Albo's Art of the Kneel: Bowing to Trump's Demands • Lucky For Some

What the actual…

We really are in the worst fucking timeline. In a world where a convicted rapist, fraudster, and wannabe dictator has re-taken the presidency of the most powerful nation on Earth. And here, in the lucky country, out Prime Minister is falling over himself to kiss the ring. It is a monumentally miserable day when an Australian Labor Prime Minister would describe a conversation with Donald Trump as “constructive and warm.”. Let that sink in (Musk pun intended) for a moment. This is the same Donald Trump who was found liable for sexual abuse and defamation, was convicted of 34 felony counts in New York, orchestrated an attempted coup, and faces multiple criminal indictments for trying to overthrow democracy. But hey, he says our PM is a “fine man.” Something Albo seems to wear as some badge of honour.

It’s a profound betrayal to watch our leaders abandon their principles for political expediency. 1. The moment our leaders start to treat convicted sexual predators and aspiring dictators as legitimate political partners, they have abandoned any pretence of moral leadership and have become complicit in the degradation of our society’s most cherished values. And for what? A possible exemption from tariffs that affect a mere fraction of our exports? This isn’t just a matter of economic pragmatism; it’s a moral failing that undermines the very foundation of our democratic values. It’s a shameful display of spinelessness that prioritises short-term gains over the long-term health of our society.

We are, continuing to witness, in real-time, the death of political integrity. And it’s not fucking ok.

The Price of Our Principles

Just for a quick bit of financial-moral equivalency, let’s look at some of the accounting around this latest display of obsequiousness. While Albanese grovels for Trump’s “great consideration,” what exactly are we compromising our values for? The moral compromise is egregious enough, but it’s rubbed in our faces by the fact that it’s being made for such a small sliver of our economic pie.

We’re bending the knee for a measly 10% of our steel and aluminium exports , representing roughly 100,000 jobs - that’s 0.07% of our total workforce. The GDP contribution? A mere $11 billion in our $1.6 trillion economy. That’s not just small change; it’s economic static.

The power wielded by the steel industry’s lobbyists must be truly awe-inspiring, for these pitiful amounts couldn’t even fund a politician’s lunch tab, but apparently, they’re enough to make our leaders forsake every shred of national pride and dignity. This behaviour is unfortunately not surprising from either of our two parties, who have continued to exhibit dubious legislative and regulatory oversight of a number of industries, which we later find out they have become patrons of.

And here’s the kicker - according to our own experts at the University of Sydney, these exports could be “redirected to other markets with relative ease.” We’re not even talking about saving jobs or preventing economic catastrophe. We’re choosing to debase ourselves for what amounts to administrative convenience. This comes on the back of our recent massive “donation” to the US, for submarines that not only compromise our sovereignty but which we’ll likely never receive. We truly are the battered partner who keeps coming back for more.

The Real Cost to Democracy

The real tragedy here isn’t just about tariffs or trade - it’s about the insidious erosion of our values and principles. The the increasingly rapid decay of our moral compass, the gradual unraveling of our ethical fabric. Every time a democratic leader like Albanese kowtows to these relationships with authoritarian figures like Trump, we don’t just chip away at the foundations of our democratic legitimacy; we take a sledgehammer to the very core of our national identity.

Where exactly will we draw the line? When the US attempts to dictate our domestic politics, will we stand firm or will we bend the knee? When they demand we compromise our values for their economic gain, will we have the courage to say no? Or will we continue to sell our souls, piece by piece, until there’s nothing left but a hollow shell of a nation?

The performative dance of “toughness” between Albanese and Dutton is particularly nauseating. We’re watching two grown men engage in a micro-dick-measuring contest about who can be “tougher” on the international stage. It’s toxic masculinity masquerading as foreign policy, and it’s pathetic. Instead of attempting to demonstrate true courage by addressing the hard problems (turning Gaza into the French riviera of the middle IS actually a fucking crime against humanity) and doing the right thing even when it’s not popular, we instead have two crumbly, over-the-hill politicians who can’t string a straight sentence together between them.

This isn’t just about Trump or tariffs anymore. It’s about the dangerous precedent we set every time we choose economic expediency over moral principles. Each compromise, concession, and surrender of our values paves the way for the next, slowly eroding the very foundation of our democratic society. We cannot ignore the fact that Trump has already sanctioned the ICC, hosted war-criminal Benjamin Netanyahu, and discussed annexing numerous free countries – actions that demonstrate a blatant disregard for the “rules-based order” that the leader of the free world is supposed to uphold. By normalising relations with such a figure, we are not only contributing to a global democratic backslide but also actively endorsing it with a smile and a handshake.

And for what purpose? So our leaders can posture as “tough” in press conferences, beating their chests and proclaiming their dedication to Australian jobs? The bitter irony is that by undermining the democratic principles that make those jobs meaningful, they are doing a grave disservice to the very people they claim to represent. We must ask ourselves: is this the legacy we want to leave for future generations? A world where principles are reduced to mere bargaining chips, where values are just another commodity to be traded away in the cynical game of geopolitical poker? If we continue down this path, we risk bequeathing to our children a society devoid of moral substance, a hollow shell of the vibrant democracy we once cherished.

Don’t Stand For It

As an Australian, I feel like I’m watching my country’s soul being sold off piece by piece. The heartbreaking nature of it is usurped only by the shame. I did not grow up rich. My family struggled and I have struggled throughout my life with many different tribulations. However, I have always believed in doing the right thing, in some sense of national justice and fairness. I have believed in the more socialist aspects of our democracy and striving to reconcile past mistakes where necessary and help those who need it today.

Let us demand more from our leaders, and from ourselves. Let us rage against the slow suffocation of our national soul as our leaders continue to show deference to a failing state. This shit is not fucking ok. We cannot stand idly by while our leaders sell our nation’s integrity to the highest bidder, while they prostrate themselves before dictators and soulless, unscrupulous corporate behemoths. We must find the courage within ourselves to stand up for what’s right, even when it’s hard, even when it’s unpopular.

We must be willing to fight for our principles, to defend them with every fibre of our being. Because if we don’t, if we allow this rot to spread, if we let this moral decay go unchallenged, then we are no better than those who would lead us into the abyss. We will be complicit in the destruction of everything that makes our nation great, everything that gives our lives meaning. We will find ourselves trapped in a dystopian nightmare of our own making, a hellscape where the very essence of our humanity has been sacrificed on the altar of greed and power, and the blood of our principles will forever stain our hands.

Banner image by Black Forest Labs

Model: Flux Ultra v1.1

Prompt: New yorker cartoon style Trump grotesque and looming gobbling up Australia and shitting on the rest of the world. Dystopian, scary, horrifying, abstract, unclear shapes and shadows.