This was originally posted my politics blog at https://politicalmusingsofkayleen.blogspot.com/2020/01/is-australias-prime-minister-scott.html.
In the opinion of myself and many others, there is no doubt that Scott
Morrison - or, perhaps more accurately, the Morrison "government", is
incompetent (complete lack of preparation for this year's fire season), stupid (as all climate denialist dinosaurs are), and so focused on the numbers of "a budget surplus" that they are failing to govern (the numbers are supposed to be about making life better for everyday Australians, for elites and the wannabe wealthy w**kers).
Scott Morrison has also annoyed many people with his apparently
inappropriate smirk, but I don't know whether that is just a physical
characteristic or an indication of a deeper malaise - a flaw of
character, personality and humanity.
But does any of this mean he is evil?
I don't know, yet. I looked at this with Peter Dutton once,
and concluded that his actions and policies are harmful enough to be
evil, but wasn't sure whether Dutton was a stooge for evil, or evil
himself.
In terms of resisting Dutton's policy preferences, that makes little
difference, as it is important to attack the policy, not the person, for
the sake of healthy, constructive politics . . . but there are
exceptions.
There is no doubt Hitler was evil. In Australia, I consider both Joh
Bjelke-Peterson (aka “the Flying
Peanut”, who did quite a bit of good when he first got in), and John
Howard (although he did a great act of good in introducing gun control laws –
that have subsequently been watered down) were evil. That raises my
intensity of activism, and in that context the character of those people
is a significant issue - not the idiotic distractions that the USA has
on compliance with neochristian morality, but it shows the person to be
dangerous and unfit to hold those levels of power.
In that sense, I consider both Peter Dutton and Scott Morrison to be
unfit to hold power, because of the levels of devastation they are
implementing to Australian society - and I note some opinions are that
the dereliction is criminal.
However, I still have doubts as to whether they are evil in the sense that, to add a third example, former Senator Fraser Anning is.
Dangerous, inept/incompetent, and to be opposed strongly, and I wouldn't
ever consider either to be a potential friend, but I still have
hesitations over calling either "evil".
I've been tempted to at times, but both have also shown some redeeming
features, albeit in response to pressure, and that . . . potential to
improve that John Howard never exhibited, despite his ban on guns, is
probably why I have that reluctance about the persons, albeit not the
policies.
