Paul,

Simply shew that those who claim that Pascoe is not Aboriginal, you can do it just as SR can. are wrong.
Shew that your hero is not flying false colours and is, in fact, the Aboriginal that he claims to be.

Don't be the last to prove Pascoe's detractors wrong on this.

Big Nana,

The last thing I want to do is waste my time researching Andrew Bolt.

Paul,

On this relatively trivial issue, of whether or not Pascoe is Aboriginal: can you really imagine that someone in New Zealand could claim, say, to be Maori - and not be able to demonstrate it ? In the old days,wouldn't he end up in an umu ?

Mind you, that sort of fraud here is drearily common. I remember my late wife asking one of her students about who she might claim to be related to, clearly trying to establish whether or not she was Indigenous, and the woman threatened to take her to court if she asked that again. Twenty years later, that student is in a key education position in SA. I recall applicants for our program who were suspiciously vague about their links - their mother was 'stolen generation', that sort of waffle - but eventually got into other programs when we knocked them back.

Anyway, hopefully, back to more substantial issues :) . What real, solid evidence is there that there was ever any farming in Australia before 1788 ? i.e. that Aboriginal groups had recognisable land tenure, nations, governments, sovereignty, diplomacy, etc., a bit more solid 'evidence' than this flimsy 'mere' hunter-gatherer rationale ?

Joe

Not saying I am a fan of Bolt, but I don't care to diss him either.
I have found over time that the origins of his comments USUALLY come from some other source, and usually follows with references to their origins.
Sure, I'm sure he pads a little when he allows his emotions and personal opinions break out, but over-all, I think he is always guarded, and careful not to stuff up, by misquoting, or allowing someone to fault him.
Does no good for his image, (nor the ABC) his career and generally his own standing in the community at large.
I can relate to him, as I can only quote what I have heard, read or seen, and most of the time these occasions have been historical, and so no immediate knowledge or memory of the origins of my comments.
I do find him worthy of listening, as he does raise issues which are in the public arena, and most of the time he picks on the hypocrisy and ridiculous acts of peoples position and actions.

So loudmouth, are you saying that even a black cannot ask another "person" about their ancestry, for fear that they will fall foul of some stupid anti discrimination law?

Altrav,

Yes, I agree, that anybody claiming benefits as Indigenous should have their prerequisites checked. But sometimes, it's hardly worth the effort, since some non-Indigenous people have powerful Indigenous friends - who probably know bloody well that they're not indigenous but are happy to pass them off as such. All part of a patronage-clientage system - scratch my back, I'll scratch yours.

I would have thought that Pascoe would have plenty of friends in Victoria like that. But nobody spoke up for him ? Amazing.

Joe