As we don’t have fixed-terms here in Australia, it’s up to the PM to call the election. Once he does so, everyone will fly into a tizz because they have only 6 weeks left to decide what they’ll wear on polling day. Polling day itself is on a Saturday, so there’s a broad range to choose from – no work gear necessary, but anything else other than stark nakidity goes. On this side of the Yarra, most opt for the traditional ‘tracksuit and t-shirt’ ensemble, with greens thongs and the occasional denim jacket. Over on the far side they probably wear roopelt coats with glimmery shirts made of newborn babyskin and hollowed out stoats for shoes.
On polling day, I’ll be wearing the onitsuka tigers (we form the brains-trust of the branch), some light slacks for the warm weather, and probably an ill-fitting Greens t-shirt (preferably black, not white). I gotta fang round Broady and surrounds in a car, making sure everything is popping off all Greenlike and sorting disputes and generally being the Commander in the Chariot, like I was born to be.
Afterwards, I’ll probably duck home for a shower and a loosey before throwing on something suitably summery yet alluring - maybe a shirt with a horse on it, although I don't really like horses, so maybe I should trust my instinct and go for a shirt with a dragon on it - and head off to wherever the election night party is. Hoping to sink piss and watch the votes roll in, but suspect I’ll collapse in a heap after two beers.
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9 комментариев:
if you could be so kind as to bottle some of the sweet fluid of defeat on your election day, and send it europe, i'd be wrapped.
If you can't find an appropriately sized bottle, a small tank should suffice.
Defeat?
My good man, after 11 years of a racist, lying, authoritarian, socially-divisive, regressive government, I am having THE TIME OF MY LIFE watching this country's political landscape finally fucking change.
In the voting lifetimes of all people my age and under, there has been one constant: John Howard. Always there, always grubbing out his pathetic excuses and gut-churning fibs, dog-whistling and spreading hatred and fear throughout the community.
And this fucker is going DOWN this election: not in a narrow loss, oh no. He is being sent a message.
I am loving it. Somebody will need to pick up the pieces afterwards, but for now, I am loving it.
I should add that the whole contest is far from over, and in fact that it would be a record-breaking swing if John Howard lost. I mean, he really SHOULD win given how many seats his party holds. But the polls keep saying that despite everyone's expectations, despite their massive advantage, the Libs are going to lose badly.
It will be very very sweet if they do.
If Howard wins, I will probably make plans to return to Moscow in horror and disgust, to revivify my soul for the next campaign.
Here's the latest example: the immigration minister announced yesterday that there would be no further intake of African refugees this year because Africans don't integrate very well and are more violent than other refugee groups. Two basic points immediately spring to mind:
1) Where's the evidence that they don't integrate well and are more violent?
Response: it is based on the government's own research which will not be released to the public.
2) If they ARE having trouble integrating, but we NEED workers, why don't we use some of our $17 billion surplus to help them settle, just like we did for the Turks, and the Vietnamese, and the Lebanese, and the Italians, and the Greeks, and the Jews?
Response: filibuster.
It is dog-whistling of the most egregious type, and it degrades us all.
And here's the kicker: the whole kerfuffle about Sudanese refos started because a young Sudanese bloke was bashed to death by two white fellas in Melbourne last week.
...you got the logic on this one?
1) Sudanese young bloke bashed to death by two white blokes.
2) Minister comes out and says 'no more Sudanese because they are too violent'.
What a fucking joke.
What a disgrace.
it sounds to me like you have a strong opinion of things
Sure I do, and most of em require a good bit of fine-tuning. But I try not to let that get in the way of a good old dose of righteousness and sanctimony.
On the whole, I'd much prefer to depoliticise a bit. In fact, I'm looking forward to depoliticising a bit, and really hope a day comes soon when I feel like I can do so.
But as long as there's dickhead ministers running racist lines, isolating vulnerable groups and exploiting them in order to maintain power, I'll just be getting so angry that I gotta keep on trucking this political bandwagon (to inelegantly mix a couple of ill-fitting metaphors). I don't expect that we all get along like a big happy family, just that we stop persecuting one another. It's not much to ask, and that's why I'm so happy to see the decline and fall of a government which has made persecution of vulnerable minorities one of its long-standing campaign techniques.
yeah i've been keeping an ashamed eye on that one in the news. a pathetic disgrace in every sense.
But I have a problem. If, as you say, Howard goes down like the proverbial sack of spuds, how can we be sure the likey replacements can sheild themselves from half-wit ministers? For example, if you jumped in a time machine, back to the late 80's and early 90's; NOBODY would belive the following statement..
"in just over a decade, P.Garret.. songwriter, lawyer, environmental 'activist' and all round good guy, will sing the song of the ALP and stand by a decision to allow a new pulp mill to be built in tasmania"
you'd be laughed back into your time machine.
I guess what scares me most is that those polls are not indicating a strong desire to change government for even one of the reasons you've mentioned, but because it's simply 'a time for change' or 'he hasn't kept good on his interest rate promise'.. in other words, social justice, corruption, international environmental and humanitarian treaties, indigenous australians, immigrant australians are all OFF the radar for many australians. free market capitalism has taught us too well.
fuck, that reminds me. i need to fax my change of enrolment form back home before he calls his death nell. lest I just be another pissing moaning blogger!
godspeed.
Better hurry, Oliver. Word is he'll call the election in the next 48 hours.
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