Many of these criticisms can -- and indeed already have -- been extended to plenty of western democracies including the US. Chomsky and many others have been w

Many of these criticisms can -- and indeed already have -- been extended to plenty of western democracies including the US. Chomsky and many others have been warning that corporate and political interests are infringing on the (increasingly centralised) media and other institutions for several decades. Questions around the strength of democratic institutions are raised regularly, with the various Trump sagas being a prominent recent example. Australia has been the test-run (or the canary in the coalmine, depending on your view) for privacy-destroying legislation -- following the footsteps and wishes of the NSA, of course. Declines in public education and communication infrastructure, widespread political apathy? Join the club.