James McGrath and the 'libertarianism' of the Australian Tea Party
Michaelia Cash (front) smile approving as they listen to fellow
tea-bagger James McGrath (Image screenshot YouTube)
When James McGrath made his radical rightwing speech in
Parliament yesterday, he showed how far our politics had moved towards
the “libertarian” Tea Party fringe. Managing editor David Donovan comments.
People listening to Senator James McGrath’s maiden speech yesterday
may have been forgiven for thinking that its main significance was as a
salutary lesson about the dangers of taking lysergic acid before
speaking in Parliament.
As comforting as that thought may be, it is quite unlikely McGrath
was under the influence of any psychotropic substance when this he
delivered his turgid rightwing rant — apart from being out of his brain
on the lethal Kool-Aid of “modern” libertarianism.
In case you missed the speech, the Sydney Morning Herald’s James Massola gave some of the highlights:
An incoming Liberal senator has set out a radical libertarian
program in his maiden speech, calling for the GST rate to rise to 15 per
cent, federal health and education departments to be abolished and for
the immediate sell-off of youth radio station Triple J, with the rest of
the ABC to also be privatised if it fails to address perceived
left-wing bias.
Former Liberal Party deputy director James McGrath also defended
people's right to make homophobic comments, as well as "hurtful and
bigoted and stupid and dumb things".
Senator McGrath also flagged plans to introduce a private
member's bill that would "bring back true voluntary student unionism" as
he argued the GST should rise to 15 per cent and include items that are
currently excluded, such as fresh food.
He vowed to argue for lower regulation and smaller government as
he took aim at the federal health and education departments, which had
thousands of staff but had no patients, ran no schools and did not teach
students.
"Bureaucracies have become more bloated, more process-driven and more out of touch," he said.
"The states run hospitals and schools - why do we need to be
involved? I'm calling for the abolition of the federal departments of
health and education, and for universities to be run at a state level."
A longtime former political operative for shady conservative campaign managers (Lynton) Crosby and (Mark) Textor, Queenslander McGrath’s career highlights so far would seem to be working as a campaign director in the Maldives and being sacked as an advisor to Conservative London Mayor Boris Johnson in 2008 over a racist remark.
There is no evidence 40 year-old he has any significant life experience
beyond school, university, student politics and working as a low-level
conservative political apparatchik.
I say conservative and doubtless McGrath counts himself as a lifelong
conservative — but there is nothing at all “conservative” about his
comments.
In fact, as discussed by Cathy McQueen on IA earlier this week,
McGrath’s views closely represent the true radical agenda of the
Australian Tea Party now in power federally — and, I would add, also in
McGrath’s home state of Queensland.
Their true agenda, but the one they usually keep from clear view,
because they know it would be highly unpopular and thus electoral poison
to the vast majority of Australians. People are only now starting to
gain a glimpse of this agenda through Joe Hockey’s entirely ideological “lifters and leaners” Federal Budget.
Evidence of this was the gushing applause and approbation given to
him by the Government benches after he had finished. The truth is, in
the hollowed out Liberal Party, now purged of moderates, he said what
most were thinking, but didn’t have the guts to say themselves.
McGrath considers himself a libertarian and repeatedly refers to “liberty” and “freedom” in his speech.
Of course, most people probably consider themselves in favour of
liberty and its notions of personal freedoms, with less government
oversight and burdens. Who enjoys paying taxes, or fines, or filling out
paperwork, or being audited?
However, the libertarianism preached by McGrath – and, indeed, his new Senate colleague, the softly spoken gun-nut, David Leyonhjelm ‒ is not about complete
liberty, as that, of course, would be complete anarchy and they are not
at all in favour of that. For these rightwing libertarians, the key
issue is “property rights”. They want to be able to do and say whatever
they want, with the proviso that someone else can’t just come along and
take away what they have. And thus, they are usually strongly in favour
of guns, a strong police force, strong border controls, a large military
and a harshly punitive justice system.
It is the liberty of the selfish.
McGrath may have made his speech in Canberra , but ‒ with a few name
changes ‒ it could just as easily have been made in the U.S. bible belt,
as it bespoke the same brand of radical small government, low tax, no
welfare, no regulation, no minimum wage, anti-Islam, anti-climate change
action, “libertarianism” as the U.S. Tea Party.
Their agenda purports to be on behalf of the little guy against a “Big Brother” government, however the Tea Party movement it is largely an astroturf operation, mainly funded by fossil fuel interest and large corporations. The billionaire Koch Brothers and Exxon Mobil are often cited in this regard, although the network includes many others including our own Rupert Murdoch.
Libertarian/Tea Party ideology is seeded by these corporatists throughout a network of “thinktanks”, notably the Cato Institute, the Heartland Institute and, in Australia, the Institute of Public Affairs,
who also act as organisers for the astroturf activism, which involves
setting up organisations and staging events until enough people ignorant
of the organisation’s true nature are swayed by the speeches, flags,
banners, slogans, colour and movement to take up the cause. (For a case
study in how this occurs, click here.)
Their aims of the corporatists are simple — to get ordinary people to
pressure Governments to lower taxes and prevent action on climate
change, thereby protecting their assets and future revenues. They want
the liberty to have the Government not waste the little taxes they hope
to pay on public broadcasting, or healing the sick and crippled, or
helping the impoverished, or educating the poor, or cleaning the
poisonous air — but rather on being a “security” firm ‒ through
military, police and customs ‒ protecting their assets from the hungry,
angry growing masses both inside and outside their nation.
Pudgy-faced patsies like McGrath are willing accessories to this,
because they are paid generously by these same interests to act as their
mouthpieces and Judas goats.
Do they believe the nonsense that spews from their lips? Some may — but
then something is much easier to believe when your way of life depends
on you believing it. It also makes the perfidy more convincing.
In short, libertarianism is an attractive hook for deceivers because it suggests greater freedom.
Yet, what this version of libertarianism ‒ more accurately called
“economic liberalism” ‒ ignores is that much of the business of
governments is about protecting the weak from the strong.
It is about the freedom to be educated; the freedom to be paid a
living wage for a fair day’s pay. The freedom to not be subjected to
racial vilification and bigotry. The freedom to be educated and to be
healthy. The freedom to breathe clean air and enjoy the wonders of
nature. The freedom to hear both sides of the story and make informed
choices. The freedom to live in a democracy. The freedom to build a
community and a society. The freedom not to be preyed upon by the rich
and powerful.
The libertarianism of James McGrath and his puppet-masters is the
liberty of selfishness and greed. It is the liberty to accumulate more
wealth than one could ever need and not share any of it with those less
fortunate. It is the liberty of the Gollum, clutching desperately to his
“precious”. It is the liberty of the wolf to descend rapaciously upon
the sheep.
But for the most people, it is just the liberty to be a slave. And that is no liberty at all.
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