Be wary of the Trump – Morrison alliance

Have you noticed the growing bond between President Trump and PM Morrison?

Morrison has always been fulsome in his praise of Trump: “He says what he's going to do and then goes and does it; I can always rely on President Trump to follow through on what he says.”

During his recent visit to US aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, participating in war games off Australia’s coast, Morrison effused: "In the time I've known him, he has demonstrated a real keen interest and knowledge of Australia and our relationship that extends back particularly more than a century in terms of the engagement of our armed forces and their armed services. He sees, I think, importantly our role in this part of the world and we are an important partner to the United States."

But it was Trump who made the latest move to consolidate the bond when he invited Morrison and his wife Jenny to the White House in September for an official visit that will include a rarely offered state dinner, the first invitation of its kind to an Australian prime minister since President George W Bush hosted John Howard in 2006.

Why is it so?

That Morrison admires Trump is explicable, but why does Trump admire Morrison?

It is apparent that Trump admires Morrison’s approach to ‘illegal immigrants’ and has suggested that the US follow Australia’s lead. Their antipathy to immigrants, and their willingness to make life difficult for them, makes them fellow travellers. Trump's wall along the border with Mexico to protect the US from unwanted immigrants equates with Morrison’s ‘stop the boats’ border protection that prevents them ever entering our country. The isolation of migrants that cross the Mexican border equates with Australia’s isolation of asylum seekers on Nauru and Manus Island.

There is another reason Trump admires Morrison. Trump loves a winner. He lavished praise on Morrison for his ‘tremendous victory’ in the May election, declaring that he knew he could win. ‘He didn’t surprise me but he surprised a lot of people’.

There is yet another reason Trump admires Morrison. Being enormously wealthy, Trump is a man who has a high regard for wealth. A billionaire who has prospered through his entrepreneurship, he approves of those who have ‘made good’ through their own efforts. Morrison derives his regard for wealth from his Pentecostal religion. It preaches ‘prosperity theology’, which asserts that God wants you to be rich, and if you do the right thing, God will bless you financially. Conversely, if you’re not trying, don’t expect anything from God. Thus we hear Morrison reiterate ad nauseum his Pentecostal message for the man in the street: “If you have a go, you’ll get a go”. Don’t expect anything else; Morrison’s politics cannot be separated from his faith. Of course, not everyone goes along with Morrison’s ideology

Pentecostalism, which takes the words in the Bible literally and therefore has no place for metaphors, does not preach inclusivity. Instead, it preaches individuality, with each of us being responsible for our own prosperity. If we are poor it is because we are not trying hard enough, not praying enough, or not tithing, as Pentecostals assert we should. Moreover, Pentecostals fervently believe Australia has a special place in the Second Coming of the Lord, which they assert will commence here and spread elsewhere.

We have much to fear as these two fellow travellers reinforce each other’s views about immigration, border protection, the persecution of unwanted immigrants and the maltreatment of asylum seekers. Moreover, their derogatory views about those who are poor, unemployed, on social security, homeless, or disabled, are mutually reinforcing, to the detriment of the disadvantaged and the destitute in both countries. No milk of human kindness will salve their words and actions. Morrison will ensure that there will be no ‘unfunded empathy’!

Moreover, as Trump’s aggression around the world brings us closer and closer to armed conflict, expect him to lean heavily on Morrison for support. Already he is attempting to entice Morrison to adopt his belligerent attitude towards Iran, and even more dangerously, is now seeking his support to counter any attempt by Iran to block the transport of oil via the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 percent of the world’s oil travels. ABC News reports that “Australia is considering a ‘serious and complex’ request from the United States to help protect oil shipments against Iranian interference in the Persian Gulf.” Will Morrison be brave enough to say ‘No’ to Trump? You guess!

Rather than expanding this piece any further, I invite you to listen to two Schwartz Media 7 am podcasts, which you will find at https://7ampodcast.com.au. Scroll down and click 'Browse all episodes' to view the many podcasts on offer. There are two of particular relevance to this piece: Understanding Scott Morrison’s Pentecostalism, and The ballad of Trump and Scomo, which I came across after writing this piece. It shows I’m not the only one concerned about the Trump/Morrison alliance.

Make no mistake - each man is a threat to the social order in his own way; together they are menacing. Beware; be afraid!

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lawrence winder

20/08/2019

The stupidity of the Oz electorate in allowing itself in being mislead by such fakery is an indictment of its intelligence.... and a very sad indicator of the future.

Ad Astra

20/08/2019

lawrence winder

You put your finger right on the problem. Australian voters elected Morrison, just as Americans elected Trump. These voters are likely to do the same again. Is it because these leaders genuinely reflect the political views of the electorate? If so, what hope is there for progressive views ever to take root?

Ad Astra

20/08/2019

Folks

Do take a look at the new Featured Video at the top of the page which shows Trump buttering up Morrison at a G20 dinner in Osaka.

Then take a look at the reverse in this piece by John Kehoe in the Financial Review: https://www.afr.com/policy/foreign-affairs/morrison-backs-trump-on-hong-kong-protests-20190816-p52hq4  

Philip Atkinson

21/08/2019

Both Trump and Morrison got elected on the back of lies. In Trump's case, voters were sick of the two party system, you could hardly tell the Democrats from the Republicans and so they voted for the man who was going to "drain the swamp" and start governing for the people. Yeah, right. That turned out well, didn't it? "The swamp" is now deeper and wider than before, with idiots John Bolton running around, attempting to declare war on anyone who isn't a US citizen.

Morrison simply lied his way through the election campaign and Australian voters were too self-obsessed to care, or simply believed the lies and voted accordingly, although there was a measure of two party dissatisfaction inherent in the voters' actions anyway. What many didn't realise or seem to care about was the way preference votes would be allocated.

Trump and Morrison may be a in many respects, however, they do differ in one important area. Trump is a populist, plain and simple. He will do anything to get votes, regardless of whether he fulfils his election promises or not. He will pander to any right-wing group that could possible reinforce his "popularity". We have seen examples of this countless times since he was first elected POTUS.

Morrison, by contrast, is led by his so-called religious beliefs and that makes him equally as dangerous as Trump, a president who believes in "God" because it's un-American not to. Morrison, in contrast, is a fervent believer in his so-called religion. After all, it's got him he is today, so that's proof his beliefs are correct - right?

What's really galling is that Australians, being the politically apathetic creatures that they are, let a man become PM who believes that the Earth is only 6,000 years old and whose so-called religious beliefs are so far from mainstream, that it's a joke. Surely it's time we woke up? 

Ad Astra

21/08/2019

Philip Atkinson

Thank you for your comment and welcome to The Political Sword. Do come again.

Your assessment of Trump and Morrison accords with the known facts about these men. The question is who is the most dangerous - the narcissistic Trump, a shameless liar without a moral compass, whose prime intention is re-election so that he can continue to be the most powerful person in the world rather than his stated aim of ‘Making America Great Again’, or the evangelical Morrison whose belief system is based on Pentecostal dogma, whose main focus is also re-election so that he can continue God’s work? Trump makes no pretence to be his nation’s moral leader. Morrison does. Therein lies the danger.

Those who have put him there should take responsibility for his faith-driven behaviour, but will they?

How many umbrellas are there if I have two in my hand but the wind then blows them away?