QED

Comrade Dan Does Not Believe in Song

Here, in Australia’s state of Victoria, we have since mid-March been subjected to a mounting list of bizarre laws to protect the citizenry from a viral pandemic.  Our capital city, Melbourne, once was renowned for its expertise in viral research.  Back in 1960 a scientist at our then chief university, Professor Sir Frank MacFarlane Burnet, was awarded the Nobel Prize for his ground-breaking work upon viruses.  But trawl through his extensive publications, and nowhere will you find warnings against the many activities now linked with nurturing and spreading viruses.

Beginning last March, golf was banned, fishing was banned, drinking coffee in a café was banned, sitting on a park bench and reading was banned, playing chess with a friend at a social club was banned, going into church and praying was banned.  Why?  Because according to our present government’s medical experts these activities will nurture and spread COVID-19.  Even public swimming pools were closed because the dreaded COVID-19 virus is immune to chlorinated water!  Yep, those pool chemicals used to sanitise water, killing off bacterium and virus alike, were judged ineffective on COVID-19.

Daily the list of our forbidden activities has grown, and grown, and grown.  Going for a surf with family members on a sunny day was banned.  Taking your teenage daughter for a practice drive in a car was banned.  Letting infants run around in the neighbourhood park was banned.  Allowing children to ride their tricycles on the pavement in your street was banned.  Indeed, taking the little ones to visit their Nana on Mother’s Day was banned on direct orders of our premier, Daniel Andrews.  All because these activities are said by government experts to nourish and spread the rapacious COVID-19.  

Actually, anything that is fun and enjoyable seems to be declared an unhygienic threat to public health by our Premier’s special experts.  Like Sesame Street’s Oscar the Grouch they delighted in spreading unhappiness and gloom.

Of course, there were many doubters who have wondered if the medical science is credible, and speculate about covert political agendas.  Premier Dan has been likened to Robespierre and Cromwell, his new laws compared to those of North Korea and various Soviet satellites during the Cold War.

Now, in the past few days, some of his laws have been relaxed, but new ones introduced.  The Victorian government has ordered that as people previously in home imprisonment are allowed to furtively return to their workplaces they must not talk loudly, greet others with enthusiasm, or sing.  Because that will nourish and spread COVID-19 in the workplace.  Likewise, places of worship have been ordered to bar anyone who enters to pray from singing hymns or reciting psalms.  Because, again, that would nourish and spread COVID-19.

But do deadly viruses really thrive on loud talk, happiness and song?  It this law stupid?

Those of us of a certain generation will remember encountering similar laws during the fraught summer of 1968.  That was when cinema screens filled with the animated feature film The Yellow Submarine.  It told a grim story of Pepperland, which had been invaded by the violent and tyrannical Blue Meanies who made happiness illegal, and strictly forbade all singing.  However, four likely lads from Liverpool, the Beatles, used their magical submarine to travel to Pepperland where they defeated the repressive Blue Meanies by singing.

As for current events, we should disregard historical tyrants, because it appears Daniel Andrews is modelling himself on “His Blueness”, the Great Blue Meanie.  Notice how, besides banning happiness and no longer wearing a tie about his neck, Dan now messes his dark hair and always wears a blue suit!  Exactly like “His Blueness”.  Meanwhile his two medical experts are behaving like the characters Max Meanie and the ruthless Blue Glove, stamping out joy and song where ever they encounter it.  Is it coincidence that dour-faced police members, who now patrol our streets on the watch for people having fun, wear blue uniforms?

I propose that we combat Daniel ‘Blue Meanie’ Andrews by happily singing in public, the more joyfully the better.  Reclaim our streets by striking up “She Loves You”, “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”,  and “Yellow Submarine”.  Come on, let ’em have it!

11 thoughts on “Comrade Dan Does Not Believe in Song

  • rod.stuart says:

    Dopey Dan is more like a Great Blue Idiot.

  • Tony Tea says:

    Miser Meanie, more like.

  • ianl says:

    > ” … anything that is fun and enjoyable seems to be declared an unhygienic threat to public health …” [quote from the article]

    Yes, as it is with the green zealots. This is not an accident – it is meant as a way of getting in your face, annoying you with spiteful nagging, reminding you of their petty power. This is the nanny state. Because they can.

  • Michael says:

    Elizabeth Beare, Michael’s Wife

    “Hi ho, hi ho, it’s off to work we go.
    Just keep on singing all day long
    Hi ho, hi ho, hi ho.
    Hi ho, hi ho,
    To make your troubles go
    You positively can’t go wrong
    Just keep on singing all day long
    Hi ho, hi ho, hi ho.”

    Machine gun those pesky dwarfs and don’t fuss about plurals in English.

  • Lewis P Buckingham says:

    Singing seems to either have a bad name because churchy people sing, or a crutch to beat up opera goers and choristers.
    The NSW government was quick to point out that the churches should not be opened because choirs in Spain had heavy infection rates of Covid.
    The Victorian opera is in hibernation as is Opera Australia..
    So lets think positive.
    How about preferentially testing opera singers and choristers in those pesky churches for coronavirus.
    Then ,if negative,let them sing.
    Now…what could be more simple?

  • Michael says:

    Elizabeth Beare, proudly Michael’s Wife, although considering a second subscription in order to protect his privacy from a doxing lurker here. What sort of person would want to do that and try to dox him on another site? Someone a little cooked in the head, imho. For her information, she is wrong so far.
    On substantive matters here at Quadrant Online though, to do with song, for two reasons I am wondering if we will make our ticketing to Wagner’s Ring Cycle in November in Brisbane for a full week’s worth of operatic magnificence. Firstly, the Palacechook without a head who is in charge may not have opened the borders in sufficient time for interstate travellers to get there, and secondly, the performance may not go ahead: singing doesn’t seem too popular with the Covid-nannies. I thought it was only the Taliban who totally banned singing. Dan Andrews in Victoria is certainly in good company there.

  • Salome says:

    Do you have chapter and verse for ‘places of worship have been ordered to bar anyone who enters to pray from singing hymns or reciting psalms’? I ask because I haven’t found it and I recently had an email exchange with a young person at the IPA who had sent out a piece alleging that Victorians weren’t allowed to walk their dogs. I told her that she needed to expand her definition of ‘exercise’.

  • lloveday says:

    Daniels has appointed Shane Patton to become the next Police Chief Commissioner.
    .
    Patton had overall responsibility for crime in Victoria when police were pursuing Cardinal George Pell for child sex abuse claims that led to convictions ultimately rejected 7-0 by the High Court.

  • Lewis P Buckingham says:

    Mr Patton said it was important that due process was followed.

    “Preserving the integrity of that process is essential to us all and so for Victoria Police, it is important that it is allowed to go through unhindered and allowed to see natural justice is afforded to all the parties involved, including Cardinal Pell and the complainants in this matter,” he said.
    https://www.newcastleherald.com.au/story/4760243/he-is-looking-forward-to-his-day-in-court-george-pell-charged-with-sex-offences/
    The police defence of their evidence taking is that it was normal procedure.
    Note the video in this news report.

  • pgang says:

    Comrade Scott doesn’t believe in children getting out into the bush and having some healthy fun. Below is a school cancellation notice for a 3 day adventure camp in the Barringtons. Of all the totalitarian madness we have had to endure this year, I find this to be the saddest yet.
    This was received on 4th June, long after any perceived threat from this pathetic virus has passed.
    .
    ‘Dear Parents and Caregivers,
    Due to the current health and safety concerns, schools have been directed by the Prime Minister that there should be no school excursions or camps until further notice…’
    .
    We are robbing our children to pay for our hysteria.

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