Fremantlebiz - Paul's Letter from Australia

Mr Howard bombs out with worm - supports war

Thank goodness the PM Mr Howard has only agreed to one televised mass debate prior to the election. Last night's effort between him and the wannabe PM Mr Rudd has just about maxed me out for receiving their political rhetoric.

The most interesting part was watching the "worm" decide whether Liberal or Labor supporters were getting the upper hand over the two candidates with their button pushing. Mr Rudd tended to flatline at the top end of the approval scale, Mr Howard tended to flatline at the bottom.

We watched the hypnotic worm put up by Nine's 60 Minutes, they used a studio audience to trigger it. When the debate was over they revealed that someone had twice sabotaged their wormy telecast by pulling a plug somewhere. They'd had to borrow a signal feed from Sky Television.

I'd suspect the sabotage came from the political right because Mr Howard was doing so poorly in the run up, and it was obvious Mr Rudd has consistently out performed him. Mr Howard never wanted the worm anyway. Wormgate!

The meeting of the best political minds this nation can dredge up was actually held in the Great Hall of the old Parliament House in Canberra. The audience which had been assembled there consisted of stooges nominated in equal proportions by the Liberal and Labor Parties. The principal stooges for Mr Howard were Mr Costello and Mr Downer. We saw a camera shot of them where they appeared to laughing and catcalling like a couple of immature schoolboys. With friends like them supporting Mr Howard on a national telecast, he doesn't need enemies.

Mr Howard lost his cool with Mr Rudd a couple of times too - never a good tactic in a public debate. His speech was slurred as well, I mentioned this a couple of days ago. It seems to be getting worse. I wondered if people too close to him might have had to clean their glasses after he spoke?

Throughout the campaign and again last night Mr Howard tried to emphasise the evils of trade unionists being involved in politics. From what he has been saying, anyone who has been a trade unionist has no part to play in government. One has to suspect he has a serious blacklist running.

Now I've been dues paying member of a trade union in the past, and so have several my adult children. We're not ashamed. I can only assume that anyone in my family would be on Mr Howard's blacklist. Well I know I am because years ago I was taken off his automated emailing list to receive his pronouncements, and despite several attempts at reinstatement and unanswered emails I never did get reinstated. I think part of the problem was that as a troublesome historian, I actually read his prattle and independently kept it on file for a rainy day.

I suppose the most important thing that Mr Howard verified last night was his intention to persist with Australia's involvement in Iraq - no matter what it takes.

This war is going very badly, especially for the Americans. Now it looks like escalation might take place because Turkey on the northern border of Iraq is about to get stuck into some military action there, and the Iraqis are not amused. Where does this place countries like Australia which have been supporting the new regime in Iraq? Australia for one has been cultivating an amicable relationship with Turkey for years.

Just in the past few days a lobby group claiming to represent the views of most Australian veterans has been urging the Australian government to reintroduce military conscription. Well let me make it clear, they don't represent the views of this little Vietnam veteran. No young, law-abiding Australian needs a hole in the head from an Iraqi or Turkish bullet. Australia has been there, done that.

© MMVII Paul R. Weaver.

About the writer

Check out each month's subject index on the Calendar Page for my "common-man" monologues about survival in 21st century Australia – plus a little history occasionally. An original essay is added most days as part of an undertaking to write a couple of million words.

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