The usual nonsense from this man. Fortunately most people have never heard of Mr. Kevin and his Marxist opinions. The more mature among us who have come to know him through OLO simply laugh and move on.

I agree with Mr.Kevin, he has hit the nail on the head. Howard is about division, individualisation and corporate greed. Anyone who believes in collectivity will be crushed by the far right. Australia is on its way to Facism, under this persons rule.

I agree with Mr.Kevin, he has hit the nail on the head. Howard is about division, individualisation and corporate greed. Anyone who believes in collectivity will be crushed by the far right. Australia is on its way to Fascism, under this persons rule.

If the ALP would get their act together then Howard would not have had such an easy ride. Latham had the right idea but lacked the necessary character. The infighting of the ALP and Democrats is more to blame for the lack of checks and balances than Howard.

It is interesting that the first comment on any radical or left-dissident essay published by On Line Opinion often comes from someone like Leigh, keen to condemn and dismiss it out of hand : in this case, Leigh's post came in only about an hour after my essay went up on OLO. I wonder if Leigh sees the relevance of this paragraph in my essay:

"Quietly networking in universities and think-tanks, distributing grants and consultancies, vetting appointments and promotions, this hidden army of persuaders is at work in strategic areas of civil society - mainstream media, the Internet, culture and academe. Dissenters are identified, and their personal vulnerabilities filed - ready for co-ordinated attacks when the time is right, with the aim of discrediting and marginalising their voices. In this way, cultural pluralism is suppressed and social consensus around the political centre is strengthened."

Bravo Tony Kevin! I used to feel unambiguously proud to be an Australian—you have beautifully articulated the circumstance underpinning the erosion of that pride. Commensurate with my diminishing pride is the ever increasing sense of alarm I feel that Howard's social and political agenda is propelling me along a trajectory that I have no heart for. However, rather than lulling me “into helpless acceptance of things we should not be accepting”, it has become the impetus behind my (somewhat late in life) resolve to be more politically aware and active.
p.s. Leigh, I for one, am pleased to say that I HAVE heard of Mr Kevin and I value his opinion.

Kevin,

I noticed that you are still using the old Critical Theory. The first of your supporters went for it hook line and sinker, agreeing that Howard is leading us to "facism".

For those who don't know, this theory goes back to the Moscow Committee of 1943. You call people things like facist, racist and so on and keep it up until non-thinkers accept that these tags must fit. Kevin and those of his ilk still get a lot of mileage from those dumb enough to fall for it.

Kevin is far from dumb, though, and is using the dummies to further his cause of global socialism.

I agree with Kevin in part, but I can't help but think that this process started under the Hawke/Keating Government(s). The sale of QANTAS, Commonwealth Bank and other government assets, the Button Plan that virtually destroyed what was once Australia's self sufficency by eleminating protection from cheap labour.

What's worse - I can't see any future governments reversing this trend.

Don't know about the "facism" aspect, but otherwise I have to agree with Mr. Kevin. I also concur with Narcissist in that the rot that's slowly destroying our old Australian way of life most definately started back in the Hawke/Keating years. They actually laid the foundations that supports the framework of the Howard Government. As an Australian, I'm forced to sit back in dismay as our rights and privileges aren't eroded, but smashed by a Federal Government more interested in the welfare of big business than looking after the average Australian. Back in the 70's, life was mostly carefree as I travelled on the back of a Harley, attended parties with rightous people and mingled with 1 percenters. God, how I wish for those old days. I never then thought I'd see our way of life go down the toilet as it has done during the last two decades. Wildcat.

This all sounds a bit like leftie paranoia. Mr Kevin is all up in arms because the federal government is picking up all the train wrecks the ALP state governments have left laying around.

The people are demanding the federal government do something about the hospital mess, unsafe roads, mental health. Who has responsibility for these? The states are floundering in their own messes trying to cover up what hasn't worked and ignoring the fact they have no plans or strategies to address the real issues.

