The NEXT coming Oz election thread!

Yeah, I'd have to agree with that assessment. The trouble is, what percentage of the rank and file is going to take the time to understand the underlying concepts? 'Dumbing them down' with weak analogies isn't going to cut it (remember John Hewson's birthday cake?).

I'm at a loss, personally, to find an answer. You don't want to just trust your pollies, but how can you possibly get your head around every issue? The pollies go for things that they can sell with a one line grab in the evening news, because any indepth exploration of an issue will turn people off. And, increasingly, few people are willing to put the time in to listen when they know there's a good chance that what they will hear is prevaricating cow dung.

My dad was just a self-employed builder - who always voted liberal (except in 1972) but he used to religiously listen to parliament on the ABC. He was fairly apolitical in a conservative way but felt he should keep tabs on what was going down. Who's gonna do that when they can listen to footy talk back or watch big brother?

Good for your dad, hinge, at least he took the trouble to be informed. And he was clear & strong about his own political beliefs.

I can understand your average voter being totally confused by economic reporting as presented to them. When we are constantly being told by the government & the media that we have never had it so good, they/we could be wondering how come this marvellous state of affairs has escaped them? It is never pointed out precisely who is enjoying this wondrous state of prosperity. The suggestion is that it's everyone! And then we are told that there is a shortage of skilled workers, so the we can pick & choose our employment options. Huh? Which jobs are they talking about? But the government/media talks as if we are all are in this highly desirous situation. Then we are told about how incredibly low the unemployment rate is! How can the media (including the "respectable" media) keep repeating this dishonest mantra? You can be employed one day a week (or fortnight?) and still be on record as being "employed"!(not included the unemployment statistics) So how can the ordinary worker, who knows that all of the above does not apply to them, form political opinions in the face of such (mis)information? Why can't the media, at least, be honest & say that some folk, certainly not all, have been on quite a roll, for quite a while? Others (including the unemployed, the homeless, pensioners, single income families, those on insecure short-term contracts, the under-employed & some workers in the public service, etc, are having a rather rotten time making ends meet? It is almost as though those of us in these less fortunate circumstances (& there are many!) don't exist, certainly don't count, when we read these newspaper assessments of the economy or endure the constant up-beat ravings of Howard & Costello. No one ever mentions the obvious: that we have changed from a "fair go" society for workerss to one of haves & have-nots.

So I have quite a deal of sympathy for those who are anxious about their (credit & mortgage) debts. Of course they have to look out for their own interests! But I become very impatient when that is their only concern. Why can you not also feel compassion for asylum seekers because you are having a hard time yourself? Why can you not feel moral outrage about the AWB rorts? Why can you not question are country's involvement about the highly dubious invasion of Iraq? That's what really bugs me. That the concern is only for one's self & one's comfort when it comes to politics. You can also feel compassion for other people, you can also feel outrage at political immorality done in one's name .... How come that's so difficult?

Peter Costello bringing down another budget yesterday. <yawn> More of the same: buying off this group & that .... a fist full of $$$ here, a fistful there ... Same old stuff. <yawn>

Whatever happened to the quaint notion of spending our taxes on public services? ... like public hospitals, public education, improved pensioner incomes, etc, etc, etc ....?

Anyway, he was up-staged by far more rivetting events:

... & thankfully, the trapped miners are free .. at last! But new adventures in the media await them.:

See Downer in question time in the senate? Dissing the opposition because for the first time he could remember an opposition ran out of budget questions? The above cartoon is exactly right.

They get away with so much!

What did you think of Beazles' budget reply last night?

He actually did pretty well for him - although there were ups and downs - did he have different writers doing different bits, I could almost see the edits.

This is a very late reply to your question, hinge. Sorry. I'm having problems with the email update situation here.

I confess that I switched off his budget reply & fell asleep in the middle of it after a hard day at work.
Terrible, yes?
<shrug>
But Beazles is sounding more & more irrelevant (in response to the Libs) as each day goes by.:
Who the hell is he talking about when he refers (endlessly! ) to "middle Australia"? The middle class? (who are they, these days, anyway?) What about the real strugglers? The "lower" classes? (Lots of them!) The people in real strife in these supposed brilliant economic times? Nothing for them, from either party, as far as I can see.
I'm sick of all of this (supposed) "family oriented" policy from both parties anyway. (Which families? Whole, intact nuclear families? Single parent families? Gay families? Etc.... )
It's just old style political definitions for convenience. Australia has changed & the political parties haven't caught up with those changes yet. There are a huge number of single household folk out there (for all sorts of reasons) that they haven't caught up with yet. It's time that both parties recognized with the needs of these people, too.
Anyway, here's a group that will be very impressed with Kim's response ... eventually:

Our PM, JH, is in Washington again. (again!) Feted by all the luminaries of the washed up, sinking Republican government. We in Oz are supposed to feel so impressed by JH's importance! No doubt his visit is on the front page of the NY Times! (This is so embarrassing, so mortifying, so worrying...!)
Some of us wonder exactly what he is doing for Australia on this visit. We are worried about the Parmeucitical Benefits Scheme, we wonder what possesses JH to ask the US to become involved in East Timor (who asked us to become the policeman of East Timor? ) Who appointed Australia as the policeman of our area of the world, anyway? Some of us wonder if, in his love affair with Bush, everything we own, value, or care about is up for negotiation. <sigh>

It's only a negotiation if your actually involved in the transaction. This is theft.

