Paul (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} fremantlebiz) wrote,@ 2007-11-23 09:41:00 |
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One more sleep...
I watched the Prime Minister Mr Howard on TV for an hour at lunchtime yesterday when he addressed the National Press Club. It could have been his swan song as far as the nation is concerned. Too bad for him it was a working day and so many people were at work and didn't see the historic occasion. Work does not always make free.
He gave a very good speech. The words just flowed effortlessly in what was a polished performance. No slurring this time because he wasn't under stress or tired. Periodically some assembled stooges in the press gallery gave him moral support with applause of salient points, most of which I've forgotten.
But he did make a good one that unemployment for Australia is at an all time low. It's true. All the fast food joints around here have signs up pleading for young people to become part of their 'crews.' The signs don't mention the slavish work place agreement part and how the managers will regularly ring the parental home of young workers to pressure them to work extra shifts. But the PM is right, there is plenty of non-career orientated work out there for young people if they want it.
Mr Howard seems to have been putting enormous personal effort into this election campaign. If all the Liberal candidates had done as much work then it might have been a different prospect he was facing tomorrow when we go to the polls. As it is, we haven't had a single piece of electoral material from any political party in our letter box, and no one has come to our door, behind which five swinging voters hang out, plus there are six other adult voters associated with our immediate family circle. I would never assume to speak for their voting preferences, but the lethargy of local candidates has certainly been noticed.
Some years ago there was a bloke in state government called Doug Shave. He was a Liberal and became Minister for something or other. We were in his electorate and I recall that on at least two occasions he came to our door. Once months before he was elected, and once during his time in parliament. I believe he tried to get to every door in the electorate. For his troubles he was embraced by the electorate.
Mr Howard may be thinking he's surrounded by idiots. How about those senior Liberal party members caught red handed distributing an unauthorised leaflet a couple of days ago aimed at stirring racist tension against Moslem voters and turning non-Muslims against Labor. Amongst other matters it falsely alleged that Labor supported clemency for Islamic terrorists. Courtesy of the Sydney Morning Herald you can download a PDF copy of the 'unauthorised' Liberal propaganda by clicking here.
What I've done is print off a hard copy here and allow all my family to read and discuss. It's the sort of document which the Liberals will be reminded of for many years to come. It doesn't matter that it wasn't officially authorised. The fact that anyone highly connected in the Liberal Party could ever consider such a stunt is abhorrent. There's a suspicion there is much more to this incident yet to unravel.
Mr Howard took a few questions on this matter yesterday. He seemed pretty annoyed and disgusted, but one has to wonder if he would have preferred to turn a blind eye if the perpetrators had not been so publicly exposed. In the past he's not been so ready to confront the truth, and willingly allowed Muslims to be demonised in the interest of his own political gain.
The "children overboard affair" where Muslim refugees were falsely accused of trying to sacrifice their offspring by tossing them overboard immediately comes to mind. The lie was sufficiently propagated to to get him back into office in the 2001 election. For those readers who need reminding of the nefarious tactics of the Howard government in those days there is an excellent website with many photos of the incident at Project Safecom.
So now it's only one more sleep until the Australian electorate decides if they want to retain the incumbent, slippery, fork-tongued Liberal PM or give him his marching orders and start afresh.
© 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.
I watched the Prime Minister Mr Howard on TV for an hour at lunchtime yesterday when he addressed the National Press Club. It could have been his swan song as far as the nation is concerned. Too bad for him it was a working day and so many people were at work and didn't see the historic occasion. Work does not always make free.
He gave a very good speech. The words just flowed effortlessly in what was a polished performance. No slurring this time because he wasn't under stress or tired. Periodically some assembled stooges in the press gallery gave him moral support with applause of salient points, most of which I've forgotten.
But he did make a good one that unemployment for Australia is at an all time low. It's true. All the fast food joints around here have signs up pleading for young people to become part of their 'crews.' The signs don't mention the slavish work place agreement part and how the managers will regularly ring the parental home of young workers to pressure them to work extra shifts. But the PM is right, there is plenty of non-career orientated work out there for young people if they want it.
Mr Howard seems to have been putting enormous personal effort into this election campaign. If all the Liberal candidates had done as much work then it might have been a different prospect he was facing tomorrow when we go to the polls. As it is, we haven't had a single piece of electoral material from any political party in our letter box, and no one has come to our door, behind which five swinging voters hang out, plus there are six other adult voters associated with our immediate family circle. I would never assume to speak for their voting preferences, but the lethargy of local candidates has certainly been noticed.
Some years ago there was a bloke in state government called Doug Shave. He was a Liberal and became Minister for something or other. We were in his electorate and I recall that on at least two occasions he came to our door. Once months before he was elected, and once during his time in parliament. I believe he tried to get to every door in the electorate. For his troubles he was embraced by the electorate.
Mr Howard may be thinking he's surrounded by idiots. How about those senior Liberal party members caught red handed distributing an unauthorised leaflet a couple of days ago aimed at stirring racist tension against Moslem voters and turning non-Muslims against Labor. Amongst other matters it falsely alleged that Labor supported clemency for Islamic terrorists. Courtesy of the Sydney Morning Herald you can download a PDF copy of the 'unauthorised' Liberal propaganda by clicking here.
What I've done is print off a hard copy here and allow all my family to read and discuss. It's the sort of document which the Liberals will be reminded of for many years to come. It doesn't matter that it wasn't officially authorised. The fact that anyone highly connected in the Liberal Party could ever consider such a stunt is abhorrent. There's a suspicion there is much more to this incident yet to unravel.
Mr Howard took a few questions on this matter yesterday. He seemed pretty annoyed and disgusted, but one has to wonder if he would have preferred to turn a blind eye if the perpetrators had not been so publicly exposed. In the past he's not been so ready to confront the truth, and willingly allowed Muslims to be demonised in the interest of his own political gain.
The "children overboard affair" where Muslim refugees were falsely accused of trying to sacrifice their offspring by tossing them overboard immediately comes to mind. The lie was sufficiently propagated to to get him back into office in the 2001 election. For those readers who need reminding of the nefarious tactics of the Howard government in those days there is an excellent website with many photos of the incident at Project Safecom.
So now it's only one more sleep until the Australian electorate decides if they want to retain the incumbent, slippery, fork-tongued Liberal PM or give him his marching orders and start afresh.
© 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.
