I can’t stop thinking about this tweet from mid-October, citing an “impeccable source” about Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s personal views on Palestine. It was backed up by Fahad Ali, a Palestinian-Australian academic and advocate, who said Albanese’s actual beliefs have “come through in every meeting [he] has ever had with the Palestinian community.” And by now you’ve surely seen this old video of him attending a Free Palestine rally as a junior Labor MP. Taken all together, it’s obvious Albanese believes in Palestinian sovereignty, sees Israel’s aggression and oppression… but doesn’t want to lose his career over it.

So what level of power is it, exactly, that is worth trading in the progressive beliefs that made you get into politics in the first place?

It’s obvious that there is a glass ceiling for progressives in modern Australian politics, and I’m trying to pinpoint exactly where it is. Whose ring needs to be kissed to move into the realm of real power and influence? Malcolm Turnbull and Kevin Rudd insist it’s Rupert Murdoch, but I don’t think it’s that simple at all. It is not one single man forcing MPs to abandon their liberal beliefs once they make it off the backbench. 

Looking at Albanese’s history I think it’s fair to say he got into politics because of his progressive values. Maybe I’m naive, but I genuinely believe most Australian politicians do go into it wanting to do right by the country. Not all, but most. So a young, leftist-softboi Albo joins the Australian Labor Party. He understands what it’s like to struggle, he believes the government has a duty to help people live good lives and wants to have a role in shaping the policies that will make that possible.

But as he moves up the ranks, he is forced to compromise some of those beliefs. At first, it’s positioned as simple trade-offs – agree to vote against X, in order to pass Y. For the greater good, etc etc. You tell yourself it’s worth it because it helps you move up the ranks, get more media opportunities, and because the real goal is to develop enough power to introduce the policies you truly believe in and that Australia needs. Only… the time never comes. To get the power, you’ve had to compromise on every single value and belief you had.

So what’s the point? Why even enter politics if you will never have the courage to act on your beliefs when you eventually have the power to do so? What was the compromise for?

We have definitely seen this film before: Short Lived Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. The ending was trash. Looking at Turnbull’s history, maybe he shouldn’t have been a Liberal Party  member to begin with. If his political career was starting now, he’d be running as a ‘teal’ independent. For all his (self-proclaimeed) progressive beliefs, even though his party was running the country for 8ish years of his 14 career and he personally reached the pinnacle of individual power… he advanced 0 progressive policies. The government he led was fundamentally opposed to his own personal ideals. Turnbull’s hands were, supposedly, tied on climate action. He did nothing to curtail the influence of his arch nemesis, Murdoch. His decision to let the fate of same-sex marriage be dictated by a plebiscite is universally panned as one of the most cowardly and damaging approaches to correcting a human rights issue.

Post-politics, Turnbull is always yapping about what he stands for. But what can progressives actually thank him for? What was his political contirbution to Australia as a democratic nation? Genuinely, I’m asking. 

So far, it looks like Albanese’s Prime Ministership might end up the same way. And probably Tanya Plibersek’s career (you cannot convince me that approving new coal and oil projects is aligned with her personal beliefs). Penny Wong, Linda Burney, Tony Burke. A whole backbench of Labor MPs who, in the first term of their political careers, have been instructed to vote in favour of allowing an attempted genocide and unchecked apartheid. That can’t feel good. 

There are some bright spots in Parliament. Most of the Australian Greens party – especially Adam Bandt, Max Chandler-Mather and Merheen Faruqi – David Pocock, Bridget McKenzie, Andrew Wilkie, Helen Haines, Lidia Thorpe. What does it say about Australia that those who stand firmly by their convinctions can have social influence but not power?

That’s the part I’m still trying to work out.

– Crystal
Founder & Chief of Everything at Zee Feed
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Good stuff on Zee Feed rn:

Why making a serious plan to cut 50% of our emissions by 2030 is one of the most helpful things Australia can do as climate justice is deeply connected to the liberation of all people, both at home and abroad. CLICK HERE TO READ.

Smart stuff on the Internet 💭

All the stuff I found on the web that made me think, smile, or have an ‘aha!’ moment. Spend your Sunday reading them – you'll be better off for it:

Rupi Kaur’s Moral Clarity Has Been Consistent. Does it Change How We View Her Artistry? on The Swaddle
“So far, the idea of separating the art from the artist has applied to situations where previously beloved artists are disgraced. Here is a situation, however, in which a widely mocked artist is re-evaluated in light of a progressive position.”

What is the rule of proportionality, and is it being observed in the Israeli siege of Gaza? on The Conversation
“The aerial campaign has left a heavy death toll – the health authority in the Hamas-run enclave has put the total number of Palestinians killed in excess of 10,000 – leading to questions over whether the response by Israel has been proportionate.”

I’m Israeli, my ex-husband is Palestinian – and our union has never been stronger on The Guardian
“Since the war began, however, we have all but remarried. At this moment, no one understands our pain better than one another. In the midst of our shared grief, we both reach for and cling to the thing that is most familiar – the two of us, our kids, our family.”

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