Pay back is a bitch, but be careful what you sow.

It seems that Melaine Phillips http://www.spectator.co.uk/melaniephillips/376981/croz-dressers.thtml

"Update for our Aussie friends: New Labour has turned into a slow motion car crash; and Cameron’s Tories have discovered that it is only when they say conservative things that their poll ratings go up.

Moral: political cross-dressing is a seriously over-rated pastime. "

One thing is clear is really wouldn't matter which political party is in power. Interest rates will do what interest rates do. That is go up and go down.

It would be wonderful if the dead-head Y Generation did all migrate to New Zealand. They are no use here, and NZ immigrants to Australia have left plenty of room for them. It is appalling to contemplate that these total wastes of space are, as this one of them says, “the future leaders of Australia”. At 50 years of age, Kevin Rudd probably thinks the same way as we seniors do. If Rudd did deliberately appeal to the Y Generation as Ford seems to think, gawd help us all!

We can be sure that Ford really believes that: “Rather than being the disinterested lot we're painted as, young folk these days are far more savvy when it comes to, well, just about anything that their parents dealt with.” But that’s only because Generation Y is so disinterested in anything but itself, and wouldn’t have a clue what previous generations think, do or did. Everything was ‘just there’ for the little punks.

And simply denying that Generation Y is “anything but” self-interested and selfish, is merely a childish denial completely bereft of any self-examination. Also, the fact that this twerp can call a man (John Howard) old enough to be her grandfather, and with commensurate life experience, a “war monger” and yes man completes her self -portrayal as an ignorant little girl.

Generation Y should have been smothered at birth

John Howard, you have a lot to answer for.

If you had won, this silly bitch, & most of her contempories, would now be on their way to New Zealand.

When you look at the rabble they elect to their parliament, they would probably have been stupid enough to let them in.

Its our own fault of course. We allowed the progressives to get control of our education system, & they gave us little twits like this one.

These Ys are going to have to make some rather dreadful mistakes, before they grow up.

Sounds like the fire in Leighs belly has all but consumed him - to the point he may render himself a pile of ash;

But it is in his language you find the truth and part of the reason Howard was spanked at the polls.

Leigh asserts

"dead-head Y Generation" - "Generation Y is so disinterested in anything but itself, and wouldn’t have a clue what previous generations think, do or did. Everything was ‘just there’ for the little punks".

"Generation Y should have been smothered at birth".

This is the language of the mean sprited and bitter Australia the electorate rejected - it is the language indeed of the war monger - it is the language of smugness and elitism that longs to exclude all but that which resembles itself - it is the language that represents the face of an Australia that has been seen as ugly dismissive and contemptuous of Immigrants and refugess and by defaualt overseas born Australians.

It is the language of a dead culture.

Leigh, I'd be a little less bitchy if I were you - this is the generation whose taxes are going to fund your nursing home place. A little more generational respect would be nice.

That out of the way, the piece was rather silly, and the author deserves some ridicule for what amounts to poking out her tongue. Yes, with Howard having one eye firmly planted on retirement, the Libs came across as a party with no future plans. Entirely backup by their negative campaign. The big tax cuts on offer didnt even suck many people in. Rudd came across as looking more conservative than Howard (whether or not that it true is an entirely different kettle of fish - this is politics afterall, and the shine will come off once its generally realised that Rudd will not be able to keep all of his promises either). So those that normally vote based on economic issues, were freed up to vote on social issues.

The other issue that I keep pointing out to my (gen Y) hard-core Lib voting husband, who insists on "we are going to have a recession because of Labor and interest rates are going to go through the roof", is that if we go into recession, then interest rates will come down (RBA rates at least), and it will have nothing to do with which party is in power. The joys of an independent reserve bank.

Nice opening salvo there countrygal. That had me grinning, because it's precisely what rankles the younger generation.

Well said sneekeepete.

I'm fine with respecting my elders, but not when they don't respect the younger generation in return. If that's their attitude, to hell with them.

For an bitter old fellow, you don't have much appreciation for history Leigh.
Every generation has looked out for itself, the boomers being a prime example. For a time, I felt annoyed that as a voting block they'd chosen things like free university, free healthcare and so on, before voting on higher pensions to be funded by privatising the things that supported them... thus screwing the next generation.
But I've since come to the conclusion that this is something all generations do and you can't really blame them for it.

