
This was an article I wrote exactly a year ago: The Melbourne Syndrome which was published at the American Institute for Economic Research. What remains the most astonishing part is how little has changed. Victoria is still governed by our own version of Captain Bligh who knows only how to order others about while understanding nothing about how to deal with the actual problems we have. Just do what you are told and stay in your house.
I invite you to go to the link to see how creepy the parallels are, but let me quote from what was published one year ago.
Now why should it be the “Melbourne” syndrome? There are plenty of places similar where you find such attitudes. It should be called the “Melbourne” Syndrome because Melbourne has now implemented the hardest and longest lockdown at the hands of one of the most far-left and incompetent political leaders in the world, a leader who nevertheless retains high approval ratings, within a state in which the coronavirus issue went from benign to statistically explosive (although the death rate is still near invisible at something like 0.002% per head of population).
I therefore believe Melbourne should have the “honour” of bearing the name of this widely observed form of political insanity.
We are the most compliant people on the planet dealing with the harshest set of restrictions found anywhere on the planet. It does bring to mind Einstein’s definition of insanity: Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. We have been doing the same thing for a year, nothing has improved, but Melbourne now holds the record for the longest lockdown of any city in the world. But then there was this near the end of the article.
And do people resent this fantastic intrusion on their lives? Do they feel the heel of the state and wish to see it lifted? Here are the results of a poll of Victorians over whether they support the measures that have been taken:
The lockdown might be draconian, but Victorians overwhelmingly support the public health restrictions imposed to curb the second wave of coronavirus infections…. New research shows 72% of the sample backs the decision of the Victorian government to impose a curfew between 8pm and 5am, 71% supports curbs on leaving the house, while 70% endorse restrictions on business and the requirement that people travel no further than 5km from their house.
That was something like four lockdowns ago. Nothing has improved. Nothing is better. We are more tightly locked down than ever. And Daniel Andrews is still loved by the majority of Victoria’s citizens. So I will end as I ended a year ago.
You can therefore still see traces here in Australia’s origins as a penal colony.
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