Yes, yes of course, hinge! We both know that! But how long before the media here admits it? The coverage of this visit is quite sycophantic & surreal. The media hacks know what's actually going on, but don't tell the Australian people the facts. We get the JH bullsh*t PR line, nothing else ....

I guess that's the beauty of News LTD owning most of the newspapers.

You have heard about the Rupert Murdoch blessing of the Blair/Bush/Howard triumvirate a few years back? (some would say he was the orchestrator rather than a mere champion)

... & when it comes to integrity in the media, it seems we have to depend on our cartoonists. Interesting, hey?
JH, the only true believer in GWB left on the planet! Lucky Oz!

... & Bill Shorten for the new opposition leader? Oh Please! We all know that Kim's gotta go, but some completely new outsider, because he did so well in the in the miners' rescue commentary on TV? I don't think so, even if the NSW right does. And don't forget Bill Shorten's (planned, by no means guaranteed) installation as member for Maribyrnong (sp?) (Vic) is not exactly squeaky clean. It's one of those famous Victorian branch stacking deals (highly on the nose!) courtesy of Labor's branch stacking supremo (very highly on the nose!), George Seitz. Agghhh! Who would want to be an ALP branch member here in Victoria with all the nasty, corrupt branch stacking business so established here?

Please tell me it's over!
Has JH left Washington yet? Has the grovelling ceased? Are we now committed to invading Iran? Do we still have some semblance of our Pharmaceutical Scheme left? What else has been agreed to, traded away, in the name of this fabulous friendship JH has with GWB? Readers of my morning paper are somewhat underwhelmed by the cringe-making spectacle of the deep lurve between these two. Here's a few responses to the blitzing we've endured over the past week, from my morning paper.:

From Ron Tandberg, Age cartoonist:



Letter writer #1:

John Howard says "no dominant power in history has brought to bear the righteous force or generous countenance of the United States".

A glance at the record of righteousness shows the following times it brought that force to bear to further its own interests: Greece 1947-49; Puerto Rico 1950; Iran 1953 (installed the Shah); Guatemala 1954 after US business nationalised; Vietnam; Laos; Cambodia; Cuba 1961 invasion; Panama 1964, to prevent the canal being nationalised; Indonesia 1965, CIA-assisted coup; Dominican Republic 1965-66, troops land to secure favourable election result; Chile 1973, CIA overthrow of Allende; Angola 1976-92, CIA assists South African rebels; El Salvador 1981-92; Nicaragua 1981-90, aid to the Contras; Grenada 1983-84, phoney excuse to invade to rescue students; Libya 1986, air strikes to help topple the government;

Panama 1989, 2000 killed in canal protection; Haiti 1994, blockade and troops to prop up Aristide; Sudan 1998, bombed a Pharmaceutical factory; Iraq; and maybe Iran. Can any other government claim this level of generosity?

-Peter Friend, Heathcote, NSW

# 2, from the el quicko response column:

Is it true that Howard & Bush will co-star in a remake of Brokeback Mountain?

~

Anyone watch Sunday's cover story on indigenous issues. Sigh. They had four video grabs of former Indigenous Affairs ministers who cut to the crux of the problem, were passionate about doing something about it, and spoke intelligently. All were ALP from the Hawke/Keating years. Then there was Mal Brough. They couldn't find any former Liberal ministers that gave a ratsarse. Ruddock, or the twat that had comms up until his retirement, name escapes but the nostril hair remains.

NT chief minister Claire Martin tried in vein to get the point across that the media was painting all aboriginals as petrol sniffing child abusers, but was shouted down by the reporter.

Brough was blind to the fact that his govt had been in for ten years, and that liberals controlled NT up until a couple of years ago - it was all Claire Martin's fault.

Mrs Hinge has a conspiracy theory about why this has suddenly become news.

No, I didn't watch Sunday, hinge. (I tend to get most of my info from the print media & radio. Habit, I guess.)

But perhaps others saw it & can comment?

The earlier reports from Claire Martin were very distressing indeed. What can you say? (And I'm by no means suggesting that sexual (& other) abuse of small children is exclusive aboriginal territory!) But what can a person living in an urban setting at the other end of the continent make of her claims of sexual abuse of children as young as seven months by adult male members of their own (aboriginal) communities? I felt (from what I saw, read & heard in the media) that she was sincere & rather at the end of her tether with her responsibilities toward the aboriginal people in her care. I saw her decision to "go public" as a plea for help. I felt that Mal Brough ( the federal minister with responsibility for aboriginal affairs) seemed to jump on the "outraged bandwagon" very readily .... an opportunity for a bit of pious grand-standing. Ugh.
But really, this whole issue has taught me that we need to know a lot more about "life as it really is" in these remote aboriginal communities, the problems faced, possible solutions ..... This can't go on. But who do you believe? If you have any insights that might enlighten, I'd be grateful to read them ...

msolga, If our governments are going to globalise for the worst.

Then the people must globalise for the best. It's our right and duty.

(you might already know that, I just thought of it right now )