Enjoy your nursing home Leigh, and for their sake, at least try to respect that hardworking nurses of generation Y whom you loathe so much.

We, the Sheeple do love a good escapist story.

K.rudd certainly is a grand story teller.

Lets wait and see what the new gubbermunt actually does.

Sounds like an article written by a spoilt brat who never received a spanking in her life. If NZ was so good why has we had mass immigration from there? I am glad its Mr Rudd that has to put up with the likes of Clementine Ford. Mr Howard certainly does not deserve it.

Runner. John Howard deserves absolutly nothing, though he walks away with a handsome pension and super, plus plenty of perks. For doing what?

Saying Sorry

Though not a labor voter, but just a retired Cockie who in the wheatbelt district of Dalwallinu, in my young days nearly 150 K’s across and taking in the goldmining town of Paynes Find, had much to do with the Wongi and Yamagee tribes, finding them as gracious as or better as many white persons.

It hurts so much to have my own sons and their sons treating today’s Aborigines like low life, mostly caused I believe by today’s political officialdom that we owe no apology.

As one who still regards himself more as an agrarian socialist or unionist, does not only thank Kevin Rudd, our new PM, for the promise to apologise to our original Aussies in the coming days, but also Malcolm Turnbull, who has had the decency and commonsense to try to promise what Canada in the last few years has indeed asked forgiveness of the Canadian Indigines.

In one of my earlier Posts, and as a qualified historian regarding WA history, did report how angry and desperate I felt to write how Midgericoo the ageing father of the exceedingly bright and popular Yagan was simply depicted in colonial reports as shot at 20 paces outside the Perthtown barracks.

Indeed, it has been so long, one could go on to suggest that as also has been suggested by a Roman Catholic Padre that following Canada we could offer permanent representation in our Parliament similar also to Canada - and of course figures in New Zealand, but was part of an official Armistice.

As having a natural bent for all types of history, and still regarded as a writer of unecessary Old Pap stuff by some of our group, might conclude that if the title also includes Left Wing Lunacy, might say the way many of our beaten Libs are still carrying on, must say I am now very proud to be among, what historians do call part of the Avant Garde, or the heralders of much needed change - all this despite among them, the usual raggedy arsed camp followers.

Sneekeepete, Country Gal,

I have to say that I’m disappointed that you two have sunk to the same level as a small group using OLO who simply cannot tolerate freedom of speech for anyone but themselves. Just sitting back and waiting to rubbish someone else instead of putting forward your own sincerely held opinions seems pretty cowardly and empty to me; but perhaps that is a generational thing neither of you understands.

What are your opinions? Where are your original posts supporting Clementine Ford? You are allowed to be positive about articles you agree with, you know. You then make your opinion clear without presenting yourselves as nasty little people who can’t bear anyone who doesn’t agree with them. Most posters seem to be able to manage what you two and a few others cannot.

OLO gives everybody the opportunity to express opinions – even those you and I don’t agree with. Probably, about 80% of the posts here, I disagree with. Probably about 80% of the posters here disagree with my posts. Most of us seem to have tacitly agreed to live and let live, and reserve our scorn or praise for the people who actively seek public opinion by writing articles.

Contributors are invited by the editor to present material for our opinions. It is a waste of time commenting on other posters’ opinions.

It is also, I know, a waste of time trying to conciliate with people like you. The more I respond to you, the better you like it. I will return to the practice of scanning posts upward so that I can see who is making the post and read only those made by people I respect, including those posters with whom I disagree.

You and your kind can take a running jump

Leigh is one of the more amusing contributors on OLO. Bitter and twisted suggesting a generation should have been smothered at birth then furious somebody has a contrary opinion about that!

Clementine, enjoyed your article. As a parent to generation Y'ers all I can say is that they are not nearly as self obsessed and selfish as many of their baby boomer parents many of whom are deeply into navel gazing and self help workshops. Baby boomers developed the whole idea of self obsessive 'individualism'. What's in it for ME, is an older generation's mantra, the ones who could think no further than the mortgage on their investment properties.

Thankfully it wasn't only the younger generation who voted overwhelmingly labor. Many of us focus on a bit more than the mortgage repayments of our houses.

Clementine, the future belongs to you.

Provided you don't end up like Leigh and Hasbeen, it will be a good future.