Education in our country is not real swift because all the states have different requirements - none of which seem particularily challanging for our youth to be able to compete on a world stage. So, in steps the federal government to try to make some sense out of it all.

As Mr Kevin admits, the Howard government is doing what the people want government to do. And many times it is because the poeple can't get local or state government to take responsibility.

I agree that many of the seeds of the present crisis were sown under the Hawke/Keating regime. But then there was a fundamental sense of fairness in government and a vision of a more just society. That has disappeared in the 10 grim years under Howard. His government has made Australia something it had never been before- an unjust society. And there are no checks and balances. The legislature and judiciary dance to the tune of the executive. The press faithfully trots out government propaganda. There is no community funding unless you toe the government line. And the union movement has been destroyed deliberately to entrench the government politically and to neuter potential critics. An unjust society where the middle class pay for the rich and the poor. While people have been misled as the concept of truth has been redefined by government(Children Overboard, Oil for Food and any number of ministerial conflicts of interest, we should see through this and not stand for it any longer. I see fascism as people existing for the sake of the corporate state and not the state serving them. It seems a pretty fair description of the Howard years.

Tony Kevin,
We on OLO are used to Leigh poo pooing anyone who threatens to hold an alternate view to his hero Johnny Bonsai. Leigh rarely adds anything to a discussion, don't pay any attention, we don't!

Interesting piece, where is Winston Smith, it must be a communist plot, a bible quote for Leigh "There are none so blind as those who will not see."

RIP "A Fair Go" Passed away un-noticed about 20 years ago.

Birth Notice
"I'm OK Stuff You" Exact date of birth unknown.

An Ex conservative voter>

I agree with Tony as well. John Howard seems to have studied at the Bjelke Petersen school of sociopolitical theory. And does stunningly well at it.

I tend to disagree with the idea that the machinery will continue to run without Howard at the controls. Like his own recent comment that the royal family would lose traction without the queen, I don't think the whole shebang would survive without him.

Whoever inherits Howard's throne, of either side, will take advantage of the absence of checks and balances which is not good, but I don't believe any of the current crop could control as well as Howard.

The Leighs of this world should probably consider their support for Howard's system in light of inevitable change of government. Without the traditional safeguards a lefty govt would be as accountable and even handed as this one is. Would Howard supporters be as enthusiastic about that?

Howard has done more damage to Australia that a lot of people realise,but never fear the chickens will come home to roost

I Agree with you Leigh

Kevin seems to be someone frustrated about not being leader but does nothing to pursue leadership. Instead he sits, as one who can’t (lead), quietly feeding from the public trough, moaning and belittling the activities of those who can (lead).

Kevin “Quietly networking in universities and think-tanks, distributing grants blah blah”

ah “conspiracy theories”, the last bastion when faced with a lack of the credible.

It is all a right wing conspiracy, those damned electors have chosen not to accept the left wing tripe which the socialist have served up through their history of entryism into universities and other arenas of what theoretically should have been the politically neutral environment of academia.

Oh and Kevin, your assertion to “fascism”.

Yep more evidence of a dysfunctional perception engendered through frustration at the decisions of the general electorate.

Jo5h6n “Howard has done more damage to Australia that a lot of people realise”

Leaving people alone to make their own mistakes is a lot better than governments leading us into becoming a Banana Republic (Keating).

What the “left” have to offer was last displayed when as the potential Prime Minster, they offered Latham (a ratbag suffering chronic personality disorders).
Beazley is just a cushion filling the seat whilst they try to find someone with any credibility.
Maybe they will ask Kevin – oh he needs to be elected first – well maybe they just cannot stack the branches high enough to get him up!

Tony Kevin is depressingly accurate, there is no effective parliamentary opposition to counter the government under “politically skillful” Howard. Control of both houses can’t be termed fascism, it’s an electoral outcome, but with control of major media and zero effective opposition, it opens the way for oppression and abuse of power.

