Progressivism and the solidarity left are coming to crisis over Palestine

Labor leadership has dragged us into depraved indifference over Gaza. Time for the party’s community supporters to make a break.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong (Images: AAP/Private Media)

Remember when Penny Wong cried on the floor of the Senate as the same-sex marriage plebiscite passed? How that became the icon of a certain type of progressivism? Mildly social democratic, thoroughly focused on gender and identity issues? The idea was that Wong could offer the whole package. 

Instead she represents what is happening in real time. The current Palestine/Israel crisis is marking the departure of significant sections of progressives from any notion that their politics of the culturally or identity oppressed in the West demands any sort of complementary position with regard to world events. 

We saw this start with the war in Ukraine. This is now a war of national defence; the Ukrainians have a right to fight (whether that’s the best option interests-wise is another question). But that does not mean wilful blindness to the way in which various pro-EU and NATO forces gained power in the country, and created a security crisis using global appeals to human rights to hide their part in a dangerous encirclement. 

Keep reading about Labor’s hypocrisy.

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About the Author

Guy Rundle

Correspondent-at-large

Guy Rundle is correspondent-at-large for Crikey. He is also an associate editor at Arena Quarterly and contributes to a variety of publications in Australia and the United Kingdom.

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