Bill I think one of the key steps in understanding the Australia-China issue is on the Australian side. Australia is a part of the “west” but it is not the “west”.

Our democracy is based on compulsory voting, you have to vote. There are no “special interests” to motivate/de motivate everyone has to turn up. They only real swing voters are “workers”. Governments have to satisfy them first or lose power it’s that simple.

This creates strange policy responses totally out of step with “western” values. For example “stop the boats” allowing illegal immigration is electoral poison for any government.

Coming back to China they have implemented a series of actions, like they did against Korea and Japan and in a minor way to “European” western countries against Australia. The response has been, well nothing. China has escalated and still nothing.

All China has seen is the usual big business class shut their mouths in support of “China trade”. The reason being is that the “workers” now see China as a threat. This has flowed in a few months to the bulk of Australia society.

In mentioned previously that an Australian journalist who I think received the 14 points said it was like an act of desperation on the part of the Chinese foreign office.

At the same time in our local media the CCP foreign ministry spokesmen comment about poking our eyes out and blinded the five eyes was played as it is not the “translated way of poking us in the eye”. How does this play with the “workers” who determine elections? very badly.

The economics of Chinese actions will not directly affect “workers” who mostly live in the outer suburbs of our great cities. Few people work in mining and agriculture. Tourists don’t come to the outer suburbs and universities are inner city folk. There is almost no tool China has that can turn this in their favour.