Senator Ian McDonald has described the progressive political activist organisation GetUp as a Nazi organisation. GetUp member Shaun Newman responds.
I am a member of GetUp. Today, I was notified by this organization that Senator Ian McDonald referred to it in the Senate as
“the Hitler Youth wing of the Greens’ political movement”
and further that his colleague Bronwyn Bishop said of the average donation to GetUp of $27 that
“$27 doesn’t add up to much”.
Just to clarify a few things, GetUp is a movement of over half a million Australians trying to make our nation a better place to live. We are not affiliated with any political party because we do not believe that any political party, including The Greens, represents us adequately on every issue with which we are concerned.
Senator McDonald and his colleagues seem oblivious to the democratic philosophy that every Australian, either collectively as a group or individually, should be able to have their voice heard on matters they consider important. Indeed, if politicians of all parties were not so out of touch with the ordinary Australian people and our values, organizations such as GetUp would very likely not exist.
The narrow stream from which politicians come has very little in common with ordinary Australians — which is why we will continue to have our say.
