I've decided to try my hand at political cartooning. I've been inspired by Bruce Petty, who pointed out that he can't draw, and I thought, well then I can be a political cartoonist. Unfortunately I can't find a way of uploading the images onto this blog, so I've created a LiveJournal, on which I'll place the images. If anyone knows how to get my images up onto JU, I'd really appreciate a step by step guide (I don't really know much about computers). Link

There are a lot of harsh things said on JU about people with little money or no job. People often say it’s because they’re lazy or stupid or other such ideas. The poor are poor because they’re stupid and lazy, is the conservatives’ cry. There are probably some cases where this is the case, but as far as I can see it’s far more complicated than this. There are plenty of fat, rich bastards and lazy members of the middle class. And that is why I believe that Bourdieu’s theory about ‘cultural cap...

I’ve always been obsessed by politics. My blog has long been testament to that. But upon returning from my holiday in Kanaky, I changed the title of my blog and started being all “nice” as FishHead said. I learned something about life when I was in New Caledonia. Before I went I had never been able to understand people who don’t inform themselves about politics. Politics can change your way of life and I think that is so important. I still believe that. But I was shown something more impor...

When Johnny Howard abolished ATSIC and replaced it with a board of coconuts, I expressed scepticism. The Labor Party still maintains the Aboriginal board should be democratically elected. I argued at the time that ATSIC should have been reformed rather than abolished. Let’s have a look at how “practical reconciliation” is going, as it is the issue most dear to my heart. The new board got off to a bad start with the petrol bowser initiative Link . It was quite clearly a case of the coconut...

I don't really have time for a full article at the moment, but something astonishing has happened that I have to comment on: In the past 2 weeks I have agreed with 3 of the most Right wing people in the country on politics. Yes this includes my sworn enemies, John Howard, Andrew Bolt (columnist) and Channel Nine's Sunday programme. So inspired was I by their comments I have written to each of them to tell them what a spelndid job they did. Andrew Bolt's criticisms of Australia's xenophobia...

I grew up a very proud Australian. I learned Aussie slang terms that are becoming obsolete, I deliberately developed a broad Aussie accent and I became one of the very few who knows the 2nd verse to the national anthem. I grew up under the Hawke-Keating Government. Although I’m old enough now to recognise the emptiness of some of their words, it was largely their example that made me proud. They spoke of reconciling our differences, of breaking down the barriers and tensions that exist bet...

I just attended a forum on student unionism. I asked the people there to respond to some criticism I had of compulsory student unionism and I felt they responded rather well. Here, I have tried to summarise some of their points. Why should I pay fees for political protests I don’t agree with? 3% of student union fees are put towards political campaigns. For instance, one recent demonstration outside a minister’s office cost the guild a grand total of $5. It is important that stude...

The other night I spent several hours chatting with 4 refugees. 3 are Afghanistani, 1 is from Eritrea (sort of part of Sudan but not). I would like to tell you about some of the interesting things I remember that these 4 very nice, gentle men told me about their life experiences. Chaman had spent 3 years in a refugee detention centre, enduring 45 degree Celsius days, awaiting the approval of his refugee status. He fled Afghanistan because of the Taliban, who were enforcing a very strict f...

I was just sent a link to an online petition which will be sent to President Bush, urging him to "demand the [UN] Security Council support a larger African Union troop deployment, a general arms embargo and targeted sanctions against those most responsible for the atrocities." Well doesn't that sound familiar, hit too close to home, make you shiver when you think of the way things could go in Sudan. For those of you who are unaware, the Sudanese Government is sanctioning mass killings of i...

Communism is often cited as the Leftist utopia. I don’t know a great deal about communism, having never read Communist Manifesto or anything. But what I do know about it does not seem to me like utopia at all. According to my encyclopaedia, in communism, “all the property of a community is owned by all members and distributed according to the needs of each member”. I disagree with that principle. I think everyone should get the basics of what they need. That is, I believe that everyo...

I’ve been thinking about the distinctions between Left and Right a bit lately. One of the great things about the Not Happy John movement (and the MoveOn movement in the USA) is the way that they are drawing people together from across the spectrum. Members of the movements have thus discovered that they share more in common with their perceived enemies than they might otherwise have realised. Although, there are of course differences. So what are the goals I want Australia and the wor...

I have strong political beliefs about a lot of things as you probably know. I have an opinion about refugees, drugs, diplomacy, environmental policy, immigration, abortion, social security etc. And the curious thing is that 99% of my beliefs probably fall under the category of Left wing politics. Why? It seems strange to me that anyone else combines all the beliefs I do. I see a lot of my opinions as being separate from each other. For instance, I believe in increasing immigration because...

Uncle Ray Martin has been trying to get little Johnny to sing at Carols by Candlelight for years. Every year, Johnny has declined, too shy to make the transition from the Kirribilli piano to the Domain. But rumour has it that this year, Johnny has finally acquiesced and he will be the surprise guest at this year’s Carols (possibly dressed as Father Christmas, bringing gifts like delivering on non-core promises). And here at CS, I just happen to have gotten hold of the songs he will be singing...

Now that the Howard Government has tended to the top priority of looking after the white people, it seems that the job of looking after the natives has finally reached the top of the pile on the to do list. John Howard's new board of "dignified" Aboriginals is a reality and they are getting down to business. After 8 years it is wonderful to see that the Howard Government has finally decided to turn some attention to Aboriginal affairs. I knew it had to happen eventually. Even if it's only bec...

Well here it is my loyal readers! I have finally reached my 69th article. I never thought I’d make it, but now that I have it’s undoubtedly time for some self-congratulation. This 69th article is a significant one because it is representative of what blogging is: I give pleasure to you through my articles, and you return it in the forums. John Howard Offers More Choice John Howard said during the election campaign that there was a difference in philosophy between Labor and Liberal ov...