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💉💉💉💉 Henry Madison

@RageSheen

Jul 18

One of my projects is to unwrap neoliberal, libertarian framings of our collective lives. I don’t think it’s widely understood just how deep these are, how entrenched in how we see the world. One that I think may challenge many is secrecy and freedom of information. /1

I think most of us instinctively get warm feelings about freedom of information legislation. And about whistleblowing warriors who use it and even go well beyond, breaking the law to release restricted information. But do we stop to think about why we instinctively love this? /2

Here’s a first warning bell. It’s neoliberal, libertarian governments who are often the greatest champions of FOI, and who write the legislation for it. It’s not hard to figure out why, they despise government, and love nothing more than a narrative that suggests it’s corrupt. /3

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💉💉💉💉 Henry Madison

@RageSheen

Jul 14

@Mark_Butler_MP

@Mark_Butler_MP on RN again this morning, and he and @PatsKarvelas, @David_Speers and @samanthamaiden all missed the obvious solution to Covid. The problem is the solution, as Bill Mollison used to say. /1

#auspol #COVID19Aus

Australia (and the world) will never escape this pandemic until we abandon our root strategy, to 'minimise severe disease'. That's a hospital management strategy, or as I call it, a public disease (rather than public health) strategy. /2

It directly causes the infection of the entire population, over and over. It makes the public sick, potentially permanently. A total collapse and failure of public health responsibilities, we don't manage any other infectious disease in this way,.../3

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💉💉💉💉 Henry Madison

@RageSheen

Jul 14

These protesters demand freedom from public health action, which they see as a type of tyranny. But humans are social animals, nobody really wants freedom. All humans form hierarchies, even scientists, shaped by what the group in question values. /1

These protesters a clear case in point. They’re a coordinated group, with shared values and aims. Despite what they say and maybe even think, they’re not after freedom from being told what to do. They want to be told what to do by *somebody else*. /2

Like Trump’s freedom warriors. They’re not after freedom, they’re desperate to follow somebody. Trump. We have to replace the stupid libertarian idea that the default state of society is free individuals. The default state is social groups, who want to be led, guided. /3

Read 6 tweets

💉💉💉💉 Henry Madison

@RageSheen

Jul 13

We need to talk about freedom I think. It's the lead weight in the Covid saddlebags. A🧵on why Daniel Defoe may be the weapon we need to fight those who won't fight Covid. /1 #auspol #covid19aus

Watching the UK leadership race reminded me of all the same core beliefs the current political class have used to also undermine Covid action. Every Tory lining up to replace Boris pledges to 'free' people from the tyranny of the State. /2

This is the core belief that has shaped our politics globally for over 50 years. That States and their regulations and taxes 'restrict freedom'. You need to challenge this core belief, because the slaves to this belief are easily replaced, if you only attack the person. /3

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💉💉💉💉 Henry Madison

@RageSheen

Jul 12

Richard Glover yesterday was pining for the days when political opponents could be bipartisan. We need to challenge the Pollyanna view of politics we have in the West I think, to understand why it looks like a toilet right now. #auspol

For 70 years we’ve had the politics of privilege, and mistaken that for politics. There’s rarely much need for politics if you’re privileged, because there’s enough wealth and freedom to paper over the differences between people. Nobody is really fighting for survival. /2

So all of that lovely bipartisanship we grew up with, the politics where we could not pay much attention at all except occasionally at elections, was really hiding fault-lines in our societies. Division is a key concept, because it has two different but related meanings. /3

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💉💉💉💉 Henry Madison

@RageSheen

Jul 8

I’ve Tweeted about how the apparent disregard for the health of populations shown now by governments is entirely consistent with working people being treated as we treat livestock. This isn’t an animal rights thing (though it is that too), nor just a colourful analogy. /1

When we replaced geographical territorial concepts like regions and nations with the idea of an abstract global ‘market’, at the same time we removed all personalised characteristics of the people who occupied those old territories. We now treat local workers the same way…/2

…we’ve always treated imported workers, and before that slaves. All interchangeable work units, from anywhere, globally in the global market. No need to take extra care of your workers if you can import fresh, cheaper labour from overseas. But back to culls. /3

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💉💉💉💉 Henry Madison

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💉💉💉💉 Henry Madison

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