Howard’s “skill” is ruling at any cost, appealing to the worst elements of racism and meanness in society, and lieing his way through any issue.
Witness the increasing limitation of access to health care and education to the rich. Increasing gaps between rich and poor. Economic management by becoming the quarry of China.
Denial of the reality of climatic change with catastrophic futures, and the stacking of the Board of CSIRO with representatives of the fossil fuel industry!
Howard sent our troops to kill and die in an illegal war on the basis of blatantly wrong intelligence, cynically exploited to justify a cringingly subservient foreign policy.
Hundreds of refugees that could/should have been saved , have drowned seeking our shores on boats known of by the government and its intelligence agencies, at best ignored and allowed to die.
Those who applaud the “skill” of Howard and his colleagues should go to Washington, go to the Smithsonian memorial to Vietnam. Weep at the tragedy of loss and suffering. Visit the Vietnam Memorial, weep again at the list of 50,000+ names of the American dead killed in that futile cause. Remember the Gulf of Tonkin, more lies told by an Australian government grovellingly eager to assist in the killing. Weep at what the list of names and stories of tragedy would be like if there was a memorial to the civilian dead in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. Soon there’ll be memorials to the Iraq war dead of America and Australia. Appallingly there’ll be no memorial to the Iraqi innocents killed and maimed with our assistance.

Calling Mr. Kevin names is a pathetic response to a highly important argument. “communist” as a form of abuse went out of date when the last US soldier clambered off the embassy roof in Saigon.

There is an old bush saying that in business, especially in farming business, to always look back once in a while, and ponder over both your private and business life what was good luck and good judgment?

With John Howard, we could begin by asking was it only a rumour that the Howard government early in its first session, owing to a short of finance left from Labor and the need to prop up the housing industry mainly to lower unemployment, borrowed heavily from the US Federal Reserve? .

Did John Howard think wisely by backing America in the illegal attack on Iraq, which is now politically worse than a dog's breakfast, but with little Johnny hardly perturbed by it?

Did Johnny decide wisely about the Tampa Affair, or was that a lucky one? Or has Costello chosen wisely to invest so many billions in the Future Fund and let so many things run down, especially in education and helping build more hospitals, and rundown infrastructure, etc?

Dwelling now on the lucky breaks, electorally of course the Libs were able to inherit more than quite a few ultra-conservative votes from Pauline Hanson's collapse. But the most fortunate inheritance has been the economic rise of China, increasing the demand not only for coal, etc, but especially for iron ore. Also from China, has come the strong flow of amazingly cheap goods such as clothing and general hardware, naturally helping create consumer contentment in Australia, as well as keeping down inflation, which incidently is only mentioned by social scientists.

John Howaard has been accused by intellectuals as having a poor knowlege of history, even Australian history. So we might ask what comes first, and will it last, Howard's political knack, or the need to take the lessons especially from our political scientists about history?

Shonga,

You reckon: “We on OLO are used to Leigh poo pooing anyone who threatens to hold an alternate view to his hero Johnny Bonsai. Leigh rarely adds anything to a discussion, don't pay any attention, we don't! “

I’d be interested in seeing the poll of posters you took showing that “WE ON OLO” don’t pay any attention to nasty old Leigh who has the absolute gall to have his own opinions. Did you ask your respondents if Canada was or was not a republic in the same poll?

I know that you certainly hold a negative view of me because of my views and opinions, so why waste time telling everyone about it? If you concur with Tony Kevin, tell him. That’s between you and him. He doesn’t need you to tell him what a prick you think I am. If I disagree with Tony Kevin, I tell him and that’s between him and me. He reacted, and I again put a view. It is absolutely nothing to do with you.

Leigh's comments are hilarious, especially the idea that Tony Kevin is a Marxist!

And for those of us who really do know Critical Theory has little, if anything, to do with the "Moscow Committee of 1943".

Anyhow, I find it interesting that a broadly conservative, certainly realist, Canberra international relations type like Kevin is criticising the Federal government in this way, and perfectly rightly, too.

