“Earth’s crammed with heaven, and every common bush afire with God: But only he who sees takes off his shoes. The rest sit around and eat blackberries”. (Elizabeth Barrett Browning: Aurora Leigh)
In the 1930s, African American Vernacular English adopted “woke” as a clarion call, drawing attention to injustice, specifically the injustices daily faced by black Americans. The word is, of course, vernacular for “awake”.
Fast forward 100 years: the word is not now used by those seeking justice, but used as a weapon by the political right and powerful against those who do. The intent is to demean any who question a so called conservative agenda. It has become a politically based word of derision. Perhaps more seriously, it is used by those who feel entitled to that which they would like to remain excluded from others – fairness and justice.
So, what is, and what is not, a conservative agenda?
I grew up in a conservative household, formed by Christian values. I consider myself to be a Christian conservative. What do I mean by that? The core of the matter is that I understand myself to be formed in relationship with God, with the places in which I have resided, with people whose lives I have shared, with all for whom I bear a level of responsibility, including the created order.
I am “Adam”, an earth person. My “right” to do as I please is tempered and defined by and through all those other relationships. All commitments, especially parenthood, marriage, respect for family and community, care for the natural order, are sacrosanct to me. Inasmuch as I have held positions with authority and influence, I have believed the purpose of these positions has been to enhance the lives of others. I believe humanity is deepened through service and diminished through the exercise of power. In the Biblical tradition, as in many indigenous cultures, being barefoot is a sign of humility, Elizabeth Barrett Browning is profoundly perceptive to point out that it is only in this mindset that life can be fully embraced.
In the past I have seen conservative Christian values played out in the lives of those who have called themselves “Liberals”. Today, there appear to be very few if any “liberals” left. The extreme right has taken over and adopted the term “conservative”, but it is not a use I recognise; indeed, the policies of such people appear to be its very antithesis.
Australian conservatives appear to be adopting uncritically the American conservative right, who through Senator Johnson in 2018 gave conservatism a seven-point definition:
- Individual freedom
- Limited government
- Rule of law
- Peace through strength
- Fiscal responsibility
- Free markets
- Human dignity
All seven points are flawed, because they lack a discernible, undergirding, ethical or moral foundation – notwithstanding they have been adopted by the Christian right.
Individual freedom. This is the conservative right’s touchstone, but it is wrong, dangerously wrong. Society, civilisation, community, family, are all built on an unspoken understanding or covenant that individuals will seek to better that which is beyond or greater than self and in so doing also better self. The US version of individualism, the version of the gun lobby, the version of the gambling industry, the version of Gina Rinehart and Rupert Murdoch, not to mention leading conservative politicians, the version of self-interest, will bring society to its knees, especially through arrogant lack of responsibility for a sustainable natural order. It will bring civilsation to its knees because seeking advancement at the expense of another, be it another individual or the earth itself, weakens the whole fabric.
Limited government. In its narrowest sense government this is the legislature, in practice it means functions pursued out of the public purse. From John Howard to the present, the conservative right is obsessed with privatising public services. (I was present in Canberra when this policy was delivered, losing corporate knowledge and costing the taxpayer much more through consultancies). A wide range of services should not be managed by sectional interest or profit-making. Water and its delivery should not be privatised, nor should the prison system, to name but two. Privatising NDIS delivery has unsustainably blown the budget. The privatising of poles and wires has made energy transformation infinitely harder to achieve.
Rule of law. There should be no argument about the application of the rule of law. However, practice shows it is not so simple. The powerful and privileged have access to a justice system out of reach of ordinary citizens. Australia has incarcerated more children and more Indigenous people than any other comparable Western Society. Politics has prioritised punitive resources and minimised restorative resources.
Peace through strength. From the Vietnam war onwards, Australia has combined with the US to fight wars on other continents that have wrought unspeakable division and suffering. Currently, Israel would not be able to wreak its devastation on Palestinians without US resources, and without tacit acquiescence from much of the Western world. In practice, strength does not mean peace, it means fighting to keep pole position.
Fiscal responsibility. Sounds good, but how is it defined? In my house it has always meant three things. Priority to health, education and well-being. Expenditure on life giving experiences rather than things. A significant proportion of time and resource devoted to others. In the conservative ideology, it appears fiscal responsibility means “dig baby, dig”, investment in wealth. Wealth builders are remuneratively rewarded, caregivers are undervalued. It means three classes of people: those whose wealth is derived from investments; those whose wealth is derived from wages; and those whose survival is dependent upon welfare. The second category pay the most tax; proportionately, the first category contributes least.
Free markets. The price paid for “free” is minimal or non-existent regulation, requiring environmental or social cost to be calculated and applied. Regulation requiring environmental or social outcomes is derided.
Human Dignity. Of course! But in practice there is no ethical foundation to deliver this ideological principle. In Australia, refugees and asylum-seekers have been appallingly treated. Indigenous peoples have had their “Voice” denied. Women do not enjoy equal place in conservative politics. In US conservative politics, much emphasis is placed upon the conservative Christian agenda of gender and sexuality, diminishing the dignity of those whose identity does not conform.
Since the re-election of Donald Trump there have been many triumphant conservative voices claiming that woke is dead. If this were true, then the future for civilisation, let alone the future of the planet, would be bleak.
The principles upon which the universe is founded can be ignored, but they cannot be abrogated. The universe and all life within it, is relational to its core. To act otherwise is destructive. This is the message of science and Christianity.
To Donald Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu, Vladimir Putin, and other triumphalist leaders – take off your shoes. If you will not, then do not be surprised when members of common humanity throw theirs at you.
Wake up, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will shine on you. This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” for the light makes everything visible.
George Browning was Anglican Bishop of Canberra Goulburn 1993 – 2008. He was President of the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network 2013 – 2022. He is now its Patron. He is also Patron of Palestinian Christians in Australia, and of the Palestinian ecumenical liberation theology centre -Sabeel.
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