Aussie voters in Tokyo will be able to snag a democracy sausage if they go to the Australian Embassy in Tokyo from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Friday, May 2, according to the Embassy website. This be an opportunity to exercise a hard-fought right to vote (or avoid being fined for not doing so because votng is compulsory). And it also presents an extremely rare instance of being able to see consular officials helping Australians and earning some of the cost of the world’s most expensive passports, ensuring the documents are not a complete rort.
Australia is one of the few countries that make voting mandatory, which I believe is a good thing as it theoretically forces people to take an interest in politics. But the lurch rightward of the spectrum over the past 45 years has eroded the part ordinary people can play in society. Australia isn’t quite the Broligarchy that has taken over in the U.S., but the rise of populism and religious fanaticism Down Under shows it’s not too far away.
Australians will vote in a federal election on May 3. It’s one of the most crucial elections of the postwar period as it will determine who will lead the country as it treads precariously between toeing the U.S. line at enormous cost and turning its back on China, which has helped fuel unprecedented economic prosperity (for some) in Australia over the past four decades, but with lots of strings attached and questionable benefits. Personally, I don’t think many of the current breed have got what it takes to pilot Australia along the treacherous path it must now take, but hopefully Aussies will react like Canadians and galvanize to deal with the sudden betrayal of a longtime ally.
Democracy sausages are a cute way to deal with this. The sausage in bread is an enticement to voters from sausage sizzles held outside polling booths. They were a great way to take a lighthearted look at the serious world of politics, but this time the consequences of voting are far more serious than most. Looking at how easily the Americans gave up their democracy, it’s extremely important that Aussies exercise their right to vote, and do what they can to protect that right unless our popular rule really does hit a snag.
