Many leftist academics have long ago abandoned the notion that ordinary citizens are fit for governing. They in fact believe they are unfit, and only “experts” like themselves should be allowed to call the shots and make the rules. Thus many of our elites have a sneering contempt for ordinary men and women.
So prominent is this unfortunate tendency that one Australian writer penned an entire volume on this. David Flint wrote The Twilight of the Elites back in 2003 (Freedom Publishing), and it is still a timely read. In it he documents how our leftist elites keep trying to subvert the will of the people as they seek to push their progressive policies and agendas.
Fortunately when ordinary Australians are actually allowed to speak – and vote – on these radical proposals, the elites often fail miserably. The 1999 vote on a republic is one major example of this. Flint documents many more such examples.
He offers a bit of history here: “Marx gave the elites their mission. He had written that philosophers had hitherto only interpreted the world: the point now was to change it. And who better qualified to change it – and change it ‘intelligently’ – than the elites.”
He also notes how postmodernist thinking underpins so much of the new elites’ worldview. They argue that truth, morality and culture are all relative. They believe that the “concepts of free speech, democracy and human rights are not inherently superior principles – they are merely the product and specific times and specific places.”
We see this played out all the time in Australia and the West. Simply consider how creeping sharia and stealth jihad are undermining the West from within; all aided and abetted by our leftist elites. The recent case of censorship regarding Andrew Bolt is another clear case in point here.
As Miranda Devine rightly commented: “Make no mistake, the Bolt case and the swarm of Left-wing lawyers who have urged it on, acting pro bono or commenting approvingly from the sidelines, are all part of an illiberal movement in Australia to crush dissent. At a time of extraordinary political disharmony following the ousting of Kevin Rudd, the hung Parliament and the rise of the Greens, there is a concerted attempt to shut down conservative voices.”
You can say that again. And it is not just conservative voices, but any voices which are not those of the secular left elites. Two recent examples make this quite clear. Consider this headline of just a few days ago: “Newspapers shouldn’t print opinion from non-experts: Manne”.
The article continues, “Professor Manne says they should report only the views of a ‘core’ of experts in key debates. At a book-signing in Sydney last night, he also urged the media to embrace greater contributions from controversial left-wing commentators such as US linguistics professor Noam Chomsky and Beirut-based commentator Robert Fisk. Professor Manne is facing fierce criticism over his recently published Quarterly Essay, Bad News, in which he alleges that The Australian plays an ‘overbearing’ and ‘unhealthy’ role in national debates by publishing fringe views on controversial topics.”
Wow. So why don’t these pompous, arrogant, lefty academics just come out and say it? They hate democracy and want all of us mere peons to just sit down and shut up, and only let people like them have an opinion. Guys like this really are quite a worry.
The article goes on to say that on topics like climate change, us mere mortals have no right to speak out – only qualified scientists. OK, so since when did Manne become a qualified scientist? It seems he has not been reticent about speaking publicly on such topics in the past.
Another example is found in today’s press. It concerns the ongoing calls by Bob Brown and the Greens to effectively straightjacket and censor the press, so that only views friendly to their own are allowed a free run. As one article begins: “Greens leader Bob Brown has upped the ante in his calls for stronger state control of media, hinting at a licensing scheme for individual journalists.
“Senator Brown has already called for licensing of newspapers, a move Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has refused to rule out. The Greens leader repeated his call at an Intelligence Squared event in Sydney on Saturday, which debated the proposition ‘that the media have no morals’.
“Under questioning from the audience, Senator Brown appeared to back away from a scheme of licensing newspapers in favour of a state-sanctioned practising licence for individual journalists that could be withdrawn. ‘It’s time the crown licensed the press,’ Senator Brown said, before later calling for ‘some point of reference’ to pull up both journalists and proprietors ‘who do the wrong thing in their tracks’.”
But haven’t such clampdowns on the media been tried before? Think Nazi Germany. Think Communist Russia and Eastern Europe. Think Muslim-majority nations. Evidently the lessons of history have not been learned. The truth is, our leftist elites have always had a totalitarian streak.
