I used to write from time to time about how strange it is that we Canadians don’t pay more attention to politics in Australia, our nearest sibling as a historic Dominion of the British crown. But this has changed a bit in the last few years. Editors have learned that Australia’s rough-and-tumble party politics and leadership “spills” make terrific entertainment. Canadian election reformers praying for proportional representation have given Oz more attention as a teaching example. Australia gets more column-inches, or at least koala GIFs, than it once did.
But, of course, the real joke here is on New Zealand. It’s the Dominion too easily forgotten for someone like me to remember to point out how forgotten it is.
What’s interesting about this is that, over the past 40 years or so, New Zealand has probably exercised a more significant political influence on Canada than Australia ever did. New Zealand’s 1980s neoliberal revolution, led by Finance Minister Roger Douglas, helped teach politicians everywhere (and especially in Alberta) tactics for deregulating, privatizing, lowering marginal tax rates, and generally blowing the dust off of planned economies.
Colby Cosh, “An ounce of Canadianity for a less-radical junior Dominion”, National Post, 2018-02-27.
May 26, 2020
QotD: Our sister Dominions on the other side of the world
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