Leigh, you could at least do me the respect of reading what I wrote, before asserting that I gave no opinion on the article (its there in black and white - I didnt like the article). I read your post after all. Given that this is called on line opinion, I dont see a problem with discussing the opinions of other posters - this is ultimately where most article discussions turn up. Incidently I used to often agree with your posts, but you have become quite bitter and nasty over the last 6 months or so (yvonne, he used to be quite reasonable, and willing to debate an issue). Making a comment about a generation that should have been smothered at birth is inviting attack, so if you dont like it, dont be inflammatory. And yes, like everyone else, I can lose my patience and get stuck into another poster - I'd find the critisism a lot easier to accept though if it didnt come from someone that was so prone to doing so himself.

TRTL, a good point about free services for all being voted out once the benefiting generation had finished with them! I hadnt thought along those lines - a very interesting point.

I think that Leigh has outdone even Col Rouge in the OLO Victor Meldrew Clone stakes. What a cantankerous old fuddy duddy. And runner's comment is beneath contempt.

Well said sneekepete, CG, yvonne and Mercurius.

Although I'm in my 50s, I found much that I liked in the wonderfully named Clementine's article. I've just spent a few days with my son and his friends, who've all just finished high school and are moving into adulthood. Their attitudes to politics are pretty much as related - in some ways very savvy, but in 'big picture' terms woefully naive and ignorant of reality.

But isn't that the status and role of the youner generation? To challenge and try and change things before inevitably becoming cynical and self-interested. That's what my generation did - we got us out of Vietnam and ultimately consigned the Cold War to history.

Now most of my 'boomer' cohorts are living enormously comfortable lives that directly and indirectly consume disproportionate amounts of food, resources, energy and land. I know this because I'm one of them and I consciously try to live comfortably without leaving an excessive 'footprint'.

Generation Y not only has to pay for our pensions, but they inherit from us a greatly diminished and threatened world in environmental terms. I hope there's lots of Clementines among them.

We baby boomers aren't young enough to know everything.

Inter-generational sniping aside, this article suddenly made me wonder if anyone knows who were the swinging voters who delivered the landslide last Saturday. Was it Gen Y (or Gen Why? as I prefer to call them), or older voters who can remember not only Hawke and Keating but previous Liberal governments which weren't consumed with spite and under which Australia enjoyed a reputation for decency and humanity, or was the swing across the board? Would be very interesting to know.

Countrygirl pretty much said it all pretty well for me, though I don't often see posts of Leigh's I can agree with.
It's more the constant hostility that's evident in posts that I feel the need to react to. I dare say I fall in his category of people supposedly limiting his free speech, but the truth is mate, nobody's stopping you from posting.

They're just holding you to account when you say things like 'generation Y should have been smothered at birth.'

How the hell are these people supposed to react to that Leigh? Judging by your earlier post, if that was said about you, you'd go into conniptions and say you're being victimised.
Feel free to express your opinion Leigh. Learn to deal with it when other people criticise. When your opinions are so negative on so many things, there's going to be plenty of criticism. This is when debating comes into play, though I note in earlier threads you say you don't want to debate, you just want to express your opinions.

Tough. There's nothing wrong with asking people to back their opinions. I know I'm happy to back what I say with reasons.

On the article: I tend to think Clementine is being a bit naive, and that Rudd was being rather patronising, especially in his media relations. If I'd heard 'working families' 'education revolution' 'housing crisis' or 'fair go' one more time I think I may have snapped.

She's right insofar as Howard didn't present a viable alternative, and many have been waiting for Howard to be removed, so the old fashioned insular conservatism doesn't get a look in.

Another article made the point that the Howard Haters aren't really the ones who decided the election however - which is true, if that were the case Latham would have won.
Truth is, Rudd was pretty much neutral, and is locked into most of Howard's economic policy anyway, so the exercise was more about people voting Howard out because he's disappointed them, while maintaining the status quo.

Candide made an interesting point. I know she speaks for someone like myself. Someone who does remember previous governments. Rudd moved the labor party where the liberals used to be.

Sneekeepete, alluded to the increasing insular meaness of the last government. By the overwhelming election victory it became crystal clear they were beginning to represent only a very small section of the Australian people.

CJMorgan, exactly. It is great to see a younger generation without the tired cynicism. A very necessary commodity when starting out on life. My mother who is nudging 80 is thankful she doesn't have to start out now in this overcrowded world full of people who mainly obsess about economics without having learned a thing about the horrors of a world at war. So much for the war to end all wars. She is depressed about the sacrifices made by her generation.