It is very reasonable to assess if our countries checks and balances are eroding. If people could put their political biases aside they might see that it has been happening for some time.

John Howard came into power promising (a core promise) that he would raise the standards of parliament under his reign. Keating had lowered the standards considerably in his and many Aussie's view and so he introduced his charter of ministerial conduct. OOps was that a doosy?... due to no fault of Howard, his ministers couldn't follow a code of conduct. He actually wanted them to uphold a standard and they couldn't even do that.

So Johnny being the strong leader that he is, dropped those like a hot scone and moved to his next cornerstone of political honesty core & non-core promises. A core promise was one you allegedly had to stick to so I suppose a non-core promise could at some times be a fib. Now we have a Govt who knows nothing or in the minds of many misleads parliament or just plain lies.

I don't see anything different in Labor so if we are intellectually astute enough can't we just analyse this?

We have a perfect opportunity for that. The Cole enquiry and the changing of our media laws.

If the mega-rich media barons are going to be able to filter everything we see, hear or listen to then that to me is a check and balance we will lose. We need independence in our media not pro Govt reporting. Furthermore this will put more pressure on "OUR" ABC ... especially seeing it's board is no longer independent. Have Liberal Party people been appointed to the board?

On Friday at the Cole enquiry the QC's made some allegations regarding their clients -
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200603/s1594202.htm

If the QC's allegations are correct in this article, our checks and balances are probably already eroded, and in considerable danger of being next to useless even in official enquiries.

Can anyone else unbiasedly analyse and see the problems we face if the QC's are correct in this article?

Does anyone else worry that police can arrest without charge, with shoddy judicial review, for dissent/planning terorism, with the definition of such activity up to their own interpretation?

To me, this is a prime and terrifying example of the erosion of our checks and balances since Howard has been in power.

And this issue is not to just a concern of "lefty"/communist sympathisers.

What if a police officer has a gripe with me because I spilt beer on him/her, looked at their spouse the wrong way, or thinks I smell funny?

Worse, what if a party needs to crucially gag a political opponent for a few days before an important, government-determining by-election?

Remember, no matter your political persuasion, this government could be one you are fundamentally opposed to (a Family First/Liberal coalition? A Socialist Alliance/Labor coalition? Who knows?)

And police can belong to political parties and have terrible authoritarian aspirations like the rest of us.

Sure, right now this seems far fetched, but what processes do we have now to stop it from happening?

These dangerous checks and balances were removed with more or less unilateral support in parliament. Hell, they are probably well regarded by most voters.

But to me, if people democratically decide to remove my democratic freedoms, that defeats the point of democracy.

You can worry about immigration, or detention centres, or being bombed, or religious fundamentalism, or whatever you want, but please don't allow our politicians to further erode our freedoms.

LEIGH,
My humble apology mate, as in the case of Canada. I don't agree with your views, however my earlier comment was a bit harsh. I don't think you are anything other than a gentleman with a different view to myself, to which you are entitled. I get a little carried away sometimes Leigh, difficult to control with chronic major depression.

I actually learn a lot from you comments and those of redneck Col Rouge and others of your ilk, please keep up the good work, I'll try hatder to make constructive critizism, of Johhny Bonsai, and not of you. Nothing personal mate, just frustration as to why and how the ordinary Australian accepts half truthd and straight un truths from her politicians, of all colours.

I choose Johnny Bonsai, only because he is currently in power, and Beazley say's nothing. If he does, it's usually "we agree, it's our policy too" Beazley/Bonsai "two peas in a pod." Again I am sorry for playing the man and not the ball.

Opinionated 2,
So in short both Liberal and Labor are bloody hopeless, and the Liberals in power are full of untruths. I am sure the media barrons will present us with their particulat slant on the truth, after the Liberals seel off the ABC, {ANOTHER THREAD} we will have Nochoice in the subtle brainwashing we and our children recieve. Sell, sell, sell, greed, greed, greed.

