Posts by Paul Williams
Last ←Newer Page 1 2 3 4 5 Older→ First
-
Hints please, maybe genre and/or era? '70s, '80s or more recent?
-
Dukes of Hazzard?
Curses on your Ranapia for that earwig. I can hear that line but none other!
Make. It. Stop!
-
Incidentally, if Hanson secures more than 4% of the primary vote she gets $2.05 for each and every vote regardless of whether she's successful... in 2004, when she last stood unsuccessfully. she got some $200k...
What price democracy hey?
-
It's Penny Wong (promoted as of today too btw)... the point's no less valid but.
-
-
He's right. And I was conscious of the distinction between the intellectually impressive Cunliffe speech (DPF described it as "superb" in the radio interview we did) and the vacuous presentation of Key. It's depressing to ponder that the video might actually be more effective.
What Key did was rip-off Rudd's initial advertising strategy. Almost immediately after taking over from Beazley, Rudd ran an ad on TV giving some background and emphasising his modest upbringing and relative youth. Importantly, Rudd then went on to articulate some clear policies even if they were not what you'd call radical.
Key's attempt to copy Rudd's strategy is lame and unimaginative. Key's plan is to be only not-Helen. He will be the alternative, rather than there being a policy alternative.
And before anyone starts talking about the me-too campaign of federal Labor, it was a bit, there was at least some significant points of difference e.g. Kyoto, Broadband and Workchoices. The substance of each of these points of policy differentiation in fact revealed the changes were as dramatic as the accompanying statements however Key's not even gone this far!
-
Horrible little man is about my summary. I think only now is the true extent of his dour view of Australia becoming apparent.
When I moved to Sydney, I lived about 100 metres from the Block in Redfern. We were right around the corner during the riots in 2004. The Block exists is a strange space. Redfern is gentrifying but there is a lot of state housing (housing estates); hideous high-rise places. There is a plan for significant urban redevelopment but it relies upon the Aboriginal community at the Block relocating...
I completely agree with Che's summary: Keating's Redfern speech, plus the Mabo and Wick decisions represented real momentum in race relations but that Howard put and end to it only to rediscover race relations on the eve of the federal election. Cynical? Well, here's how at least one Aboriginal community saw things:
When Fraser passes the microphone to Harry Wilson, an angrier, younger man, the tension rises. Wilson proclaims that this is the Tampa again. This is "black children overboard … this Government is using these kids to win the election".
His words echo a joke drily recounted earlier to the Herald by one local official that the Prime Minister, John Howard, the magician politician, has pulled a rabbit out of his hat. "Only it is a black rabbit."
Full story here
-
Craig, I don't know what you object to? The proffered apology is not the entirety of what's been suggested but one small albeit significant part.
For what it's worth, I sense a great deal of across-the-board support for an apology, provided it is part of both a genuine attempt to reconcile and a program of policies to address the significant inequities that exist today. Symbols are important, though not sufficient in themselves.
I don't think Howard's intervention in the NT will remain in place as it is, Rudd has pledged to restore land rights at least, however it will likely provide a platform for similarly broad approach.
-
^^^^Indeed!
-
Heh - despite what you may have thought, the oft used 'rodent' moniker does not refer to the mans appearance, but his track-record of political behaviour. Stemming from widely held observations of sheer bastardry and 'rat-cunning'.
<crassness> Or rodent as in "rat-fuck"? One of my favourite Australianisms is "rat-fuck" used to denote a betrayal as in "Et tu Brutus, you rat-fuck" or "Cossie was rat-fucked by the rodent"? </crassness>