Foxy, I wanted to check my email before I went out to vote and your post just popped up.

There are propagandists on both sides of the fence – it’s the extremists and fundamentalists that humanity has to worry about – not those that would adopt a more convergent or centrist approach.

We have the extremist ‘neo-con’ or ‘New World’ order of Bush and the likes of his puppets, and extremist or fundamentalist religious bodies.

Both use extreme fear tactics to push-poll their adherents, and as we have seen in this election campaign – they are very good at pushing the race/religious hate syndrome. It has happened before and it will happen again. Churches do it, political parties do it – some more so than others.

Unfortunately, ‘white’ Australia is young and has not had the time to truly develop its own identity (cf: our ties to UK pre 1942 and our ties to the US after that).

Corri’s thread has demonstrated somewhat obliquely the divisiveness in our society. Some people want to move forward, some people are stuck in the mud.

The former are optimistic with a vision for the future, the latter preferring to hold tight there warm and comfy fuzzies of the past ... and beware if anything or anyone that might want to change that.

Until we (humanity) are prepared to acknowledge our differences then converge and work together to overcome our common problems, then nothing will ever get better.

This is what has saddened me with the Howard/Costello re-election campaign – they really encapsulate the diversionist philosophy – in the bigger picture, they are short-sighted.

Rudd on the other hand is more visionary and adopts a more convergent or progressive ideology – an ideology that must be adopted if we (humanity) are to live in a more sustainable world.

PS to FrankGol

I agree with you. BUT, there is a school of thought that says this “leak” was carefully concocted.

What say you to this?

PSS: Corri just popped up again … to be continued?

Q&A

You say: "there is a school of thought that says this 'leak' was carefully concocted".

That is feasible, in terms of possible winners and losers from the bogus pamphlet.

I suppose it's possible that the Liberals thought they were on a winner even if they were 'caught' red-handed because it would be an indirect way to bring race back into the election campaign. Andrews tried it with Haneef and banning 'Africans' and failed because he wasn't smart enough.

However, I'm not much into conspiracy theories. Cock-ups are more plausible. It's more realistic to imagine a coterie of Liberals interpreting the mood of the electorate, desperate with the polls showing a slaughter coming up, and dreaming up this ridiculous half-baked fraud. They were shafted by someone with a score to settle or a conscience.

Moreover, if they stage-managed being exposed, it's hard to understand why they would use the husband of the retiring member and the husband of the candidate to do the letter-boxing. They would, more likely, have used nonentities.

What's worrying me is that Ms Kelly (a Howard protege) thought she could get away with representing it as a joke. How dumb is that - whichever way you look at it?

Corri, this thread won’t become “irrelevant” but it will be time to reflect and move on – I look forward to engaging.

FrankGol, look beyond the simplicity of the stupid pamphlet.

I don’t like “conspiracy theories” either, but Frank … conspiracies have and still do occur, whether you/I like it or not.

Consider:
1. Why did Bush go to war in Iraq, against the warnings of the UN Security Council?

2. Why has Howard been a “climate change” sceptic?

Maybe these are topics for new threads?

I have voted (once) and will sit down with my dear one over dinner and then watch the night unfold.

Best wishes Australia, we will need it.

Well as a parting comment I congratulate the Labour party on their win. Like Q & A I've voted and, now, watched the outcome.

I think the wrap up from John Howard and Peter Costello nailed their contribution to Australia over the past decade; there is no denying that the Liberal government has successfully managed Australia's economy.

I think that Australia has come through a strong period of growth and consolidation, but it's time for innovation and renewal - and the Liberals have provided Labour a strong foundation from which to build.

I hope over the next term, or two, Labour can make a difference and reinvest some of Australia's wealth into areas that matter.

I also hope, and guess we'll see this in other threads, that we can gain a greater appreciation for our immigrants and their contribution to all areas of society, not least of which is diversity of opinion.

Thank you for those that have contributed to this discussion, I have enjoyed the repartee.

Corri

Frank Gol,
I do not need to read a book or look up wikipedia in relation to the Tampa incident. I took a lot of interest it the matter at the time and my memory serves me well. My brief description earlier is accurate. Those rescued thanked their saviours by the hyjacking and the forced course to Christmas Island. If the Government gained any electoral advantage from the incident, it was because the vast majority of Australians agreed with the action taken. As stated before I was bitterly dissappointed that the Government relented and allowed those from Nauru into Australia. The tougher stance should have been maintained and some should have been charged with hyjacking.

foxy,
Your post looks as though you lifted it direct from 'Green Left Weekly' or some other credible rag. What you say is bunkem. Decent people would respect those that saved them and would be happy to be set ashore anywhere, not force them to take them to their desired destination. The conduct of these the Tampa rescued was such that I consider them to be a pollutant in our community. Well can well do without them. You try to excuse their conduct by sayin the 'poor soles were traumatised' I say rubbish, these 'opportunists' were simply trying to take advantage of our reputed easy going nature.

In relation to the sinking of their boat and that of the SIEV X, it is ammazing that it went so long before a disaster happened to these unseaworthy and overcrowded boats. Reckless of those to sail in them and totally irresponsible for parents to put their kids to such risks.

It is really Offensive to suggest our defence personal did not look hard enough. Or suggest they are racist. They have a world wide reputation for being compedent and professional. These boats were a dissaster waiting to happen.

Frank Gol and foxy,
Did you hear Kevin Rudd say that his Government would turn back the boats with asylum seekers.

Thats a direct policy from One Nation and should please you advocates that want to give boat people assisted passage.