‘Anarchy is a la mode. It’s like 1977 again’ write Mark Davis and Jacqueline Maley in The Sydney Moaning Herald (July 23, 2010), all ’cause one of them stylish Anarchist crashes PM’s policy party (AAP, July 23, 2010). “His youthful good looks have not gone un-noticed by the ladies at The Pulse’s Sydney bunker”, the fucking rotter.
‘Pretty trippy stuff eh.’
He’s an absolutely awesome bloke. Say what you will about the effectiveness of such tactics, but at least his disruptiveness actually attracted a lot more interest and media coverage about the issue than there would have been otherwise.
I think that the success of any tactic is dependent on its aim. In this instance, if the aim of Smith’s intervention was to disrupt Gillard’s presentation, and to draw media and therefore public attention to the fact that Labor’s policy on tackling climate change — the great moral challenge of our generation — is radically inadequate, then I think it was successful. Its strategic value I think is fairly sound. Obviously, Gillard is unlikely to make the kinds of policy changes necessary to begin to tackle the issue, and it’s probably useful that this be made as clear as possible to the general public; on the other hand, pressure for change, both in terms of government policy and more generally, will only come from the grassroots, and as part of a broader campaign to address other pressing environmental and social questions. Smith’s action, therefore, may in the end attract some moar yoof to take part in such movements for change, if only by alerting them to their (potential) existence.
So yeah.