- by C Bartholomew
- The Guardian
- Issue #2124
Photo: Sora Shimazaki – pexels.com (CC0)
The United States’ election spectacle between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump has dominated Australian screens and social media this year. Between government policies such as AUKUS and the worrying phenomenon of Australians walking around in MAGA hats, it seems US elections are only becoming more relevant. While it is easy to respond to this trend with impatience or frustration, there are also some key lessons worth learning.
Dave McKee of the socialist Canadian paper People’s Voice recently published an article titled ‘US election holds important lessons for the working class in Canada.’ McKee’s article provides some real insight into the relevance of the US elections to the Canadian context. The main takeaway: the problem for those of us outside of the US isn’t who wins, but the fact that it matters outside of the US at all. Going through McKee’s three lessons for Canadians, it is hard not to see parallels to the situation here in Australia.
McKee’s first lesson is that “it is crucial to de-couple Canada’s foreign and military policy and institutions from the US.” The relevance of this lesson to Australia is clear. Australia has arguably never had a truly independent foreign policy. Our colonial ties to the UK have never fully gone away, as recently exposed by the fawning and pearl-clutching done in service to Charles Windsor’s visit this year. Our ties to the US have also been all but unquestioned since the end of World War 2. For war after war, invasion after invasion, the US has called Australia to its side to provide support and even carry out crimes too heinous for their image. For over 70 years, the Australian answer has been “yes.”
Australia may run its own imperialist projects, mostly imposed upon our smaller Pacific neighbours, but our ruling class has always been ready to throw Australians into the fray to fight for our UK and US handlers. From PM Billy Hughes’ failed attempts to introduce conscription for World War 1, to the absolutely pathetic displays of subordination which have defined our role in AUKUS, this has been an issue for Australians for our entire colonial history. Now our leadership drags its feet in response to the ongoing genocide and wars of expansion carried out by Israel, all too happy for Australia to provide intelligence and launchpads through military bases on our soil, so long as arms manufacturers can profit from weapons and planes which make their way into the hands of Washington and Tel Aviv.
McKee’s second lesson is to fight against attacks on the voice of labour. While our largely two-party system is marginally better than that of the US, we are witnessing attacks on organised labour which will drag us into a similar crisis. Voters in the US are being asked to make a choice between a party currently enabling genocide and a party which will also support genocide, but with a domestic policy platform aimed at attacks on workers and minorities included. Adding to the problem is Harris’ habit of trying to compete with Trump on matters such as the brutalisation of immigrants, rather than standing with the progressive policies favoured by the majority of US citizens.
McKee notes that traditionally progressive parties in Canada, such as the New Democratic Party (NDP), have shifted their class base to business and a certain kind of professional more amenable to capitalist interests. Meanwhile, some elements of union and labour leadership have become averse to pushing forward demands independent of NDP policy. These same trends are present in Australia. As Labor carries out its war on the CFMEU, we are witnessing a divide between genuine worker solidarity and opportunistic collaboration with corporations and neoliberal governments. Workers in Australia must not allow the two major parties to dominate their voices, or else we may find ourselves in a US-style situation “where working people have to ponder which genocide-supporting representative of Wall Street will be least bad.”
McKee’s third lesson is to recognise right-wing ideologies as the anti-worker campaigns that they are. As parties such as the Democrats fail to adequately address issues such as cost-of-living due to their corporate loyalties, right-wing figures such as France’s Le Pen, Italy’s Meloni, Argentina’s Milei and, of course, Donald Trump rise in popularity. Their rhetoric appeals to frustrated workers by providing easy targets. Immigrants, trans individuals and the broader Queer community, feminists, and the bogeyman of ‘woke cultural Marxism’ are scapegoated so that the parasitic corporate class can continue to exploit workers unquestioned. These trends exist within Australia as well and must be resisted.
The shift to the right in the US increases pressure for the leaders of US allies to do the same. Whether it’s AUKUS warmongering, attempts to silence the working class, or the rise of all manner of conservatives and fascists, the unfortunate reality is that whatever the outcome of the election, Australia’s policies at home and abroad will continue to be influenced by the US. It is up to the Australian working-class to learn from this trend and fight against it. Then, one day, US elections might not be so important.