Aunty is supposed to present an alternative to commercial TV, however stupid yank comedies, and cartoons are slowly but surely creeping into programming, that annoying yankee drawl, ughhh!

Wibble

I take your point that with the erosion of checks and balances we are now susceptible to a less scrupulous government than that of Howard's. The stage is set and we, the people, have allowed it to happen.

Shonga,

Apology accepted. I know all about depression.

mhar,

Would you care to point out in what way my comments are hilarious, and how I got so muddled up when I thought I had carefully traced the connection between Critical Theory and the Moscow Committee, using the literature of people who know far more about the subject than I do.

I certainly did not intend to be 'hilarious', and am always willing to be corrected if I am wrong.

I also agree that the Howard Government is eroding national checks and balances. It is taking advantage of counter-terror hype to bully through some very right-wing agendas such as tight police powers, a strengthened defence force, softening privacy barriers to personal information access, etc.

However, anyone who wrings their hands at the inevitable slide into fascism is ignoring historical precedent or fear-mongering. We live in a cyclical world where everything from house prices to social, political and international attitudes swing between fairly well-controlled extremes. Howard has swung Australian political culture, and to a lesser extent social culture, towards a right-wing extreme. The resistance to this swing has been steadily growing over the past decade and will continue to grow at an increasing rate. When its power is sufficient to influence the ballot box, socielty and politics will begin the long slow swing to a libertarian wonderland where crime, illegal immigrants and fear of real terror are shaping the social agenda. Just wait forty or fifty years and see how we will be screaming for a strong authoritarian opposition to pull us up from the shadow of anarchy and impose some welcome police powers and private information sharing networks over us!

Now that Leigh and Shonga have made their peace, and just to set the record straight in regard to some wild allegations made by Leigh, I am not a Marxist; I know nothing useful about Critical Theory or any Moscow Committee; and Mhar's description of me as "a broadly conservative, certainly realist, Canberra international relations type" is pretty close to the mark - except that I have developed a conscience about Australia's international conduct when it contributes to the deaths of innocent people like those 353 who drowned on SIEV X, the uncounted numbers of Iraqi people who have died since and as a result of the US-led coalition's illegal invasion of Iraq in 2003 that has torn that country apart, and the kids who died when the Australian Government, the AWB and senior Saddam officials collaborated in stealing $290 million from a UN-administered fund intended to buy medicines and food for sick and starving Iraqi kids. No Marxist, Leigh - just an Australian with a conscience who asks, as many do, how can these things be happening over and over again under Howard? Where did our country go ?

Leigh

I just don't know what you think Critical Theory is. Check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_theory for a reasonable introduction.

As for Kevin being a Marxist, again what on earth do you think Marxism is and what did Kevin write that could be construed as in any way Marxist? It is just such an absurd statement that "hilarious" is the only word that seems appropriate.

Whilst on the checks and balances issue we need to look at some recent examples where untruths were told or people wrongly attacked.

When Howard needed the "Family First" parties preferences he promised them a "family impact statement" would be included in major legislation. As that didn't happen with the legislation to sell the rest of Telstra did Mr. Howard tell a big fib to a Christian based party.

Whilst this is not a check/balance it is an indicator as to the honesty of the Govt. and to the ends they may stoop to get what they want. If they can't be trusted to keep this simple promise to a christian based party... how far are they preapared to go in the future to get their own way?

Some people say it was "naive" of Family First but they would have made the decision in good faith. I think they know now what "Good Faith" means to this Govt.

The second incident was the attack on Barnaby Joyce by the Liberals and their yes sir, no sir, three bags full sir mates, the Nationals. Barnaby Joyce was doing for the most part exactly what the Senate was designed for. To give States an input into decision making. When Senator Joyce actually tried to do his job he was lambasted by his own side of politics.

If personal attacks on people from the same side of politics can be attempted as a method of silencing a person actually following the rules and representing his State properly then we are in a very sorry position.

