Andrew Miller: Australia has better claim to being the land of the free than the US

While working as a doctor in America during the Clinton years, I came to feel that the US was a bit like Asia on steroids — lacking many of the safety nets we take for granted in our wealthy Medicare-enabled country but providing incredible opportunity for diverse cultural experiences and agile innovation.

While we value our peace, the US has always been pugilistic, domestically and internationally.

Since the sixteenth century it has been involved in some sort of large armed conflict more than ninety percent of the time. The omni-armed citizenry engages in two mass shootings every day on average; some emergency departments even have plaques memorialising staff who were killed on duty.

It’s a very different place to Australia, and about to become more so.

Last year in Singapore I met with some international leaders in medicine to discuss common issues.

The UK were interested in our successful experience in Australia with Voluntary Assisted Dying, as they are legislating for it currently.

We asked if the US was looking at it — they appeared bemused, then said their only comparable program is capital punishment.

They have no safe political space to discuss compassionate end of life issues. They’re stuck somewhere in the last century.

Domestic Australian politicians are saying we should be diplomatic to avoid upsetting President-elect Donald Trump — the new big cheese.

Why? We don’t hold back regarding other political leaders.

The same people who whinge that “you can’t say anything these days” are now telling us we should not say what we think about Trump and his policies.

This is partly because we are buying some pricey US-built submarines but we were taught the customer is always right in matters of taste. Aren’t we the ones paying?

Many women might hear familiar echoes in Vice-President Kamala Harris’ convincing defeat — “we appreciate your interest and impressive CV and you absolutely smashed the interview, even if you were a bit emotional but we have decided to go with the other candidate on the short list, who plays golf and is (haha) a bit of a lad.”

The list of Trump’s documented sins is such that one wonders what he would have to do to be considered unfit by voters.

The standard of integrity that is apparently required of world leaders is tough to explain to our kids, who we are trying to raise with some moral compass.

Women’s healthcare and their ability to control their own bodies — something never in doubt for men — has become an important politico-religious football again.

Trump seems willing to trade away women’s rights in return for support from those who want their religion to dictate everyone’s experience. They in turn will overlook indiscretions incompatible with modern morals.

Any fantasy our political parties might have about Australians becoming enthralled with an outrageous leader is futile, because we don’t do personality cults in any committed way. We’re different.

Most of us regard politicians and other salespeople with suspicion, rather than admiration.

No-one is going inspire a riot at Parliament House if they lose an election. We are more likely to mutter “I went to school with that bozo, I wouldn’t trust him with my lawnmower, let alone the country.”

Fortunately, our electoral, legislative and judicial systems are simpler and more stable so far than those in the US. We also enjoy a healthier cultural separation of religion and state.

America have elected their wannabe king, and now he will rule. It’s almost enough to make a republican think twice and be grateful for our irrelevant titular monarch.

Ironically, it is our strong institutions, social safety nets, and stable transfer of democratic power that have made our citizens — including all our fabulous migrants — much freer than most citizens of the world, including those in the land of the free.

Unlike the president-elect, our Prime Minister is not immune from criminal liability for official acts.

Let’s keep it that way.