Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely. Scanning the annals of history, it’s rather telling that a bare handful of dictators, left or right, have voluntarily ceded their power. Pinochet or King Juan Carlos I, for instance, or Daniel Ortega or Julius Nyerere. Further back, perhaps George Washington, or his hero, Cincinnatus.
And, well…that’s it.
These rare exceptions prove the rule that politicians who’ve become accustomed to absolute power almost never give it up voluntarily. Even elected dictators, like Victorian premier Daniel Andrews, do everything they can to hold on to that sweet, sweet total authority.
One of their most common gambits is to exploit an “emergency”.
The Victorian government has launched an attempt to extend the state of emergency until the end of the year.
Premier Daniel Andrews confirmed on Tuesday the government would introduce a bill into parliament to extend Victoria’s state of emergency past its maximum legislated period of 12 months.
“Dictator Dan”, remember, is the first politician to ever impose a military curfew in Melbourne. Not even Albert Dunstan or John Cain Sr, during WWII when air-raid drills were a regular feature, so restricted the liberties of Victorians.
Of course, Andrews pinkie-promises that he’ll give it up. True dinks.
The Premier declared a state of emergency in Victoria on March 16, 2020 in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
It has been extended in four-week periods since that date, but the government will need to pass new laws in order to extend it for longer than 12 months.
The bill will attempt to extend the state of emergency until December 15 this year.
Under this so-called “state of emergency”, Victoria is slipping deeper into not just an elected dictatorship, but an unelected dictatorship of the bureaucrats.
The state of emergency allows the chief health officer to legally introduce directions to help stop the spread of coronavirus, such as mask wearing and stay-at-home restrictions.
Mr Andrews stressed that the bill would not mean new rules would suddenly be introduced.
Sure, and hotel quarantine was going to work, too.
The Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008 initially only allowed for a state of emergency to be extended to a maximum of six months.
But the Andrews government negotiated a new coronavirus clause in September last year that saw the maximum period extended to 12 months in respect of the COVID-19 pandemic.
They are now attempting to get the maximum period extended by a further nine months to a total of 21 months.
The Australian
And after that?
We’ve gone from “flatten the curve” to “stay home” to “vaccinate or else”. Politicians have used the Wuhan plague as a public health Reichstag fire.
Welcome to the “new normal”.
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