As Mercurius said, the future does belong to Generation Y and their offspring.

Well I agree with the younger set.

I do remember living under labor governments and without the benefit of a mining boom we had very good lives.

The facts I remember of times under labor is different to how those times are being portrayed today.

My memory.

The older set of the time were complaining when interest rates were going down because they relied on high rates for their wealth growth. Now the older set complain how high the interest rates were back then because now they rely on increasing property values for their wealth growth. So self interest only. Both seemed to be happy with the status quo of the time and resent any change.

Next is unemployment. Truly anyone that does still have some memory intact would know that unemployment figures were highly overstated back then. Now they are highly understated. The biggest problem for the government was the black economy. People being paid under the table and people being paid unemployment while working was rampant.So improvements have been made to collect taxes from those that work and GST covers a lot of other money that misses a tax cycle so the government is now better off, but not necessarily the people.

But on egalitarism, human rights and a fair go, well Howard sold out on these Aussie values. As the saying goes, we are a society not an economy.

Perhaps the younger set have a better big picture than memory challenged selfish oldies worried about losing money we never really earned in the true sense of the word.

So we hand over to the young...as we should and hope that....

Australia has it's mojo back.

In their arrogance, Clementine Ford and her useless generation assume that countries like New Zealand would have accepted them as ‘refugees’ from the Howard Government. The naïve little darlings also overlook the obvious question arising from their pouting and posturing: “Why the hell didn’t you try leave during the 11.5 years you were suffering so badly under the Howard Government?”

They can’t leave Mummy and Daddy, that’s why. Mummy and Daddy Generation X-exers are, to be fair about it, the real villains: they produced Generation Y and tried to be friends with them, instead of proper parents. As soon as they turn 16, buy them a car; let them live at home for nothing or next to nothing even when they get a job; finance their ‘gap year’; excuse their abominable behaviour because some whacko psychologist decides that they are not fully mature until the are 25 years of age (all the while defending their rights to indulge in the good side of maturity, of course), and so on, until we have the really horrid Y Generation.

The shrinks tell us that the both-working-full-time parents of the brats in question are feeling guilty because they ‘weren’t there’ for their offspring: a reasonable hypothesis, but still no excuse for inflicting Generation Y on the world.

If we look seriously at the deteriorating state of the world, we can see that the attitude of the Y Generation is a symptom of much worse to come. As an atheist, I obviously don’t believe in the Bible; but, I have to admit to giving thought to Armageddon and Sodom and Gomorrah at times.

I can’t think of a group better suited to bringing about total destruction than Generation Y when it finally takes over. Previous generations have done some pretty bad things, but the appalling quality of Generation Y will bring on the big one.

I’m glad that the Y’s themselves and their apologists will be the ones to cop it. Keep sneering and laughing at me while you still have the chance, you jerks

Dear, oh dear Leigh! You'll give all us atheists a bad name, ha,ha,ha!

What's happened here is simply that an article has been written by a youngster and it shows in the words she has used. As we age, we see things quite differently from generations on either side of the "generation gap." At almost 54 years of age, I look back in abject horror at some of the things I've done in my younger days. We're all getting older and the bigger the generational gap, the worse the differences seems, but gen Y will find their feet just the same as we older ones did.

Clementine has submitted an article which gives an overwhelming impression that she doesn't like the policies of the Howard led Government. And yes, she has "stuck her tongue out" a little, but in all fairness to Clementine, I do believe Howard deserved it.

Howard had us living in a climate of fear. Fear of refugees, fear of immigrants, fear of losing your job or having your income eroded by the introduction of Workchoises. He had the Australian Press living in fear. They simply weren't game to print what they really thought of Howard and his cronies. Let's not even go near the sedition laws whereby a person can be arrested like a common criminal without excuse and not even allowed to discuss what happened whilst in custody with his wife or partner. Laws against Australian citizens, such as those, are nothing less than ghastly.

I for one am glad Howard went out the way he did. He was never a figure history would remember for his greatness, but rather Howard will be remembered for what he was, a megalomaniac who sought eventually to put his interests in becoming the longest serving Australian PM ahead of the needs of his party. In fact, I doubt Howard will be remembered at all.
Aime.

Sebsequent generations have to pay for the retirement of the previous generation that paid for the subsequent generations education and upbringing and everything else we take for granted, like working conditions, infrastructure and so on, into infinity.

