TONY Abbott was in his element yesterday, surrounded by his political heroes and defending the cherished symbols of conservative Australia. The day began with a flag-raising ceremony at Parliament House to “officially” commemorate National Flag Day. Such a revered occasion should surely be complemented by a public holiday. Sadly, it wasn’t. But there was a prime ministerial speech to stir the fires of patriotism within us all. “Fellow Australians,” Abbott said, “we salute this flag of ours that has been with us almost every step on our national journey.” We were told “the Australian flag” was flown atop the Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne 113 years ago. Yet our flag — which is actually the Blue Ensign — wasn’t made “official” until 1953. It wasn’t the flag unfurled at the dawn of new nation in 1901. Nor is it the only flag our soldiers have carried into battle. Then it was off to Old Parliament House to open an exhibition that joined two of Abbott’s political heroes into a loving embrace — Robert Menzies and John Howard. The latter has curated a fine exhibition about the former, Menzies: By John Howard. The masters were lauded by the apprentice. It was fitting Howard was present. As prime minister, he made much of safeguarding our flag. He excavated Menzies’s desk from the archives to use in his prime ministerial office. He seized the Menzies mantle first. A week ago, Abbott said the British settlement of Australia in 1788 was one of the nation’s finest moments. There is much to celebrate about 1788, but this is fiercely contested history, not least by the original inhabitants. Aboriginal Australians were here 65,000 years before Arthur Phillip. And who can forget the reintroduction of imperial-style British honours — knights and dames — within the Australian honours system. Yet, in 1990, the Queen expressed the view that such titles were, well, passé. She supported a distinctive and exclusive “Australian system of honours”. These are the bells and whistles of conservative Australia that resonate in Liberal Party heartland. Abbott’s fondness for all things British is an insight into his political values. It is a soft culture war devoid of clashing symbols and banging drums, but one nevertheless invested with deep meaning. Abbott is entitled to fix his political compass by the leading Liberal lights of post-war Australia, As the longest and second-longest serving prime ministers, they led governments of substantial achievement. Yet those who voted for Howard when he led the Liberals to victory in 1996 were children of the 1970s or earlier decades, while the youngest of those who voted for the Menzies government are now in their 70s. Who will raise a cheer for modern Australia? As Abbott heads to India and Malaysia this week, pursuing his “Asia first, not Asia only” policy, his head is in the right place. But in his heart, he cherishes Anglophile Australia, the Liberal grandees who nourished its most potent symbols and the fond reminiscences of a bygone age. theaustralian.au/national-affairs/masters-and-apprentice-keep-the-flag-flying/story-fn59niix-1227046901642
Posted on: Thu, 04 Sep 2014 00:13:29 +0000
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