Barnaby Joyce actually let down Qld. when he wasn't told Telstra may dismiss up to 12,000 staff. Seeing how the Howard Govt operates I can certainly understand why he wasn't informed. He did better than the others but he was still misled. I'm sure Senator Joyce was fuming when the truth came out.

Perhaps Senator Joyce might like to remember that the $3billion he gained may be disapper quickly if his vote is not so crucial. Nothing the Howard Govt does is set in stone... ever!

I could only shake my head in pitying wonder at Tony Kevin's analysis.

Last night on the TV news, Prime Minister John Howard, made a plea to the ALP to get it's act together. He quite rightly pointed out that Her Majesties Loyal Opposition has to make a case for change well before an election, and stick with it's own stated aims. It can not make policies on the run during an election, and then think that the electorate will take them seriousy. This must be the first time in English Parliamentary history when a Government leader has had to give political tips to his opponents.

In other words, Tony. It's the policies, stupid.

ALP apologists like Tony are utterly fixated upon personalities, not policies. The left wing press and the ABC treated Mark Latham as some sort of messiah, and they hung on his every word. It did not even occur to them that Mark Latham was looked upon by the electors as a particularly nasty piece of work. That Latham led the ALP into it's worst ever election loss should have given them a reality check. Nup. Now they are fawning all over Julia Gropeable as their new visionary leader who will lead them into the promised land.

Their personal attacks upon John Howard are looked upon as disgusting reputational rape by the electorate. This behaviour is indicative of a political party which has divorced itself so far from it's own traditional voters, that character assassination is all that they can manage. The ALP just will not face the fact that it's policies are on the nose with their own traditional voters.

Two thirds of Beazley's own electorate voted against the Republic. If this unpleasant fact can percololate down through Tony's impermeable skull, he might be capeable of figuring out why the ALP keeps losing elections.

redneck (is this an alias of Col Rouge?) just totally misses the point, like Leigh, his "alias" and the other supporters of the Howard puppet government. It's not about the current political situation. It's about whether the executive government is operating as a law unto itself without regard for basic rights and freedoms. The news today reports the "Work Choices" Regulations giving the Minister power to strike out clauses in an enterprise agreement he finds unacceptable shows how anti-democratic this government is. "Work Choices" is a sick title reminiscent of 1984: you only have the very limited choices allowed by government and even then they can be denied to you.
But the most telling statement apppears, of all places, on today's desk calendar which quotes Adalai Stevenson as saying "My definition of a free society is a society where it is safe to be unpopular." Exactly. It does not describe Australia today. No room for dissent: it's Howard's Way or nothing.

Is Redneck being intentionally ironic or does he fall into the same trap as he accuses Labor politicians of falling into? "Julia Gropeable"? "Tony's impermeable skull"? It's not enough to get you suspended for a flame, but....

mhar,

People who are not necessarily qualified can contribute to Wikpedia. In answer to your question, Critical Theory induces cultural pessimism and despair. Even in a wealthy, democratic country like Australia, people come to see their country as oppressive and evil when the Theory is used. It is a Marxist trick. Marxists try to create pessimism in a culture prior to change.

Tony Kevin, perhaps unwittingly as he claims not to know of it, used this in his article. He claims not to be Marxist, and who am I to deny his claim? However, his style, coincidentally let’s say, follows Marxist propaganda. And, incidentally, your attempt to suggest that I should be a figure of fun runs along the same lines.

As for the Moscow Committee, try this snippet:

“Members and front organizations must continually embarrass, discredit and degrade our critics. When obstructionist become too irritating, label them as fascist, or Nazi or anti-Semitic. The association will, after enough repetition, become “fact” in the public mind.” (Stephen Goode, “Radical Leftovers”, ‘Insight on the News, Nov 22, 1999).

That brings us back to Tony Kevin’s suggestion that we are sliding towards “fascism” via our current political situation which John Howard oversees.

