Australia Copycat of Canadian Convoy

It seems there is a virus spreading in Western Democracies and this one may be more scary than the one we have come to know over the last two years.

I also saw reports of trucker convoys in New Zealand that are also joining the fray.

I will attempt to give a balanced view of what I believe is happening based on what I have seen on various media and digital platforms.

Canadians have started something that is like throwing a stone into a hornet nest. Here in Australia, I am intrigued and observing the developments as they unfold here. Once protesters subjugate the rule of law by occupation and marching en masse, the real danger is the loss of order.

All people may protest, and that makes western democracies such an attractive form of government, but when there are large numbers of people feeling like they are not being heard, the leaders should step up and meet with these people.

Ignoring these things fuels the conspiracy theories and grows the numbers who feel disenfranchised. It is easier for those that promulgate conspiracies to push their mindsets onto others when leaders don’t face the disgruntled.

I remember years ago when I was working for a global pharmaceutical company and we had a rumour, permeating our office like an insidious cancer, and it grew amongst the staff. Our CEO called us all into the boardroom and quelled the rumour. He stopped it in its tracks and explained a different perspective to all of us. I think this is lacking in western leadership, at the moment. People start to protest and leaders ignore or hide from the protesters. This just makes them grow their base.

Powerful leaders confront the protesters with reason and grace. If the protesters are unreasonable, the leader can expose them. Powerful leaders will meet and discuss while the movement is small, ‘nip it in the bud,’ so to speak. Ignoring the people and allowing them to grow their momentum and escalate their movement is not the way to handle this.

When leaders resort to ‘ostrich syndrome’ of sticking their heads in the sand, they embolden the forces that stand against law and order.

The media here in Australia has been reporting on the protests here, so that is good. I think the media is doing a good job of highlighting that there is a protest. The media are labelling the protesters as ‘anti-vaxxers.’ Many are, but many aren’t. The media have also correctly pointed out that people that are protesting are from across the political divide, and the reporting in that respect is honest.

Many of the people from what I can tell, similar to the Canadians, have lost their livelihoods or are about to, and many of them that are at the protests seem to be vaccinated, so it is not about vaccination. It seems to be more about restoring ‘pre pandemic rights.’ And freedom to choose medical treatments.

Of course, in such a crowd, one will always encounter the rogue elements, who take advantage to air their own ill-founded grievances.

What I can see is that this type of statement sums up the feeling on the ground. ‘We have done our part and got vaccinated. The government now needs to do their part and adhere to what they promised. Restore our rights.’

In Australia, we do not have a bill of rights to speak of, and I have known the Australian people to be rather apathetic politically. Many just vote the way their parents voted. Few everyday Australians are interested in politics, but this is changing.

This pandemic has made people more aware of their lifestyles and freedoms they enjoyed, and I think the frustration has built to a level where it is now boiling over. People are no longer willing to remain silent and compliant. People in the march on Saturday wanted what they long for, normal regular life and less government interference.

Australia is a very regulated country. Try to buy a home or build a home, try to renovate your home, or add an extension to your home. I have been there, done that and it’s difficult. There are more and more hoops to jump through as the bureaucracy grows.

In a country like Australia, where people have enjoyed a relatively high standard of living for many decades, anything that comes against that lifestyle seems to be what motivates the average laid back Australian to get off their butt and protest.

We can sum Australians up in the following brief statement ‘she’ll be right, mate.’ Until recently, that was the attitude, ‘no worries, it will all work out.’ Circumstances are changing. There is an undercurrent that started as a trickle and has now become a raging river. When it hits tsunami level, things will get interesting and ugly. I hope it does not. I hope that sanity prevails.

This is the first time since I emigrated to Australia from South Africa that I have seen such masses mobilized. Government regulation has reached into everybody’s lives and with the less severe variant now prevalent, people have lost the sense of fear that permeated the early stages of the pandemic.

This weekend coming the 12th February will highlight the true scope and power of what we are seeing. If this does indeed ‘double in size,’ like some organizers predict, it will be very challenging for the government.

It is exciting and scary all at the same time. Let’s hope they resolve it soon. Could we be seeing an unprecedented political movement? It certainly seems that way, judging by the numbers taking to the streets.

We have national elections coming up during May 2022. This will be very interesting to watch. Will voters remove the ‘old guard’ or diminish their power? Or will the ‘rusted on’ voters keep them bolted to the seats of power they currently hold? Time will tell.