Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Get ready for G20 with this Australian rap - with a cameo from an actual politician

Video: Australian politician Scott Ludlam uses the power of music to attack anti-terrorism laws

Kiran Moodley
Monday 27 October 2014 08:33 GMT
Comments

A vocal opponent of Australia's recent anti-terrorism laws, Greens Senator Scott Ludlam has appeared in a rap video ahead of the G20 summit and described Prime Minister Tony Abbott's policies as "a fascist f***fest of Orwellian proportions".

In the video by Juice Rap News (full video here), a rap written by Giordano Nanni & Hugo Farrant takes aim at Abbott and introduces Senator Ludlam as a "hippy, Greenie senator".

Ludlam's bone of contention with Abbott is the proposed data-retention laws which are set to come before the Australian parliament later this year and will compel telephone and internet companies to store customer data for security agencies to access.

Before Ludlam makes his entrance, Nanni and Farrant's lyrics mock the record of Abott, who became prime minister in September 2013.

Asking a parody Abbott - complete with an overly-large forehead - about his record in his first year in office, the fake prime minister responds, "My first triumph as leader was to abolish the climate, slash Medicare, subsidise mining and end the age of entitlement for students...except my kids. I've stopped the boats and the tide of Muslim immigrants."

The rap also describes the G20 - which will take place in Brisbane in November - as "shady deals, trade pacts, and any protests that happen are greeted with tear gas, and baton bashings".

When Ludlam enters, he doesn't do too bad a job at rapping, launching into a rallying cry against Abbott's proposed data-retention laws.

He declares: "Australia is about to become the first great nation to pass laws for mandatory data retention indiscriminately storing our private metadata, treating us all as suspects, and thus finally ensuring a fascist f***-fest of Orwellian proportions."

When asked by one of the other rappers what he proposes to do, Ludlam says, "I'll go full Gandalf on this Government’s arse, smack down their laws with a dose of: You Shall Not Pass!"

Ludlam also references a speech he gave eight months ago to an empty Senate chamber which became a viral sensation after he invited Abott to rethink his stereotypes about the state of Western Australia, which Ludlam represents.

Commenting on Ludlam's first foray into the world of rap, Australian hip-hop artist Nick Lupi told The Sydney Morning Herald, "I thought his rap performance was respectable without being dazzling, but it's not an easy craft to pick up. All in all I think it was a pretty stellar effort."

Video courtesy of Juice Rap News (full video here)

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in