I dont really watch the project so someone needs to give Waleed Aly his own q&a style program. I remember reading his quarterly essay a few years ago, not really having a clue who he was. Really just getting into reading quarterly essays as matter of academic consciousness and more broadly, political debate and ideas occurring in mainstream Australia. Before that I had read just one; 2003 David Malouf - which also had a big impact on me regarding what was then prominent Republic debates. I quote from Alys 2010 essay “Our political discourse is drenched in Left and Right because it is so deeply impoverished. These terms are the hallmark of a political conversation that is obsessed with teams and uninterested in ideas.” This is a statement I still strongly agree with and one that correlates with my own thoughts about Australias ongoing identity crisis. An inability to ground itself- still the young colonial country struggling both within and without to establish itself with credibility on its own terms. Hence its obsession with neo liberalism and of course following the US into any war, ethical or unethical and even geopolitical subjugation on one hand and the internal conflicts about who is Australian, how this countries recognises its Indigenous people, how we enhance our civil rights and so forth on the other. (Disclaimer: Btw thats my take not necessarily Alys). I think Alys is a well thought out statement and indeed quarterly essay, a great analysis of contemporary political relations entrenched with rich history. I guess this is why it actually annoys me that he is on the project. I just think he is an important intellect of the times and that we deprive ourselves from significant politika if we do not create a space for such authenticity and intelligentsia. Anyhow thats my ode to Aly :) Lol. Peace.
Posted on: Mon, 29 Dec 2014 10:43:35 +0000