Surrounded by yes men and true believers, Morrison has never looked so alone
With the Prime Minister alienating so many groups across society, its hard to see how he’ll rebuild his platform for re-election, writes Madonna King
Scott Morrison is looking more like the clumsy stooge in a country and western film than a prime minister fighting for his political life.
And the way he continues to wear that grin is as unfathomable as some of the decisions heās owning.
As the nation gears up for an election, he seems almost hellbent on making decisions that ignore community attitudes.
It shows Scott Morrison out of touch, with much more clarity than an inability to nominate the price a carton of milk or loaf of bread.
Why wouldnāt he defer or re-consider religious discrimination legislation on the back of genuine concern ā not from tiny minorities or fringe groups, but from families and academics and researchers and even MPs sitting alongside him?
Has he consulted medicos or psychologists or educators about the impact a few lines in his legacy law will have?
Did he listen to Labor MP Stephen Jones, paying tribute to his teen nephew, who took his own life earlier this year?
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āHe was gay, he was uncertain about his gender ā¦ but now heās gone and weāre no longer able to love and support him on his journey through life,ā Jones said.
āItās about all of our kids, about the families of those kids, every child whoās had the courage to swim against the tide, just to be who they are.ā
Many on the Liberal side get this. And they canāt ignore how this bill will feed discrimination, ignore the plight of many families, and run counter to how the community thinks.
If the strategy behind this law is simply to pander to a political base and drive a wedge between the two main parties, Scott Morrison doesnāt understand younger voters, including those in his own party, or what inclusive leadership is all about.
But itās not only those targeted by his partyās latest legislative offering. The way young leaders like Grace Tame and Brittany Higgins have been excluded goes to how this government now values women voters ā whether they run companies or families, schools or not-for-profit endeavours.
That lack of understanding and the lack of inclusivity, including to the young woman who has worn the Australian of the Year badge, is puzzling in both its short-sightedness and its execution.
But this odd political strategy stretches beyond targeting young people and women, to older voters.
COVID19 has been our foe now, for more than two years. Protecting our elderly ā ensuring they have access to vaccines and boosters and rapid antigen tests, as well as feeling a degree of connectedness ā should be near the top of any governmentās list.
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And yet, itās not ā evidenced by the death toll that we now have to swallow each morning, with a cup of tea.
There should not be an elderly Australian who hasnāt had the opportunity, at least, to be vaccinated. But each day the toll carries the weight of those who have not had a single dose often, or the booster.
Our aged care staff and residents should have, by now, received their booster shots, and rapid antigen tests should be plentiful.
And yet theyāre not either.
When voters go to the polls ā and Scott Morrison is likely to push that date out as far as he is allowed ā they will consider how the prime minister has led the nation through one of its most difficult times in history.
How inclusive has he been to young voters, and their younger siblings by considering their views on issues like climate change and discrimination?
How has he ensured that this pandemic doesnāt leave a psychological scar for years on our teens?
How has he been inclusive of women, as evidenced by the articulate presentations of Grace Tame and Brittany Higgins?
And how are his governmentās policies protecting our elderly?
This week heās been busy alienating all those groups, which means he must be banking on the support of the nationās middle-aged men to push him over the line for another term.
The problem there is that many of those men are husbands and partners and fathers and sons barracking for their daughters and wives and girlfriends and parents.
And on any reasonable assessment, that might make it hard for him, post-May, to keep his job.
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