Could 2025 be any more burdened by less-than-great expectations? By the time this article gets published, an authoritarian populist with a penchant for grand gestures, threats and land grabs will be installed in the White House. Less grandiose leaders in Europe and elsewhere will hasten the shift away from liberal democracy toward nativism, cruelty and brute force.
This year, Australia faces its own moment of truth as we await the announcement of one of the most consequential elections of our time (aren’t they all?). The nation seems enveloped in a zeitgeist of uncertainty, fear and anxiety that will steer the choices people make about who should sit in parliament.
Meanwhile, big tech oligarchs are reshaping the world in their interests, intervening at will in the affairs of other countries and rolling back pesky regulations and ‘globalism’. Violent hot spots across the globe, including those resulting in mass murder (otherwise known as genocide), will continue to horrify us.
What could Australia become?
Australia’s particular range of problems reflect its confused sense of what this nation is, or what it could become. We’re still hanging on to the apron strings of empire. We’re a shadow country with an unresolved past which many want to keep concealed. We remain a giant quarry, exporting stuff around the world that wreaks havoc on the biosphere, while claiming green credentials and global citizenship. Our governments routinely mouth falsehoods. People have lost confidence in them (even though the current government has done some good things).
Debt-ridden households can’t cope, homeless populations grow, education and health divides deepen. Yet rather than big pictures we’re often offered policy hand-me-downs. And vested interest continues to reign supreme. There’s precious little vision to guide us to a different future. It’s as if we’re stuck in a vision-free quagmire.
And then there’s the climate catastrophe….
So here we are, not so much at the crossroads but rather peering boggle-eyed into an abyss. It’s not a fun time. Far from it. It’s with all this in mind that we consider an upcoming event to be held on February 20 at M-Arts, Murwillumbah.
Politics of Life
The opening event of the 2025 Politics of Life series, tilted Unstuck Australia: Becoming a More Decent and Independent Nation, features author and broadcaster Kerry O’Brien and Emeritus Professor Jenny Hocking, Gough Whitlam’s biographer and author of The Palace Letters. Kerry and Jenny will discuss the values that shape today’s Australia and the sort of nation we should and could become. How can Australia become a better, more equitable, inclusive and just nation that finally comes to terms with its past? Can we grow into a more independent country, that truly knows its place in the world?
Taking place just weeks after Trump’s re-ascension to power and with the upcoming federal election around the corner, this event is surely a must-attend. There will be music, food and drink, sparkling conversation involving two respected progressive thinkers, and lots of open discussion that will send everyone home with a sense of renewed understanding and purpose.
Doors open at 5.30pm, with music and conversation starting at 6.45pm. For more details, and to book tickets visit: www.trybooking.com/CYNOZ.
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