and being perceived as such by others. Malcolm clearly
isnt stupid, but he has made himself hostage to circumstances
he created. Thats stupid.
One of the factors now binding him to the mast is the actions
of other stupid people. If only they had voted informal, like the
cynical intelligentsia who scrawl in a withering contemptuous
hand on the ballot paper the word bullshit.
But no, they saw someone with whom they could identify.
Thats not how it is supposed to pan out is it? All interests and
idiocies, sorry idiosyncracies, represented? All votes equal?
Surely not. A lot of Remain people in Britain thought they
had been cheated in the referendum to leave the European
Union. They argued, are still arguing, that their voice was not
heard. It was heard, of course, but there were more voices on
the other side. And that, when all is said and done, is
democracy for you. The majority rules.
Well, up to a point, it rules - until the stupid people (and nonstupid people) come along in either the lower house or the
Senate and hold the balance of power.
Anyway, its good the stupid ones are in Parliament. Is it good
for the country? Thats an entirely different question. If we
dont like it perhaps we should admit that this island

continent, this massive expanse of land girt by sea, is beyond

inclusion within and of itself, that the ties that bind are not
strong enough to package into a neat bundle a set of beliefs
and ideologies, even actions, that can be of common cause. We
should just admit the game is up and let parts of the land
secede into their own little kingdoms, republics, tyrannies and
communes.
How does one recognise a stupid person? Its fairly easy. They
seriously put forward the proposition that Australia should
have a royal commission into Islam. (There are many other
examples of stupid, such as advocating an inquiry into climate
science because well its just giving scientists money - those
damn outrageous partygoers, and establishing a one out, one
in migration policy for the country. Nah sorry mate, you cant
come in until someone leaves.)
We speak of Pauline Hanson. Back again in the national
consciousness after a 20-year break. In 1996, she warned the
nation it was being swamped by Asians. Yep, what a prophet,
the streets of our cities and towns are just swamped with them
in 2016. You cant help but trip over a dozen of them every 100
metres.
But a royal commission into Islam? Its pure genius. What a
roving commission it would have. Right well start in
Townsville, work our way around Australia and then move onto
to Indonesia before hitting the Mid-East and well finish at
Mecca. Thats Mecca, not Maccas. In the interests of
fairness, heres an extract of One Nations argument against
Islam:
Australia has embraced migrants from all different races,
making us one of the most multiracial nations on earth. Most
have assimilated and are proud to call themselves Australian,
accepting our culture, beliefs, laws and way of life. But
unfortunately, there are some who have come to our country
with the goal of changing our way of life, taking away our
freedom and terrorising those who want to live in a peaceful
society. Those migrants are the extremist Muslims who are
devout to the teachings of Islam and its leaders. All may not
follow the teachings of the Quran, but if Jihad is called

(applying any methods, including threats, deceit and ISIS-style

warfare, to establish Islam as the dominant power, completely
endorsed by Allah and Mohammed) where do their loyalties
lie?
What is Islam and how does it impact on Australia?
Islam sees itself as a theocracy, not a democracy. Islam does
not believe in democracy, freedom of speech, freedom of the
press or freedom or assembly. It does not separate religion
and politics. Many believe that it is solely a religion, but the
reality is that it is much more, for it has a political agenda that
goes far outside the realm of religion. Islam regulates the
Muslims social and domestic life, their legal system and
politics - their total life.
Its religious aspect is fraud; it is rather a totalitarian political
system, including legal, economic, social and military
components, masquerading as a religion.
And what would be the conclusion of this royal commission?
After weighing all the evidence and mind you thered be
rather a lot of it - we rather perfect Australians could judge
Islam a sham and a traitor to the cause. Because well we
were here first. Perhaps after the Islam royal commission,
there could be ones into Roman Catholicism, Methodism, The
Scottish Free Church, Jewry and the Church of Scientology, to
name a few. They may have beliefs but they cant all be right
can they? This is not a democracy. Wait a minute, yes it is.
Praise the lord.
Hes not stupid.
Warwick McFadyen is an Australian freelance writer and
editor