Er, Yabby... I know this is your amateur hobbyhorse but again you're wrong.

Numerous studies show that, although meat is a critical element of gatherer-hunter subsistence, in most such societies the major calorific contribution to the daily diet is derived from vegetable food gathered by women - who also do quite a bit of the hunting and fishing too.

Yes, meat is a high value food in such societies, and like any luxury is a desirable item for exchange. You'd be quite surprised how elaborate the rules are for the distribution of meat and other foods are in gatherer-hunter bands.

There's an absolutely huge literature about it, if you'd care to look beyond the animals in your paddock and the pop science on TV, the net and your bookshelves.

Apologies to all for being off-topic, but a retired anthropologist can only take so much bulldust...

You’re not making men look very evolved there Yabby. Between you and Peter we have males running about shagging anything and everything that moves with no hope of self restraint or self relief considered.

And us females just stalking about ready to reel you in at will. I actually have no complaint there…

But I reckon if Belinda was not a politician and was your typical red blooded Aussie sheila she’d have made herself a new pair of earrings out of her husbands goolies by now.

Belly what is HTV?

The key idea in Yabby's pet subject is that men have a biological predisposition to sleep around. I agree that, deep down, most of us fellas would like to have the sex life of a 70's rock star. However, we aren't totally controlled by our basic biology. Most of us have accepted that it isn't moral to act like Yabby.

The major implication of all of this is that women need to remember that men have made a huge concession by agreeing to long-term relationships. It goes against what we were programmed to do. Therefore, it isn't unreasonable to expect them to make sacrifices and actually fight for a world where most blokes have evolved a bit more than Yabby's dogs (or their owner).

PP FYI: HTV i.e. "How To Vote."

“Oh rubbish. As hunter gatherers, it seems that females were commonly
swopping (sic) sex for meat.”

Oh Africa – right! Well what can one say to that Yabby? That the females might starve because the males intended keeping all the meat for themselves? It’s not much different to the “comfort” women of WWII is it? Sex, torture or death – take your pick!

“Helen Fisher reckons that it was the advent of the plough, which was too heavy for women to operate, that made the difference, with more formal marriage etc following.”

Well whoever Fisher is, you may like to inform her that women are capable of operating heavy ploughs even if it takes three women to operate a primitive one. And preventing women from operating primitive ploughs had much to do with customs and taboos.

Simple ploughs were developed before the early Egyptians over 4,000 years ago. These ploughs were eventually pulled by oxen, camels and even elephants and it is often said that women were also used.

And if you think that women are incapable of using ploughs, think first and second world wars where feeding the nations were the responsibility of the women’s land armies.

The girls of the land army looked after animals, ploughed the fields often with old fashioned equipment, dug up potatoes, harvested other crops often by hand, killed the rats, dug and hoed for 48 hours a week in the winter and 50 hours a week in the summer.

In Essex alone in the UK, land army girls ploughed up 40,000 acres.

Others were set to work chopping trees down and working in sawmills.

“Ah Dickie, but my farm dogs are female, old age is getting to you,
for you dragged that one from the air.”

Oh that’s right Yabby because recently you advised that your bitch had "snuck off" and mated elsewhere – potentially with feral dogs and dingoes in rural Australia! But of course you have always persisted with the notion that females are entirely responsible for birth control. Any more cop-outs Yabby?

*There's an absolutely huge literature about it*

Yup CJ, I read lots of it, but perhaps just written by somebody
more qualified then yourself :) As a late student, mid 80s,
already your career is over for a few years now, hardly a long one.

* Well whoever Fisher is,*

She is well known around the world of anthropology, unlike CJ.
She's a female, you could read her book and learn lol.

*women are capable of operating heavy ploughs even if it takes three women to operate a primitive one.*

Well that was Fisher's point. Women on their own could not operate
them.

We are talking thousands of years ago here dickie, are you even
aware of that?

*But of course you have always persisted with the notion that females are entirely responsible for birth control.*

Well I did ask the vet about keeping her on the pill until she
was ready to have a litter to a chosen eligible male with known
talent for sheepwork, but the vet could not help. So be it,
its up to the drug manufacturers if they won't make doggie pills.

Protagoras,
You said "I guess watching sheep copulate too is not so wacko though I’ve heard very strange tales about misogynistic farmers who hold such interest in the sex lives of sheep".

I realize that you were being a little bit sarcastic in saying that, but the astute stock owner and animal breeder will take a keen interest in the sex lives, and mating habits, of the animals he owns. His livelihood depends on that knowledge. Some people would be amazed and indeed shocked at what we, and vets, sometimes do to ensure the female conceives and the outcome is a healthy offspring.

Belly, Yabby and Forrest,
Finally, I did get around to googling John Brogden and yes, part of his embarrassment was his disparaging remarks regarding the Premiers wife, but also, at a function, he did pinch one female journo and propositioned another. This was disclosed and how is irrelvelant, but I knew there was a female involved. I do not think either his comments or his actions fitting of a politician.

I think we let polys get away with far too many lies and it appears many think lieing to and cheating on spouses is acceptable. I think not and beleive there is only one standard of honesty.