When Ideology Becomes Immunity:

13 Oct

🧨 When Ideology Becomes Immunity: A Cautionary Tale for the Australian Left

There’s a moment in every political cycle when ideology stops being a compass and starts becoming a blindfold. For the Albanese government, that moment may have arrived.

In recent months, we’ve witnessed a troubling pattern: a refusal to condemn radical leftist extremism, paired with performative outrage toward Israel, and now—astonishingly—a bid to claim credit for a peace deal brokered by Donald Trump. Yes, that Trump. The same man Albanese and Wong once dismissed with the kind of moral superiority reserved for dinner party punchlines.

So what changed?

🧠 Selective Outrage, Strategic Amnesia

Labor’s foreign policy posture has become a masterclass in selective outrage. Condemn Israel’s military response? Absolutely. Condemn Hamas’s terror tactics or antisemitic rhetoric? Silence. Recognize Palestine at the UN before a peace deal is signed? Bold. But when Trump’s diplomacy yields a fragile ceasefire, suddenly it’s time for photo ops and “shared credit”1.

This isn’t diplomacy. It’s opportunism dressed in progressive robes.

🔥 Lidia Thorpe and the Politics of Excuse

When independent Senator Lidia Thorpe declared at a pro-Palestine rally that she would “burn down Parliament House to make a point,” the backlash was swift—from the public, the opposition, and Jewish community leaders23. But Labor’s response? Tepid at best.

Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek called the remarks “absolutely irresponsible” but insisted the government didn’t want to “give it extra air”4. Amanda Rishworth echoed the sentiment, saying the comments were “clearly inappropriate” but stopped short of demanding consequences5. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke urged restraint, warning that “raising the temperature” could harm social cohesion6.

Meanwhile, Liberal Senator Jane Hume accused Labor of treating Thorpe “like some crazy relative at a Christmas party,” rather than taking her threats seriously7.

This is the problem: when ideology becomes immunity, accountability becomes optional.

🕊️ Trump, Peace, and Political Amnesia

Let’s be clear: Donald Trump’s peace deal in Gaza was real, fragile, and hard-won. It involved hostage releases, international coordination, and a rare moment of bipartisan hope. For Labor to now insert itself into that narrative—after years of derision toward Trump—is not just hypocritical. It’s historically dishonest1.

Do they forget Wong’s remarks about Trump’s “dangerous unpredictability”? Or Albanese’s dismissal of Trumpism as a threat to global stability? Those quotes weren’t whispered. They were shouted from the rooftops.

🧭 What Australia Deserves

Australia deserves a government that condemns extremism regardless of its ideological origin. We deserve leaders who stand for principle, not just party. And we deserve a foreign policy that’s grounded in truth, not tactical spin.

The civic compact is fraying. If ideology becomes immunity, then accountability becomes optional. And when that happens, democracy doesn’t just wobble—it weeps.