Ming and Winston. Out to fight Facism, ideology, and those that would threaten the Empire.

He looms bigger than the other Bob. Though Ming has long departed, his forgotten people a barely seen shadow reflecting a time when the wealthiest amongst us may have earnt two, perhaps three times more than the average worker. His message was not be too ambitous, not work too hard, be comfortable and suburban. And keep ideology out of politics. In doing so he thrived. Whilst to his left, Labor, filled with post war, post depression post IWW, ideology tore itself to bits. There was just too much ideology in the Labor party. The right faction, the left, the old unionists, and the new unionists. But the biggest lobby was not the Labor Party, but those who thought of Labor in terms of somethinng ancillary to Australian interests. Interests much further afield.  Where you may ask.? 

In Rome. Their boss wore a big gown a funny hat and was all the way with the certainty of fascism until the wind changed. His deputy, chosen by god. B.A Santamaria. 

The other Bob. determined to defend the “other Empire”.

The other Bob had a view on things. Socialism was dangerous. The commies and their lefty ideology were destroying societies. And education, once a vehicle for emancipation, was giving people ideas. Ideas that if unchecked would question, the role of god and the church as the social glue that kept us fearful, servile and brow beaten. 

From the ashes of Labors self destruction he saw his epiphany as an angel rising under the mantle of the DLP, the Democratic Labor Party. Like its East German counterpart, the Democratic Republic. It’s credo was anything other than democratic. It was ideology. Ideology of the social right. More in touch with Honneker thah Hegel, more alligned to Murdoch, (that’s Keith) rather than Marx. 

And as he rose, on his ideological wings of certainty the Labor Party crumbled. Until relieved from its dependance on peculiar christian fundamentalism to be secular, and win the 72 election in a landslide. 

As kids we had to wade through this in order to get to the Highlight, “World Championship Wrestling” and “Epic Theatre”. Not realising that the other Bob had turned politics into Epic Theatre.

Something else  happened. The Labor Party, innovative, transformative, progressive, was no longer a safe haven for crusty conservatives. The Liberal party beckoned. A shining beacon. Since Mings departure, ossifying under the miasma of Macmahon. 

Santa’s little helpers.

So when Tony crossed the floor, think Bob. When Feravanti Wells got up and left Malcolm citing “gay marriage” as the “reason why’?  Think of Bob. When Kevin, Tony, the other Tony and most of Queensland chanted “clean coal” think of Bob. And when the dust settled and Scott Morrison became out new PM, thank Bob. Bob had a telly show “Point of View”. It came on before ‘Epic Theatre”.  Epic Theatre was about gladiators and Imperial Rome. As kids we couldn’t see the connection. We loathed Bob’s Show.  But its aim was Epic. “Keep us fearful, browbeaten and inadequate”. 

Bob Santamaria is the hero of 2018. His conservative core catholic values gave us the great schism of 1955. And now playing out seventy years later the great split of 2018 in which his little helper, “Santas little helper’ Tony Abbott, has done to the Liberal party what Bob and his mates did to the Labor party. Kept em unelectable. And in doing so made heroes of ordinary, some say very ordinary men and women. 

The “little helper” has done to the Liberal party what Bob did to Labor. Made it unelectable for years and years and years.

Good onya Bob. Good onya Tone. You’ve see the light, 

In giving us darkness.