Rainier's quite right, of course. Selwyn Johnston is a far right ex-military type who sees himself as a politician in the North, having lost several elections abysmally. He probably hopes to pick up Lower House votes from the boofheads who vote for Hanson in the Senate.

Not that it'll do him any good. He's an idiot and everybody knows it (except for 6 - 8 percent, I reckon).

jimoctec said:

"There is nothing like an election for a political candidate to try to play the "moral panic" card, especially if it is also the race card."

Quite so. Fortunately, most North Queenslanders aren't quite as racist as old Selwyn, as his previous electoral efforts attest.

When I was a child I thought like a child. I thought the UN was a wonderful idea that could change the world. As an adult I now know diifferently. Can anyone tell me what the UN has done to make things better. Really better. I would like to see a HR declaration on the rights of girl children not to have their gentials mutilated. Is that too simple? The UH likes to pontificate endlesssly on meaningless babble about rights. I would also like to see a UN declaration of the Responsibilies of the worlds citizens.

father of night questions the usefulness of the UN. The UN presence in Timor has contributed mightily to the bottom line of Toyota by providing brand spanking new 4WD mobile roadblocks to all and sundry. They support the Dili realestate industry by paying whatever is asked for the very best accommodations and office space. This drives up values but businesses (not normal residents) are subsidised by the UN via a clever foil. Employment levels have risen because the UN staff require cooks, house cleaners, car cleaners and gardeners plus a multitude of office drones to relieve them of the boredom of completing self-generating, cost intensive projects. So they do help in their own little way.

Some people never grow up..

Sure the U.N is not perfect and an overhaul is long overdue.
When I was a child the League of Nations was the world's attempt to bring about world peace which failed, The birth of the United Nations rekindled the desire for peace amongst the peace loving people of the world after WW2 with Australia's Evatt playing a leading role. We need Statesmen like him to rise to the occasion once more instead of the sorry caricatures we have at present

If blame is to be apportioned,don't throw the baby out with the bath water but seek to work out why the UN is not as successful as it could be. It will continue to fall short of expectations whilst ever some countries selfishly use their powers of veto. Direct your venom in their direction.

Why didn't the UN just abbreviate the Declaration to:

"Article 1: Indigenous Peoples can do whatever they like, all the time."

The End.

Now that's easy to read.

Hmm,

I've read the transcripts of a lot of international treaties and UN Declarations over the last decade. The 1994 draft is definitely very poor, and I have to say the final draft is only slightly better. There is a big difference between redressing past injustices, helping to improve the standard of living, eliminating discrimination, and helping to restore a sense of cultural pride for an indigenous community, and practically bestowing upon them the status of a state within a state. Article 46.1 may appear to protect the "territorial integrity or political unity of a sovereign State." However, the Declaration's focus on autonomy, and its strong encouragement to indigenous communities to see themselves as a distinct cultural and political entity, who can nevertheless "(retain) their right to to participate fully, -if they so choose,- in the political social and cultural life of the State," really makes 46.1 seem like a token gesture.

Why is there no call to indigenous communities to 'seek assimilation into the mainstream culture of the state, in a spirit of openness and good-will, of their own, informed free will'? Some of the posters on this forum use the term "assimilation" as though it means "cholera." Migrant communities, such as the Chinese or Italian, in Australia have been able to find a healthy balance between assimilation and the maintenance of a strong cultural identity. This Declaration appears to encourage the divisive identity politics that Multiculturalism has encouraged in Australia and Europe over the last few decades.