darinsullivan.blogspot.com: Another view on #occupyaus

This Saturday the self-described “organic” Occupy Wall Street movement will be coming to a capital city near you.

An insightful call for reform. Pic: Paul Toohey

They boldly claim “we are the 99 per cent” - it’s their official catchcry - so unless you consider yourself among the uber rich and powerful, these folks are your new voice. So they’ll be speaking for you when they wave their glib and nebulous placards declaring “people not profits” and “be the solution”. (I am not making these up – this is the print-ready poster artwork available on their website.)

Their initial beef was apparently with the financial sector – hence the occupation of Wall Street in protest. But their list of demands goes beyond the remit of the corporate fat cats and includes free education and a type of Utopian redistribution of wealth.

And those are only the easily decipherable claims.

The truth is this organic protest movement seems to be a magnet for every disaffected, anti-capitalist, left-wing professional protestor on the planet. And - ironically, given its origins - a whole lot of anti-American sentiment too.

Hence Australia gets “occupied” despite the fact that our major financial institutions have not gone under and our stock market is comparatively stable.

Of course, many families are doing it tough. Making ends meet is a challenge when the cost of living keeps rising and will it will continue to rise under Labor’s carbon tax.

Government failure, mismanagement and growing debt is more to blame than the inherent failure of capitalism.

Protest against a policy, protest against a corrupt Government if you want – but protesting against democracy and capitalism just seems so… well… laughable, pointless and politically adolescent.

Superficially the “greed is over” message is one that resonates. It is one of the seven deadly sins after all, and Gordon Gecko is so mired in the 1980s despite his best efforts in last year’s sequel.

But there’s a strange dichotomy about this movement. These “occupiers” want other people to earn less, while presumably they are supported by the Government or benevolent families so they can spend their days creating sanitation problems in the street rather than earning a living themselves.

They want other people to pay for their “free” college education. They want to hold others to account for the way they believe the world has failed them. There is an underlying sense of entitlement that just jars with the “other people are greedy bastards” protest.

The real bottom line is that “Greed is over” is not a policy. It’s not going to create one job, it’s not going to provide the funds needed to build hospitals or schools, and despite the hokey sentiment it’s not going to build local communities.

It is just a catchcry. So is “be the solution” and “people not profits”. Easily said, easily read on a placard. But not a blueprint for any meaningful reform.

And that’s where this “occupation movement” falls down. It’s called reality.

Not surprisingly the organiser of the “Occupy Melbourne” event is a former Greens candidate. The Greens tend to have a bit of a problem with reality, as an examination of their policy manifesto reveals.

Interestingly, the Greens were faring much better with the Australian public when their unrealistic catchcry policy platform was just a wishful glint in Bob Brown’s eye.

Now they’re Labor’s partner in Government, people are less comfortable with some of the reality-defying concepts the Greens hold dear.

Never mind. I’m sure this Saturday’s “occupation” will give those professional protesters and Greens voters a chance to voice their anger at some nebulous, greedy “machine” rather than hold to account the Government they helped elect.