2 posts tagged “australia”

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Haunted by the undead

Dec 2, 2008
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For those not blessed with living in the land of Oz; John Howard's conservative government ruled for over a decade here. In a time of relative prosperity (cheap imports & good mineral exports), he created a climate of fear & vindictiveness. Welfare & health were cut, the spy & police forces expanded. He created several new spy organisations. (The wikipedia article on ASIO is chilling reading.) Union-bashing. Universities stripped of funding. Wars in Afghanistan & Iraq. Asylum seekers were put in concentration camps in the desert, or on tiny islands. It was truly shameful.

And we voted him out! Last year he ran an election campaign based on trust. Can you believe it. He was trounced, even losing his own seat to a newcomer. He anointed his treasurer (whom he despised) as successor, & he refused to accept leadership nomination! It was a late but sweet revenge.

Seeing the images again, hearing the lies and the blame-shifting again, was disturbing. It's still too raw and painful. And little was new for me. But hopefully even Herald-Sun & Tele readers will accept the facts in time.

New leaders here & in the USA, even Mr Brown in England has looked better in the face of financial woes. I want some hope, not old miseries & undead politicians.

Australian Lessons

Sep 13, 2008
1 comment

A work colleague is from Pakistan. Nice guy, easy to get along with. Whenever he says, "What does it mean, ..." we say, "Ah, time for your Australian lesson!" It might be... football. We play 4 codes at international level. Yes, it's mad. But in Melbourne it's Aussie Rules, in Sydney it's The League (rugby league). DON'T mix them up! Soccer's everywhere, but of course the top players go to Europe.

Today it was the CSIRO. Yes, in Oz we have the Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Organisation, a kind of science super-academy. Very well-regarded. They have developed rice that uses much less water than other varieties to grow. Controlled rabbits. Created a wireless networking system. Us Aussies, we can get things done. It's a big country, with a lot of space between some of us.

So why are we so diffident? O look, it's American; must be better. Japanese efficiency. British classiness. Yeah some things they do better, but we do them well, and on our terms, in our way. We can share this, but we need to be respected - especially by ourselves!

What's it like in other small & middle-sized countries? Do you feel the same when the big boys throw their weight around? Do the small US states feel the same?

I worked with a Georgian lady years ago. She used to say, "Australia it so peaceful. At home there is so much trouble, you can't imagine. You must keep it here so." We must.