Bob Ellis: protectionism worked well

Bob Ellis, A lesson in theological correctness

... 'theological correctness'... applies to those who genuflect to a system of thought they despise ... in order to further their political, business or academic ambitions...

Another is the Prime Minister's avowed belief in free trade. Though it drives dairy farmers to suicide (as Bob Katter correctly yelped) and props up child slavery in South-East Asia and encourages Tasmanians to stop growing apples and to sell their family farms to red Chinese corporations and though (as Bob Katter correctly screeched) no other country actually practises it, and though no Australian actually believes in it, it nonetheless soothes and solaces some sad souls to murmur from time to time a prayerful affirmation of it, as the Prime Minister did last week in a public response to Katter that lost his vote. For though it's an international disaster that kills tens of thousands of children a week it's appropriate to speak well of it, to call it the only way of doing things. And though protectionism worked well for 5,000 years this, though currently disastrous, is clearly the only way forward. We're moving forward with free trade, repeat after me. It kills more people than Asian flu but we're moving forward with it, march in step there.

File under: never thought I'd positively quote Bob Ellis.