Episode 56: Far right riots in Melbourne, Morrison skips country to play submarines with Biden and Boris but the good news is about fossil fuels

"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben Davison

Van Badham and Ben Davison breakdown what's happening in Melbourne as far right infiltrators have been rioting, attacking union offices, attacking police and desecrating working class sites.

It is a cracking deep dive into fascism, what's driving the riots, why union offices and sites have been targeted, the baffling political responses and what we can do to ensure democracy and our communities are protected.

Van discusses what's driving these "new far right" adherents and gives some insight into the shifting sands of right wing ideology. Ben calls out some members of the Morrison government for trying to use the rioters for their own political purposes.

The team then explore how fascism always comes to power through weak centre right politicians that think they can harness fascists and it is actually the coalition of those that believe in democracy, left and right, that has to stand together to ensure democracy continues.

Throughout the pandemic unions and business groups have tried to do exactly that and both have condemned the riots and called for people to get vaccinated.

Morrison's weakness, a whole different sort of weakness to Turnbull's, has seen him run off to play submarines in New York with Biden and Boris just as the OECD says our economy isn't going so great, unemployment is more like 20% than 5%, fascists are mobilising in Victoria and NSW might end up "going it alone" on COVID reopening as other COVID free states suggest higher vaccine targets.

But there is good news about the end of leaded petrol!