Tony,

I could have been more diplomatic, and I accept that your are not a Marxist. I tend to see red when inflammatory words like “fascism” are used in relation to Australia or any electable political group in Australia. I hope the above explains why. I did dismiss your article out of hand for this, and I apologise. I will try to do better in future. The contributions published here make OLO possible, and all contributors deserve respectful argument

Leigh,

Can't you see that that labelling works on both sides of the equation? The Right uses that tactic, the left, the middle, the front, the back whichever direction you come from.

By using the term "his Marxist opinions" you are doing exactly what you criticise. Look up hypocracy in any dictionary and see what it says there.

As soon as anyone calls someone a Marxist or any other name they too have joined the club. Name calling of an individual is a cheap shot.

Your "faux pas" is that you see "red" as soon as someone mentions "facism" That's cause Reds are under the beds you know...lol

Surely in an intelligent debate the first thing is that there are degrees of right or left eminating from the centre in politics, and name calling of individuals should be unnecessary.

Communism, Socialism, Far Left, Left, Centre, Right, Conservative, Far Right, Facism etc. Therfore seeing there are these degrees it is reasonable to suggest that a Govt is heading towards Facism or the right or the left or Communism. It is all to do with policies and degrees. But both ends of the scale become heartless!

Malcolm Fraser said that the Liberal Party was no longer Liberal but now conservative. I sometimes think that Liberal voters don't realise that there is a difference between liberal and conservative.

What Fraser is saying is that we have drifted too far to the right. So as policies drift further in a particular direction we all should be concerned. Australia used to be far closer to the centre than we are now.

And for that both Labor and Liberal and the we the voters should be chastised.

Dear Mr Remote Centreman.

I consider the author’s premise, that the Howard government is undemocratic, to be the greatest load of BS since the so called “stolen generations”or the Hindmarsh Island "secret women's business" fiasco.

I am a trade union member and a former member of the ALP.

The ALP is a totally undemocratic Party whose autocratic leadership simply ignores the collective wishes of their branch members. With all the imperiousness of absolute monarchs, they impose their unpopular policies on their own members while making less than subtle statements to the media, that they consider working class and disadvantaged class Australian people to be beneath their contempt. The ALP politician who said that the ALP leadership was once “the cream of the working class, but is now the dregs of the middle class”, got it exactly right.

The ALP is now controlled by university artz graduate types who make no bones about their total hatred of my country, my people, my British heritage, and our American allies. They appear to be obsessed with inventing new and novel ways to ram that message home. When they are not demanding a republic and asking schoolchildren to design a new flag, they are crying "shame Australia, shame" over something. Anything. Their sympathies and concerns are directed to everybody else in the world, but never to their own people.

Any reasonable person would conclude that such attitudes are indicative of ALP implosion and electoral defeat, and it is.

But instead of concentrating on policies that would attract their own traditional voters, the ALP leadership and their apologists simply think up idiotic scare tactics like “The Howard government has no checks and balances”, which most electors can see through like a sheet of glass.

Mendacity is everywhere
OR
Howard of the Overflow
I had written him a letter, which I had, for want of better Knowledge, sent to where I met him at the Wheat Board, years ago.
He was chairman when I knew him, so I sent the letter to him Just on spec, to make the point that "Howard doesn't want to know".

And an e-mail came directed, not entirely unexpected (And I think the same was written in some Middle Eastern bar).
'Twas his CEO who wrote it, and verbatim I will quote it:
"Trevor Flugge's gone to Baghdad, and we don't know where he are.

But when he left Australia, he was going to meet with Alia, A trucking mob in Jordan, who were keen to grease the wheels.
For 10 percent commission, they could swing Saddam's permission To get our wheat accepted; it's the mother of all deals.

But I guarantee, Prime Minister, that there's nothing at all sinister.
The chaps at DFAT told us that the sums looked quite okay.
When you're selling wheat in billions, what's a quick 300 million?
If it keeps the Nationals happy, it's a tiny price to pay."

Sitting here at Kirribilli, I've been thinking, willy-nilly, That it's somehow reminiscent of the children overboard:
But I can handle Rudd and Beazley, as I always do, quite easily By endlessly protesting that there's nothing untoward.