Indeed, we refer to them as the “coercive utopians”. They want to usher in their version of heaven on earth, but it can only come through the heavy hand of the law and by state suppression of dissenting points of view. These elites simply have no trust in ordinary citizens to govern themselves.
They think we are incapable of ruling ourselves, and we must instead surrender our rights to these elites who know what is best for us. It is a very scary place to be in indeed. I would much rather go with the common man with common sense than with our activist elites.
As William F. Buckley once rightly stated: “I would rather be governed by the first 2,000 names in the Boston telephone directory than by the 2,000 members of the Harvard faculty.” Quite so. Egghead intellectuals and arrogant elites think they know so much better than we do. But it seems whenever they start to get into power, they thrive while the rest of us suffer.
Thanks but no thanks, I will side with ordinary Australians any day of the week over the likes of Manne and Brown. That would be a much safer and wiser course of action. As the lefty activists used to shout, “Power to the people!”
The Greens really are bona fide evil. Evil doesn’t come in a red suit, horns and a pitchfork. It lives behind suits and smiles and press-conferences with utopian solutions for the ‘ordinary people’ they claim they work for but in reality completely despise behind closed doors.
Anti-life, anti-free-speech, anti-family, anti-debate – they are utterly sick and twisted. They must be exposed so that the Australian people can send them into the political wilderness.
Mark Rabich
And this weekend we also read about another common sense man in threat of losing his job for writing in an article some weeks ago, that children are best brought up by their married biological parents. Imagine allowing a person with many years experience in dealing with depression, mental health and family breakdown being able to express such an ‘reprehensible’ view.
If the lefty activists have their way and their bullying of Beyond Blue’s partners and sponsors works – then we can expect to be reading all about Mr Kennett’s ousting sometime soon.
Given your article Bill, I wonder if its simply just ‘experts’ they want to express views or rather their ‘hand picked experts’? Given Mr Kennett’s experience, would he qualify as an ‘expert’ under Mr Manne’s definition? The double standards of the left are always most astounding.
Who would have thought that we would ever see the day when it becomes a ‘sackable’ offense to express a pro-family opinion.
I hope I am proven wrong and Mr Kennett stays in his current position.
Yes it really is diabolical. A guy like Kennett simply states the simple truth that children have a fundamental right to their own mother and a father – something backed up by common sense, empirical evidence, and thousands of social science studies – and the homosexual Stasi and the ruling secular left elites want him crucified! It is mind boggling really.
Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch
Consider the offenses one may commit which have proven to be ‘non-sack-able’ offenses.
Lying, visiting sex clubs, misappropriation of public money…just for a start.
Do any of these things and countless more, no problem, but dare say that children have a fundamental right to two parents of the heterosexual variety – watch out, your days will be numbered. (and same sex marriage has not even been legalized)
Annette Williams
Wow. I love Robert Manne’s concern about the ‘morals’ of the media. Especially his chosen academics:
Noam Chomsky: The academic crank and America-Israel hater admired by Osama Bin Laden, dictators Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro. His lunatic positions on issues are too many to mention but Alan Dershowitz (hardly a right-winger) makes a good start;
Robert Fisk: Another Israel hater who was exposed (by no less than the UN and the Lebanese themselves) spreading a false libel against Israel claiming they attacked Lenanon with depleted-uranium weapons;
But these lies don’t matter I guess because they are in the service of fashionable leftist causes.
Damien Spillane
Exactly right Damien.
Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch
On the American radar: according to a Sept. 15, 2011 article in the WashingtonTimes, Internet media giants aren’t giving Christian and other faith-based groups a fair shake.
On November 20 the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will unconstitutionally
seize control of the Internet through their Net Neutrality
regulations.
Not only will the move destroy one of the last, great
free-market frontiers America and the world has ever
seen, but the move will also kill an estimated 100,000
to 200,000 real jobs.
Having granted itself the authority to regulate the
Internet, the FCC has already begun strong-arming Internet Providers into supporting Net Neutrality guidelines on themselves or risk FCC imposed penalties.