This intergenerational indebtness thing goes both ways and quibbling in one direction only is so non-sensical, it defies comprehension.

Its the nature of things, the cycle of life.

Wake up, get a grip, deal with it and try being, er, thankful, you glass-half-empty cry babies.

Country Gal, subtlely and politely reminds Leigh that
- I'd be a little less bitchy if I were you - this is the generation whose taxes are going to fund your nursing home place. A little more generational respect would be nice.-

and may I add when assessing your scabies outbreak....how much kero goes into the bath water!

But seriously now....Howard's gone and his Iraq legacy persists (and our high petrol prices to fund the "fight on terrorism") and yes, we do get the leaders we deserve. White Australia is only two long lifetimes old, so yes, we gonna make lots of mistakes before we reach our historical adolescence. We still have a very stable democracy and that above all, this is most pertinent. And as a consequence we can have our say without being removed (permanently) in the early hours by the regime. So let's enjoy our ability to throw a bit of banter around and express our opinions openly and honestly. It's a great thing!

miss allaneous

The opening paragraph of Clementine says it all. It's characteristic of the weak in character to run away when the going is getting hard and make their exodus to new countries in search of their EASY CONTENTMENT. There are no Nietzscheans among such discontented people.

http://kotzabasis3.wordpress.com

At first I felt such total shock that the Howard government should be so thoroughly rejected, but now I think Australia has had the election it had to have.
When the ALP ,as it always does, begins to sink the country and the 'true believers' finally to see the truth,we will see a chastened country where the populace has been savagely woken from the deep, comfortable,snug dream time and has to take responsibility for it's actions.
Australia, you have been feather bedded too long. Wakey Wakey!

The ignorance and historical ignorance of so-called Gen Y is flaunted once more. 'Payback is a bitch" is an expression from the baby-boomers.

Aime, Howard will be remembered for Workchoices, if there is a remnant of that reform remaining. Personally I will remember him for fully privatising Telstra, despite promises to the contrary. Apart from the negatives, he WOULD have been remembered long term as a reasonable PM, if he had the sense to retire about 2 years ago. He could have left the Workchoices legacy to someone else - in his eyes though, this would have hime remembered as a great PM, not just a good one. His greed and his declining political judgement are what got rid of him.

As I have said previously, I think Rudd got the chance because he comes across as very conservative (plus his wife's business background has got to give him a little boost too). Whilst switching is always a risk, the perceived risk was this time much less than previously (can you IMAGINE having Latham as PM). Rudd simply took up the middle-ground that Howard once occupied.

If Howard had won, the country would have seen that the Libs cant control the economy as well as they advertise that they can. We are headed for a downturn, if merely because of the world economic environment. If the Libs had retained this time, the next election would have seen Labor for sure, and probably for an extended period of time. With the coming downturn, the Libs get an easy shot at Labor, and a decent chance of winning govt at the next election (based simply on "look what THEY did"). Lib voters should be grateful about the timing of this, as it means that there is a good chance they will only have to put up with being the minority group for 3 years, instead of at least 6.

A "good" chance? Even if a global economic downturn does start to take hold in the next 3 years (not something I'd put money on anyway, despite problems in the U.S. and the possibility of an oil supply crunch), I would be pretty surprised if the Liberals had arranged themselves into an electable alternative by then. Single term Federal governments are exceedingly rare. Further the electorate would be smart enough to recognise that such a downturn was not something either party had any power to prevent.

I'd also suggest that were WorkChoices allow to stay, and more and more employees put on AWAs, then if a recession did bite, you would see the mother of all revolts, as employees would be dismissed in droves, and those that remained have their pay and conditions harshly stripped, no longer having the supposed bargaining power that full-employment conditions gave them. And while it's conceiveable that this would shorten the length of any downturn, the backlash against it would probably lead to IR reform being wound back by a decade or so, and any chance of further reform being politically impossible for a decade to come.

Leigh - I support your right to say what ever you like - nothing I have said suggests a denial of that - I dont have to like though - and am entitled to say why - as for my comments regarding the article - I am under no obligation to make any - on this or any other for that matter.

If I had anything to say it was expunged from my brain by the outrage at your desire to have visited genocide upon Gen Y - essentially because younger people expressed an opinion! - I think it is some what related to free speech you referred to earlier.

Exercising opinions here for me is sometimes a serious matter - sometimes for sport - but at all times for my own benefit - and that is the way it shall remain.

