There have been a ton of controversial Australian politicians over the years, but none come as uneducated and as woke as Lidia Thorpe. You would think that being the first Aboriginal senator for the state of Victoria would be seen as an honour. Instead, she has caused so much uproar in the just three years since she became a senator for the Greens that it’s truly mindblowing. What’s bought this to the front is her protesting at the Sydney Mardi Gras event over the weekend, where she laid down in front of the Australian Federal Police float during the parade, as per The Australian.
Now, I have a TON of opinions on her. None of them is good. So, let’s begin with the obvious. I am NOT racist. I have great respect for Aboriginal people, and I always have. Cathy Freeman winning her Gold Medal running the 400m at the 2000 Olympics will always be a fantastic achievement. One of my favourite singers is Jessica Mauboy. Do I think they need more representation? Yes, of course! Lidia Thorpe is not the person I would want to represent the Aboriginal people of Australia. She’s almost like the female Anthony Mundine.
Stating Facts, Lidia Either Doesn’t Know Or Doesn’t Care About
So, Lidia first came to my attention when she was sworn into Victorian Parliament in October 2020, where she walked in, saluting black power whilst calling The Queen “a coloniser”. Here’s the thing; Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth is NOT a coloniser. Her family in the present day had nothing to do with slavery. The title of Emperor of India was abolished during the reign of King George VI. The Queen, as a monarch, never ruled over an Empire. Also, slavery was abolished in the UK in 1834, well before The Queen was born.
One thing that has always confused me is Lidia is a senator in Victoria, a state named after Queen Victoria, who is allegedly accused of colonisation due to her involvement in Scramble for Africa, as per the IPA. As has King Henry VIII as he conquered Ireland and King George III and the break away from the American colonies.
If anything, Queen Elizabeth II was a “de-coloniser” as the Empire had broken away bit by bit before she took the throne. Does Lidia know that? I doubt she cares. Also, if she dislikes Australia has British ties, why doesn’t she renounce her Australian citizenship and live elsewhere? Her opinion is not the only one that matters. Just because she is the first Aboriginal in Victoria to sit in Victorian Parliament doesn’t make her memorable. Also, after purposefully botching her oath of allegiance to The Queen in Parliament, she was forced to redo it after her fellow senators criticised her. Yet, she has the nerve to start protesting?
The Labor President Steps In
The Labor Senate Presi ent, Sue Lines, has said that the oath has to be recited correctly, meaning word-for-word. More or less, her obvious protesting got her media coverage. Also, why pursue a career where you must swear allegiance to something you don’t believe in?
Her increasingly lousy behaviour has gotten to the point even her roman ic entanglements are called out.
Lidia was busted for dating a known bikie boss Dean Martin. Yeah, and she s protesting that the Queen was a coloniser. Did she do any digging on her then-boyfriend? She probably did as much research as she did on when slavery in the UK was abolished.
A New Job?
What’s more, Lidia supposedly advocates for trans rights, so she protested over the weekend. But why do it at all? Oh, right. Because her colleagues wanted her gone from the Greens, he had to resign due to her toxic behaviour and needed a new avenue to be in the media spotlight. While she has every right to express her opinion in the Voice to Parliament debate, shoving her beliefs down everyone’s throats is not the way to do it.
I have an opinion of my own on the Voice to Parliament debate, but that will have to be for another day.
