Protecting the Tribe

You have probably never heard of Little Douglas before (population about seven), but that's where this Weekly Dose of Common Sense is written.

They are a community that is very defensive of this unique part of the world, and I could come under fire just for sharing the name with you.

Previously, I made the mistake of encouraging a couple of Euro tourists to join me on a kite-boarding jaunt. It didn't take long to learn how protective some locals are!

The protection reflex kicks in for all sorts of reasons.

It's innate in most animals in respect to their progeny. For humans, it can be triggered by something material like a car or a house. Some will react similarly to environmental threats or even the relative anonymity of their community.

These are generally rational responses in defending something you perceive of value from something you see as a threat.

What's not rational is the tribal protection racket of terrible political decisions. We have seen this recently concerning the Victorian government.

To truly understand what has happened there, we first need to take a few steps back.

The escalation in Victorian Covid-19 deaths was a direct result of government failure. They made decisions that were shamelessly political rather than sensible and resulted in hundreds of lives lost.

Since then, the Victorian government have sought to deny responsibility while pretending to be upfront via a daily Premiers press conference.

The falsehoods spun have resulted in sackings and resignations.

Unfortunately, those belated actions will never mitigate the initial decisions that destroyed the lives of tens of thousands of citizens.

Children have been denied schooling. Businesses have been pushed to the brink. People have taken their own lives, and others have suffered terrible health consequences as a result.

And yet, despite the facts, yesterday, the Albanese-led Labor Party sought to praise the Victorian government via a motion in the Federal parliament.

That was Labor's tribal protection instinct kicking in.

That opportunism met with an outstanding speech by Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, who was superb - defending the truth from Labor's attempt to applaud failure.

That brief event in the Canberra bubble demonstrates that the 2020 COVID-19 bipartisanship is over. As I warned months ago, what was applauded by all will now be condemned by some in an attempt to gain a political advantage.

So, after all the love-ins (known as national cabinet), which were more about handouts from the Feds to stop the States complaining on partisan lines, it's back to regular business for our politicians.

So, while much has changed for the worse regarding our lives: the national debt, the economy and our freedoms, those who have suffered no ill effects from the Corona response are back to their usual stuff.

It's the preserve of a pampered class whose protective mechanism kicks in most strongly when it comes to keeping them, and their mates, in cosy taxpayer-funded jobs.