What a silly, spiteful little Balmain basket weaver this writer is. "Payback is a bitch". Good grief! Imagine feeling so inferior that you feel people are talking down to you. Your problem, not Johns, girly!
It is typical of the general lack of respect displayed by gen Yers such as Emma, though. Thinking you know more than your elders and betters. Hopefully she'll realise what a twat she's been in about 10 years.
That aside, I believe this elected government will have a honeymoon of 12-18 months before the unions start rattling cages and sabres.
Kevin won't be the answer to your prayers Emma. First decide what you want and then work out what YOU have to do to achieve your aims. You won't get anywhere, by the way, UNLESS you help others get what they require.So sorry, you're going to have to do some more work to get to your utopia.
Good fortune on your voyage of knowledge. I've a feeling you're going to need it.

tRAKKA, who were you addressing? The author of the article? As a mature babyboomer may I suggest that before you give a lecture on respect to elders to anybody of a younger generation at least know the name of the person you are lecturing. Especially if you are going to resort to disrespectful name calling and sneering comments.

Respect has to be modelled. Don't you have any children?

Truth Will Out

Urge Julia Gillard to do her stuff now in the Humanities.

Re’ recent news in our 'West Australian' about Israel illegally joining the nuclear club back in 1969.

Cannot believe as the article states that that Americans did not give permission.

Report that both Nixon and Kissinger were against it sounds like a deliberate lie.

If true that we let tiny Israel become a nuclear pariah power in the Middle East, with US permission to strike larger nations if needed, it should be regarded as one of the tragedies of modern history.

About Iran, said to possibly face an Israeli initial ariel attack next year, with American raids to follow? Though Iran should be able to stand up to America conventionally like Vietnamese cities also held out, looks like Iran will be suffering nuclear strikes from both America and Israel.

All this while Iran has never attacked another country in the Middle East, the US having broken just about every law in the book.

The latest piracy act by America is on right now in Iraq, the local Shias whom the US mainly went into save from Saddam’s Sunnis now look about to become America’s sworn enemies because they are related to Iran - while what’s left of Saddam’s crack 200,000 Sunni military force, looks like soon to be put on the US military payroll to help Cheney in his threatened attack on Iran.

It makes one wonder what will be eventually written about this stage of the Iraq War with so much muzzled by the media.

Now back to Mordecai - if the report is true that the US did not give permission for Israel to go nuclear, we might well ask who did with the UN apparently blacked out during this period?

So we are left with Mordecai trying to do the most Ethical Honourable thing towards world opinion, a poor bugger us cowards have let be virtually locked up forever for something the Israeli leaders should be the ones doing life for?

Come on Julia, please do something about it.

Cheers - BB, WA.

Dear yvonne,

How right you are! Respect has to be modelled and Clems parents weren't real flash apparently. Apologies to the Emmas out there. It's Clementine who's behaving like a twat...
I stand by my comments, nevertheless.
Her inferiority complex, resulting in, and please excuse the paraphrasing, "...being talked down to..." is hardly the mark of an objective or mature thinker. Prime requisites for reportage one would think...or is it OK for reporters to be vindictive?
I admit to a degree of ridicule in my comments... alright a lot of ridicule but I believe the dosage was less potent than the potentially orgasmic frenzy young Clem got herself into in imagining watching John being dragged kicking and screaming. Whichever you decide is the more disrespectful picture is OK with me!
I sincerely do hope that she looks back in 10 years and cringes. She might then take stock of the previous 10 years, realise what's involved in meeting the passing years just in her personal life and ask herself the question, "Could I, in addition to all that I've done and am now doing, enter the political arena and lead a country out of economic doldrums, shake it up, take some unpopular decisions, stay the course and be gracious in spite of success or failure?"
Smart money says that she won't. The ones who can keep their counsel and adopt an attitude of there being no bad examples just good examples of what to model and good examples of what NOT to model will probably still be providing her with opportunities to write... if she can find the time...
Defend her all you like Yvonne. I'm sorry that you beacme upset. If you look hard enough though, I think you'll find that you're critiquing the wrong person...
Have a nice day ;)

A funny thing happened on the way to this reply.

I started out incensed by the postings from Leigh and Hasbeen and others. Tired of dealing with such calumnies from the Boomers, I wrote a rant full of vitriol and intergenerational malice.

Then an interesting thought occurred to me- two actually.

