Careful, Antipeptic, you may have to migrate and live under a witness protection program :)

But thanks, that takes some guts.

Joe

Hi FOLKS...

Many thanks to all of you, who've very kindly contributed to this Topic.

LOUDMOUTH, made a very astute comment earlier. In part he stated, after the Elections and with a Labor loss, what the Party needs, before embarking upon any degree of restructuring or anything else for that matter, was to ensure they claimed some 'CLEAR AIR'! In order to achieve that, both Mr RUDD and Ms GILLARD, for the sake of the entire Party, should be encouraged to immediately resign. Resign from any and everything connected with Labor, in perpetuity !

The entire Party is completely awash with so much poison, massive unresolved recriminations, and mountains of allegations (including untested criminal matters), and the most serious of all, the anguish, disillusion and desperation, of tens of thousands of ultra-loyal rank and file Labor members, who are literally 'bleeding' at what they see these two are doing, to their much beloved Party

Therefore, for the overall benefit of the Labor brand, both of these totally dysfunctional people MUST depart, never to return to politics. In fact, to use a much quoted US phrase, they enjoy the same level of loathing, as that much despised fellow, Benedict Arnold, the often referred to traitor, named in early US history.

I note my friend HASBEEN has suggested, after both of them decide to leave politics altogether, they might be offered some academic post at a notable University ?

My only point, and I do believe HASBEEN might well agree with me; after these two have made such a monumental mess of our beloved country, what on earth could either of these two ex pollies teach, to anyone, on anything ?

Dear rehctub,

The only thing stopping Mr Abbott from having
the Coalition's policies costed is Mr Abbott.
He does after all have access to the Treasury.
However, one firstly has to have policies
to have them costed. Therein lies the problem.

Dear Hasbeen,

I guess it all depends on the type of country
you want to live in. Do you want a country
willing to invest in infrastructure that benefits
all Australians or do you want to generate
surpluses that are squandered for tax cuts and hand
outs to the already wealthy?

Do you want a country whose assets are sold off at
bargain basement prices into private hands and we're
forced to pay a premium to gain access to them again?

Do you believe that all children deserve the right to
the same educational standards and a chance at a
worthwhile future?

Do you want a society where the aged, poor, infirm,
disabled, are thrown on a scrap heap or do you
want a society that cares for those in need and supports
them to get back on their feet?

As for Mr Abbott not being willing to engage in bribes?
Independent Andrew Wilkie would disagree with you.
And I wonder what will come out of the litigation
pending with his "slush fund?"

Dear SM,

History will Judge our PMs. And, as Harold MacMillan
once stated, "Events old chap, tend to make idiots
of us all."

Dear Antiseptic,

As I wrote to Hasbeen. It all depends on what sort of
country you want to live in. To me, my choices are
clear.

Dear Joe, (Loudmouth),

Let your desires be ruled by reason.

O Sung Wu,

Thank you for your kind words.

On that other matter: my darling wife passed away nearly five years now, and it might as well be yesterday, the pain and grief never lessen. She was a fighter, a proud Aboriginal from the lower Lakes of the Murray. As the eldest of ten kids, she had to leave school at fifteen to work as a domestic servant, and finished her career as a senior lecturer, and acting head of SA's Indigenous Education Committee. I'm very proud that one of her articles was referred to by Noel Pearson in his essay 'Radical Hope'.

But getting by each day sine she went has been a bloody torture. As it happens, I've been, on and off since about 1997, typing up old documents frelated to Aboriginal policy, mainly from the nineteenth century - the Protector's letters (840-1907), Royal Commission reports, journals of one key missionary (600 pages), birth, death, marriage and school records from one community. A total of about five thousand pages so far.

It's kept me alive - and somebody may some day find some of it useful. I certainly think it's all been like digging in a series of gold-mines, little nuggets turn up every so often. I hope I can keep going, digging in one gold-mine or anogther, until I drop.

So if you can find something like that which really grabs you, which you hope might be useful for somebody, somewhere, some time in the future, then go for it, mate. Your lived experiences have not been for nothing, you have done things, seen things, you have advice that you can give to governments if they will listen.

[TBC]

[continued]

I used to work at a Sunday market, selling Vietnamese coffee. This old bloke used to shuffle around, and we used to talk. It eventually turned out he had been at Kokoda, and of course had some interesting things to say about Blamey. For thirty years, he had also been head of Adelaide's main abattoirs. Who would have known to look at him ? A real bloody hero, I was honored to speak to him.

Don't give up on us :)

Best wishes,

Joe

Lexi, my darling, my desires are not to be spoken of ;)

Love,

Joe