Agent Orange in Vietnam. The unprovoked invasion of Iraq. The abuse of political prisoners. Dear US Presidents of the future, the Geneva conventions were not intended as guidelines. They are the combined wisdom of a generation who, unlike you, lived with war. You only ever have to observe from afar. Those wise men now roll in their graves.
I don’t know if it fools anybody, but simply saying that someone you disagree with is “an extremist group” doesn’t convince me. And even if it did it wouldn’t mean that everything else that group says is therefore wrong. I was pleasantly shocked to see Lateline on Friday running an animal welfare story as top story of the day. An animal welfare group who had footage of some of the crueller practices indulged in by Australia’s wool industry have achieved a good victory. By threatening to e...
Several weeks ago I composed a victory speech for John Howard, when it looked like he would win. It seems appropriate to post it now. I include how the audience reaction would have played out should he have chosen to adopt my speech. But look, I may be indulging in a little hyperbole (exaggeration) here, or maybe I’m not. Take it how you want to take it. Except FishHead. I want you to be outraged, FishHead and yell abuse at me. Fire up Fishboy! This speech is what John Howard would have s...
The ALP ran an excellent campaign...once voting was closed. There was McMullan and Beazley and everyone pointing out that this line about interest rates was a big LIE. But where were these statements over the past 6 weeks? It should have been plastered across our ad breaks. We should have seen the clips of all our leading economists pointing out that Howard was talking out his arse on this. It was an excellent opportunity to point out that the lying rodent was at it again. When the Libs r...
I’m Ashamed to be Australian Despite my having compiled a list of almost 107 things Howard has done wrong in the past 4 years off the top of my and a friend’s heads, I decided I couldn’t vote for Howard and have any self-respect a long time ago. I don’t need 107 issues. I only really need 1 specific horrific issue. Maybe 2. I grew up an extremely proud Aussie. I learned both verses to the national anthem. I used to be able to recite all Australia’s Prime Ministers from 1901 wi...
Refugees 86. Accepts fewer refugees than the UN has asked (and they ask very little) 87. The extremely expensive and innefective Pacific“Solution†88. Worms were recently found in the food served at Baxter detention centre. 89. Locking up children in hell houses. Many refugee kids have suffered major psychological problems as a result. Australians are well off. We are the first world. When people come to us for help, we treat them no better than the regimes they narrowly escape....
What about that loony Deputy PM, John Anderson. He and George Brandis (Liberal Senator) are off the planet. According to Ando, the secularisation of society (meaning accepting all beliefs, not just the Christians) will lead, of necessity to fascism. Meanwhile, also according to Ando, the Greens are a bunch of communists. It’s terribly confusing for my atheist Green friend. He can’t work out if he’s Left or Right. And to make matters worse for him, George Brandis says the Greens movement g...
A close friend of mine who worked the halls of Canberra’s Press Gallery has often told me of the ways in which Howard has prevented the Australian people from knowing about the mistakes he has made, far more so than any of his predecessors. Much of this has gone unreported (perhaps because a fair portion of today’s gallery are Liberal voters). I asked Kezzia to write an article for this blog about her insight into John Howard. BY KEZZIA Let me begin with a disclaimer: I’m not and...
We're almost there. For those of you who haven't been following the series, a friend recently asked me to name one thing John Howard had done wrong as PM. So I sat down and found a couple. Today, the issues are free speech, welfare and lies. Free Speech & Civil Rights 69. Our spy agencies can now detain anyone if ASIO thinks that person just might have information relating to terrorism. They don’t have to provide any evidence. They don’t have to give access to legal representation to th...
We're halfway through my list of reasons to vote Howard out now. Economy 42. Foreign debt has doubled under Costello. 43. Costello’s great policy solution to the Superannuation Crisis? Australians should all go forth and multiply. What a visionary! 44. Provided tax cuts for everyone....EXCEPT POOR PEOPLE!!! Tax cuts at the last Budget were provided except to those people who actually need it: those unlucky enough to have to survive on less than 52 grand a year. 45. spent millio...
At last, the crisis in Aboriginal health, where many die from preventable diseases every day, has been brought back on the agenda by the AMA. Although the Labor Party have traditionally been more interested in helping Australia’s original custodians, in this campaign, both major parties have ignored this issue to their shame. Before they both splash out on more non-core promises to those of us lucky enough to have been born into white middle class prosperity and health, I suggest they direct ...
Today comes Part 2 of my list to vote Howard out. Today, the portfolios of Aborigines and Foreign Affairs. So today we’re dealing with Amanda Vanstone and Alexander Downer as well as little Johnny. Aborigines 18a. Abolished ATSIC 18b. Replaced ATSIC with an unelected, unrepresentative board of “dignified” (read “wear suits and act like whitefellers”) yes men who will act in a purely advisory role (read “the Aboriginal people will be ignored”). The real Australians’ only representatio...
After having watched Andrew Bartlett, leader of the Democrats speak at the Press Club, I am left worried. I used to support the Dems, until my faith in them was shattered by their rubberstamping of the GST. Since then I must say that they seem to have been weak. Bartlett is a charisma blackhole it must be said. But is this important? Can I really let my vote be affected by personality when I actually agree with several of his political positions and I believe in the role of the Dems. A fe...
Today starts Part 1 of a series I’ll be running this week. A friend recently asked me to name one BAD thing John Howard’s Liberal Party had done. I told her I didn’t know where to start and didn’t have time to get into it then. I’ve racked my brains and come up with one thing. Maybe two. Please feel free to add to it. I haven’t kept a running list over the past decade and some things have undoubtedly slipped my mind. Today we begin with Health and the Environment. Health 1. Reduced the re...
Q: What’s this about the new Medicare safety net? A: It’s one of the ways we’re weakening Medicare. While Medicare has always covered you in public hospitals, the new Safety Net won’t deliver anything to 95% of Australians and the majority of the funds for it will be spent on bureaucratic red tape. This means the price of health care will go up. Q: Like what I pay to my GP? A: Yes, the costs for a whole range of treatments – like specialists, x-rays, tests, scans... Q: But ...