I'll tell Bush next time I meet him at The White House, when I greet him, That I'm sure he'll understand about the Wheat Board's quid pro quo.
He'll forgive this minor error in the global war on terror When I look him in the eye and tell him . . . . Howard didn't know!

The downhill slide began when the wishes of Canberra's designer, Walter Burley Griffin, were completely ignored, and the subsequent Parliament House was constructed on Capital Hill, which was meant to be kept free from construction. Burley Griffin explicitly opposed having the Parliament House in its current position since it would create a powerful symbol of centralised power, directly aligned with the Australian War Memorial.

The Parliament House was meant to be built by the side of lake. But no, instead for the foreseeable future we are stuck with an arrogantly positioned cross between bunker and citadel. Custom made by and for arrogant political leaders.

SHONGA I am pleased you learn form my comments. Maybe one day we will even see you implementing a few of them.

Remote centreman, “Exactly. It does not describe Australia today. No room for dissent: it's Howard's Way or nothing.“

Oh and when was the last time you or anyone else in Australia was carted away to be purged of your "dissent".

I seem to remember conformity to the socialist view was the hallmark of the Hawke and Keating governments. I recall it is the socialist government of Victoria which has introduced the most draconian legislation to curb freedom of expression in their anti-vilification legislation, where freedom of expression has taken a back seat to political correctness.

btw “redneck” posts as “redneck” and “Col Rouge” is an entirely different individual.

I said originally the problem with the bloke who wrote the article is - he has not been elected to do anything.
Constructive criticism is one thing but continual whining is not constructive. Better he fround a real job instead of trawling around and dumping puerile articles like this one onto an unsuspecting public.

Thank you for your clever prose, Diver Dan, I salute your perspacicity.

Thank you also for confirming my premise that those most enamoured of anti Howard sentiments like "Republic, Reconciliation and Refugees" are the ones who live the furtherest away from the consequences of those sorts of policies.

You do not have to worry much about ethnic crime, drive by killings and rampant drug trafficking because you live in leafy suburbs protected by economic fences higher than the Berlin Wall.

Here is a bit of prose from the Vietnam War.

"Train him well, the man who will be marching by your side
But never turn your back on him when the battle turns it's tide
For the colour of a man's skin speakes louder than commands
When you have white boots marching in a yellow man's land."

That could apply to OUR country too.

Col, redneck,
We don't agree, however I certainly do learn from your comments, and I am most appreciate your honesty, as with Leigh.

Col sorry mate, I have too much compassion for my fellow man to ever take your views and use them in practise, however you all reveal a side to humanity I have never understood before I came to this place. Because I do not agree vwith your views, that does not mean that I don't understand them, I would very much like to know the circumstances behind such views, as while understanding the views, I am unable to understand what would drive ordinary mortals to such views?

When I was at school we studied George Orwell's novel 1984 as a warning of the dangers of living in a totalitarian state.

It appears the Howard government have used the novel as their blueprint for Australian society in 2006.

At ALL Commonwealth Gamess there are security guards checking EVERYONE - athletes, employees, volunteers, audience - for bombs. The Aussie guards are paid $45 to $20 and guards hired in New Dehli at $4.50 per hour. How can an Indian fail an Australian criminal records check when they have never been here? Can the Australian Police satisfy themselves that their check of Indian residents is as thorough as the checks on Australians?

As the fixed price security contract was let to an obscure firm you can understand why the owner is keen to hire cheap labour. The owner pockets the rest of the money. I am sure the contract documents are "commercial in confidence" and the owner is associated with the Melbourne establishment.

Good article Tony
Howard learned from history. If you keep the population scared(of the bad guys) and then promise to protect them from harm, then you can take away their freedoms.
This way of governing (misgoverning) was used a long time before hitler and co. came on the scene, it is used in the USA, Uk and Australia.
Unfortunatly the ALP does not propose an alternative way of governing, just a slightly different flavour.