A Cancer on Democracy as Old as Rome
My name is Julius Caesar.
Yes, the Julius Caesar, writing, in 2021.
You can choose whether to believe me or not, but I need you to heed my warning.
Your world, your freedoms, your esteemed western liberal democracies — everything is still the same puppet show that the Roman Republic was.
Aristocrats have continued to clench the strings of power, lulling society to accept and even glorify their puppet show of a system.
A show that we eat up, with eyes wide open — oblivious of, or contempt with an illusion of liberty masking a threatening oligarchy. A show that makes us talk, laugh, yell, complain and argue.
A show that has engineered our belief that somehow our actions and opinions influence how the puppets move, talk and behave.
But do we ever hold the strings?
Modern-day democracy is a cancerous tale of inequality as old as Rome.
The Roman Republic granted citizens the freedom of speech, people voted on policies in public assemblies, and Plebeian consuls represented the poor.
But democracy was an illusion of liberty.
The Plebeian consuls were pawns of the aristocrats, as they had an incentive to cater towards the interests of the oligarchs to gain funding. The public assemblies disenfranchised the poor, as they relied on citizens being rich enough to skip work. And even if public assemblies voted on policies that supported the working class, the aristocrat noblemen in the senate had the ultimate power to veto them.
My hatred for power abuse might seem hypocritical — after all, I was the dictator of Rome. But as a politician, what were my policies? I gave land to the poor. I ensured military veterans got their land after wars. I prohibited the aristocrats from exploiting a subsidy loophole where they made buildings for the poor that would collapse on purpose. I made extortion illegal.
I seized the matchbox of political power to light a fire and feed the people, while the oligarchs of the Senate burnt down the bastions of freedom and equality.
The unfortunate part of this is that history has not changed; the oligarchy has manifested itself into different forms.
In Australia, the Murdoch media monopoly are the reigning oligarchs.
They own 70% of print media in the nation and virtually everything in Queensland.
As such, it is no surprise that every single government backed by the Murdoch press since Gough Whitlam in 1972 — bar Julia Gillard who won on a technical tie — has won.
In 2009, the world experienced the Global Financial Crisis, and the OECD ranked Rudd’s government as the best economic managers during the crisis. The Liberals have doubled the debt after a global recovery, yet the press paints them as economic saviours, and crusade against Labor’s debt to this day.
The Liberals are being voted into government not by the people — but by Murdoch.
In 2013 the Murdoch press opposed a 42 billion dollar fibre optic NBN plan proposed by Julia Guillard. The proposition allowed for companies such as Netflix to provide direct entertainment for homes.
This was a threat to Foxtel.
The Liberals opposed the plan. News Corp voted them in.
Your internet speed is now one of the worst in the world.
Even though very few people read print media, Murdoch is still cancer. It does not matter whether you don’t read his papers, because the commentaria do — from Allan Jones, the ABC, Fairfax and AM Radio. Such that if you want to know the news tomorrow, read The Australian today, as they set the agenda.
The media is not about information. It is about focus.
Murdoch’s puppet show tampers with societal thought to control the political system.
Since the Roman Republic, oligarchies have tampered with the matchbox of political power to burn down equality, where the fuel is money and power. A fire that has spread to be more corrupt, entrenched and oppressive as modern day aristocrats have drenched it with more fuel.
The Murdoch press has broken democracy, and until you fix it, governments will give you nothing. Do you want action on climate change? Governments will not address climate change until people address the problems with democracy. Do you want action on institutional racism? Governments will not address institutional racism until people address the problems with democracy.
Gender equality? The ethical treatment of animals? The refugee crisis?
To solve the long list of critical problems facing the world, you need to rectify your democratic system first.
My route to power was not ideal.
I am not asking Anthony Albanese to invade Parliament House and throne himself as a dictator, regardless of how cool that may be.
What Australia needs are more people that speak out against Murdoch’s oligarchy. More people who promote crowdfunded journalism like Independent Australia among friends. More people who recognise an oligarchy masquerading as a democracy
The world needs more people that are vocal about power abuse.