As a result, we are beginning to see early signs of what
awaits religious and politically conservative websites.
Web-hosting companies are starting to suspend these
websites — classifying them as “hate sites.”
I’ve contacted Movember to ask for an explanation and clarification.
Ross McPhee
Never give up the good fight.
Great thing is the leftist over extend, then they are exposed for what they are.
It seems Labor will now abandon it’s right faction in order to chase down The Greens, attempting to absorb there far left again will only keep the Labor traditional vote split.
I smell another 10 possibly 20 years of conservative government coming, and much good can be done in that time. We just have to keep , and never let the eye off the ball of the anti western leftists again.
Craig Terms
Horrific as all this seems and indeed truly is,it will go only as far as the permissive will of God allows. Meanwhile we continue serving Him as faithfully as possible and standing against all forms of evil. Maranatha !!
Anna Cook
Thanks Bill. Great article. Unfortunatley in Tasmania we are seeing first hand the kind of things you are talking about. The recent inter-govenmental forestry peace deal is a good example of what happens when green ideology is allowed to dominate at the expense of balanced common sense views of experts and the general public. The problem is that middle ground voters are getting fooled into following these ‘left’ postions. As a result leaders then follow suit rather risk losing votes. We need strong leadership that will be a credible alternative to the left. I think the rise of the Greens is partly due to the failure of the major parties to demonstrate this kind of leadership.
Malcolm Beattie
What a shame that another one bows down to political correctness.
I have no idea of his faith convictions and so I guess prospect of losing your job, your reputation, and possibly your personal safety becomes all too much for many.
What a blight on our country- to be bullied and therefore governed by a minority.
Let this spur us on to pray for one another and our Christian leaders to stand more courageously than this when we face similar situations.
Annette Williams
Thanks Bill and Bloggers, great stuff.
Stan Fishley
The problem is not elites, but misguided, ignorant, and evil elites. A society without elites is a socialist society. A society without elites eventually leads to the lowest common denominator becoming triumphant, since it is the easiest route, if no code of conduct (which requires sacrifice to live according to certain principles) leads to higher status, what motivation do people have to behave well.
The Greens really are bona fide evil. Evil doesn’t come in a red suit, horns and a pitchfork. It lives behind suits and smiles and press-conferences with utopian solutions for the ‘ordinary people’ they claim they work for but in reality completely despise behind closed doors.
Anti-life, anti-free-speech, anti-family, anti-debate – they are utterly sick and twisted. They must be exposed so that the Australian people can send them into the political wilderness.
Mark Rabich
And this weekend we also read about another common sense man in threat of losing his job for writing in an article some weeks ago, that children are best brought up by their married biological parents. Imagine allowing a person with many years experience in dealing with depression, mental health and family breakdown being able to express such an ‘reprehensible’ view.
If the lefty activists have their way and their bullying of Beyond Blue’s partners and sponsors works – then we can expect to be reading all about Mr Kennett’s ousting sometime soon.
Given your article Bill, I wonder if its simply just ‘experts’ they want to express views or rather their ‘hand picked experts’? Given Mr Kennett’s experience, would he qualify as an ‘expert’ under Mr Manne’s definition? The double standards of the left are always most astounding.
Who would have thought that we would ever see the day when it becomes a ‘sackable’ offense to express a pro-family opinion.
I hope I am proven wrong and Mr Kennett stays in his current position.
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/funding-threat-to-kennetts-mental-health-charity-20111001-1l36v.html
Annette Williams
Yes quite so Mark
Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch
Thanks Annette
Yes it really is diabolical. A guy like Kennett simply states the simple truth that children have a fundamental right to their own mother and a father – something backed up by common sense, empirical evidence, and thousands of social science studies – and the homosexual Stasi and the ruling secular left elites want him crucified! It is mind boggling really.
Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch
Consider the offenses one may commit which have proven to be ‘non-sack-able’ offenses.
Lying, visiting sex clubs, misappropriation of public money…just for a start.