Firstly, I decided that I wasn't really interested in being that guy. Denunciation of irrational comments is ultimately a pointless exercise.

But I do want to make one point.

As a fully paid up member of Gen-X, I find it hilarious to see the same slanders leveled against Gen-Y as against my own. What amazes me is where these comments come from: our parents and our grandparents. (Leigh- Boomers, not Gen-X, raised Gen-Y). You raised us, you educated us, taught us right from wrong, created the society we were raised in. If there's something wrong with our upbringing, why the hell are you looking any further than the mirror?

Nuff said.

Most importantly, I realized such criticisms from the Boomers are now effectively irrelevant. Kevin Rudd will likely be the last Boomer Prime Minister- especially if the ALP holds on for three terms.

That's a pretty momentous thought.

Over the next several years the Boomers are going to make a mass exit from business. While they will still remain a large voting block, their political capital will be vastly reduced.

With the exit of such a large slice of the workforce, both Gen-X and Y are going to be moving up the corporate ladder making both significant targets for the parties.

Is it any wonder then, that young people like Clementine feel that politicians are starting to talk to them, rather that over or at them. Was it a cynical vote buying exercise by Rudd? Maybe- but no worse that anything Howard engaged in.

In the words of Agent Smith: you've had your time. This is our world now- this is our time.

Howard is out and K.Rudd is in da house.

The post-Boomer world is dawning.

What an amusing little intergenerational spat this is. On the one side we have a girl who has obviously only recently won her journalistic spurs and on the other we have a group of what can only be described as dinosaurs bellowing rage at her presumption for having done so.

It's not often that we get treated to such a display of pique from those who should be old enough to know better. Truly funny stuff,

Oh, BTW, Howard's still gone and I still say "good riddance to bad rubbish". I hope that Labour lives up the hope invested in them, because if there is one thing this country needs after years of oppressive dishonesty from the Federal government it's a bit of positivity and a sense that people are actually important - not merely economic units for the exploitation of Corporations as the Howard view had it.

Wow, Leigh...

After about a month of lurking on this site you have finally impassioned me to get an account and start posting.

I am Generation Y, I vote Liberal, I realise I am a minority in this case, however its to be expected when Howard simply did not pursue any policies directed to us, and considering we do make up a significant portion of the population what a terrible mistake on his behalf.

Just writing to say I find your ramblings completely insulting, that you hold far less respect for the younger generations than you claim for them to hold for you, and that if someone said that anyone above the age of 60 should be euthanaised, you would be the first to kick up a stink.

The most ironic feature of all this is- I completely agree with you on the article- I found it completely ridiculous and would have been happy to see the back of her on a plane to NZ because anyone who would leave a country over a simple democratic decision displays signs of immaturity. However you have made the mistake of clumping the words of some immature woman- (shes 26) and associating it with everyone in our generation. Like her you only have a vision which sees things in black and white. An immature position at best and sorry to be so patronising when I say-

Someone your age should know a lot better

Well, saying Johnny out is good, but he had democratically “raped” us more than a decade.

The question remains whether a life to be better, and Anglo-racism grounding very basic of this London-bounded semi-colony to be changed to provide better opportunities for non-belonging to an Anglo tribe only.

mylakhrion, interesting comment about who raised gen-Y. I am on the cusp of X/Y (depends on your year definition), but probably very conservative even for GenX (most of the time). But I was raised by a Builder (came before the boomers), and the large generation gap probably shows in my attitudes today. Little sayings and the like are a dead giveaway, usually when it comes to age, but also in identifying the rough age of one's parents. Its made even worse in my case, as my grandfather was born in the early 1880's, so I'm only separated from the time of Ned Kelly by 2 generations.

A lot of sniping going on among the Posts, but very little about what is happening now in the Middle East, or what we let happen years ago to let it now happen in our world's main crisis area.

Maybe the Humanities where all such is discussed so much, proves they are not the Loonies as said, but the ones at one another right here getting no bloody where?

Country Gal, so-called generation-Y has been grown by racists and for racists, as not belonging to Anglos are seen as lower creatures existing to serve their Anglo-masters only regardless of X,Y or W W W -generation code.

Kevin Rudd didn't win.

Bob Brown did.
Unfortunately.

Now, he should have been smothered at birth! (Just joking, kiddies.)

If you though Fraser was "difficult" in 1975, just wait and see what burning hoops Our Lady of the Sacred Forest makes us jump through.