Do any of these things and countless more, no problem, but dare say that children have a fundamental right to two parents of the heterosexual variety – watch out, your days will be numbered. (and same sex marriage has not even been legalized)
Annette Williams
Wow. I love Robert Manne’s concern about the ‘morals’ of the media. Especially his chosen academics:
Noam Chomsky: The academic crank and America-Israel hater admired by Osama Bin Laden, dictators Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro. His lunatic positions on issues are too many to mention but Alan Dershowitz (hardly a right-winger) makes a good start;
http://frontpagemag.com/2011/05/13/its-time-to-dump-chomsky-into-the-wastebasket-of-history/
Robert Fisk: Another Israel hater who was exposed (by no less than the UN and the Lebanese themselves) spreading a false libel against Israel claiming they attacked Lenanon with depleted-uranium weapons;
http://honestreporting.com/fisk-time-for-a-retraction-2/
But these lies don’t matter I guess because they are in the service of fashionable leftist causes.
Damien Spillane
Exactly right Damien.
Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch
On the American radar: according to a Sept. 15, 2011 article in the WashingtonTimes, Internet media giants aren’t giving Christian and other faith-based groups a fair shake.
On November 20 the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will unconstitutionally
seize control of the Internet through their Net Neutrality
regulations.
Not only will the move destroy one of the last, great
free-market frontiers America and the world has ever
seen, but the move will also kill an estimated 100,000
to 200,000 real jobs.
Having granted itself the authority to regulate the
Internet, the FCC has already begun strong-arming Internet Providers into supporting Net Neutrality guidelines on themselves or risk FCC imposed penalties.
As a result, we are beginning to see early signs of what
awaits religious and politically conservative websites.
Web-hosting companies are starting to suspend these
websites — classifying them as “hate sites.”
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/sep/15/report-internet-giants-shun-ads-of-faiths/
Rachel Smith
I’ve contacted Movember to ask for an explanation and clarification.
Ross McPhee
Never give up the good fight.
Great thing is the leftist over extend, then they are exposed for what they are.
It seems Labor will now abandon it’s right faction in order to chase down The Greens, attempting to absorb there far left again will only keep the Labor traditional vote split.
I smell another 10 possibly 20 years of conservative government coming, and much good can be done in that time. We just have to keep , and never let the eye off the ball of the anti western leftists again.
Craig Terms
Horrific as all this seems and indeed truly is,it will go only as far as the permissive will of God allows. Meanwhile we continue serving Him as faithfully as possible and standing against all forms of evil. Maranatha !!
Anna Cook
Thanks Bill. Great article. Unfortunatley in Tasmania we are seeing first hand the kind of things you are talking about. The recent inter-govenmental forestry peace deal is a good example of what happens when green ideology is allowed to dominate at the expense of balanced common sense views of experts and the general public. The problem is that middle ground voters are getting fooled into following these ‘left’ postions. As a result leaders then follow suit rather risk losing votes. We need strong leadership that will be a credible alternative to the left. I think the rise of the Greens is partly due to the failure of the major parties to demonstrate this kind of leadership.
Malcolm Beattie
Just an update on Mr Kennett
http://www.theage.com.au/national/kennett-reversal-on-gay-parenting-20111005-1l9pu.html#ixzz1ZxAha4Gu
What a shame that another one bows down to political correctness.
I have no idea of his faith convictions and so I guess prospect of losing your job, your reputation, and possibly your personal safety becomes all too much for many.
What a blight on our country- to be bullied and therefore governed by a minority.
Let this spur us on to pray for one another and our Christian leaders to stand more courageously than this when we face similar situations.
Annette Williams
Thanks Bill and Bloggers, great stuff.
Stan Fishley
The problem is not elites, but misguided, ignorant, and evil elites. A society without elites is a socialist society. A society without elites eventually leads to the lowest common denominator becoming triumphant, since it is the easiest route, if no code of conduct (which requires sacrifice to live according to certain principles) leads to higher status, what motivation do people have to behave well.
read for a brief insight into the christian view of elitism and egalitarianism.
http://www.tfp.org/tfp-home/fighting-for-our-culture/a-society-without-elites-is-a-socialist-society.html
Julian Desouza