Webdiary - Founded and Inspired by Margo Kingston

A space for you to get your (and my) reactions down as it happens and as they occur to you.

To be fair to our pollies (not my natural inclination) health policy is an incredibly difficult area.  Health has the potential to absorb as much money as we can devote to it.  Even one area (say cancer research) could absorb our entire government spending.  This seems ridiculous (and it is of course), but consider: if it was your child dying of cancer ...

The latest update from the Democratic Audit program at ANU on how our democracy is working.

“Oh, my head. What day is it? What Country is it? Who was that woman? Was it a woman? Was it only one woman? I MUST stop drinking absinthe. Go for the Greens they said. Oh, my head.    Where’s the … oh sorry… bloody cat. " Alphonse de Ponce.

The re-election of John Howard in 2004 with a majority in both houses of parliament is surely one of the low points in Australian political life. By 2004, we already had compelling evidence of Howard’s duplicity. So when we handed control of both houses of parliament to this known scoundrel, it exposed the failings of our media, our two-party system and our civil society itself.

There is something patently illiberal and unconservative about despising individuals due to factors beyond their control. To despise an individual due to the colour of their skin or their ethno-religious background requires a suspension of one’s reason. I always thought Liberals believed individuals should be given every opportunity to reach their full potential regardless of their background. All of which raises the question — is John Howard’s Party still a Liberal Party? And if it isn’t, who should real Liberals be voting for in the upcoming election?

Housing affordability is at a record low in Australia for purchasers and renters. Webdiarist Evan Hadkins has some suggestions to make from the perspective of renters. This has the potential to be a hot-button issue for the looming Federal election.

A decade ago The Greens had a very simple slogan - “No environment no economy”. Today that is even truer. "Ten years ago it was a warning. Now, in 2007; it is a description of our reality. And the farmers, the fishers, the tourism industry workers, the city dwellers on water restrictions – Australians everywhere – know this is true. Without the environment, there is no economy." Bob Brown

Evan Hadkins reviews On Holidays: A History of Getting Away in Australia by Richard White. Evan suggests that not only is it a well-written work, "academic in the best sense", but also, "in its own sneaky way ... very political ... giv[ing] a bit of ballast to our perceptions of the current debates around IR."

In northern NSW local communities are getting increasingly anxious about the effects of logging on their catchments. Recently a court refused to convict several people who had taken direct action to protect their catchment. Now the residents of another valley are preparing for action.

Melbourne launch details - Yeah!  Today, Monday 22 October, 10.30 a.m. at at EQ Café Bar, 100 St. Kilda Rd, City. (Back of the Arts Centre, the first restaurant on the boardwalk of the Yarra.)

Malcolm B Duncan, a prominent member of his local Kings Cross community, is a Sydney barrister known for saying what he thinks about or vice versa.  He intends standing as an independent candidate in the federal electorate of Wentworth. His least successful political slogans were "Come and have a beer with Duncan" and "Vote Donkey; Vote Duncan".  He is Chairman of the Taxation Reform Party (NSW) Inc.

Now that the election has been called I suspect we are about to hear a lot of talk about vision and the future.  Most of it, of course, will be tosh.  So I want a way to get past the rhetoric to what our politicians really think the future will look like.  This is education policy.

Big Kev even threw in the 'vision' word, just once, his 'vision' for the best education and training system in the world, to drive us forward when the mining boom ends.

Until recently the peak oil debate in Australia has been largely confined to internet forums such as Webdiary. That situation has changed dramatically in recent weeks with the release of the Queensland Government’s long-awaited Oil Vulnerability Taskforce Report. World oil production is peaking – it’s official, at least here in Queensland.

The word 'trust' was absent. The phrase 'interest rates' was absent. Out of the blocks on the front foot with a shock in 2004, reacting to Rudd in 2007 by starting his pitch with Rudd's slogan, 'New leadership'. Nope, 'the right leadership'.

"This election will focus on the showdown between John Howard and Kevin Rudd. But there is another battle looming – the contest for the balance of power in the Senate between Family First and the Greens." Family First Senator Steve Fielding

Webdiary has been banging on about the dangers of peak oil for years now, largely due to the efforts of Ian McPherson, who went on to found Sydneypeakoil. The problem of quickly diminishing oil supply has been known about for decades, and was one of the reasons Dick Cheney wanted to invade Iraq. But Australian governments have buried their heads in the sand, to the medium and short term detriment of their citizens. Yesterday, the Queensland Government issued a report on peak oil, after lots of good work behind the scenes by activists.

So now we’re going to play a serious race (or is it history) card said JH’s strategists – let’s go for the sad eyes, the drooping eyebrows, the pained expression and let’s make it look like we’re really truly sorry (oops I used the S word). We didn’t quite “get it” for the last ELEVEN years. Give me a break.

'I acknowledge that my own journey in arriving at this point has not been without sidetracks and dry gullies.  There have been low points when dialogue between me as Prime Minister and many Indigenous leaders dwindled almost to the point of non-existence.  I fully accept my share of the blame for that. On the night of the 1998 election I publicly committed myself to endeavouring to achieve Reconciliation by the year 2001.  In the end, that did not happen.' John Winston 'whatever it takes' Howard

Michael Kirby explores the interface of consensus and dissent in contemporary Australia In politics, securing consensus is often now essential because of the comparative decline in electoral support for the major political parties.

Hello. Here is the Australian Law Council's statement yesterday on the death penalty debate. The recent history of this issue is very interesting, as is its prominence now. I'll try to write something later. 

Margo and Catharine Lumby launch at gleebooks, 49 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe: Cost: $10/$7 conc.. Book: gleebooks - 02 9660 2333 or Request a place

"Elections, Parliament, the media, freedom of speech - these can all bethought of just as tools to enable citizens to exerciseaccountability.  Accountability has two components.  First, a target oragent (such as an executive government) has to explain their actionsand the reasons behind them to seekers of accountability (such as thepublic).  Second, there needs to be power to impose sanctions whenthose actions and reasons are considered unsatisfactory.  In theabsence of either of these elements, there is no accountability and nodemocracy." Peter Ellis

Margo Kingston and John Valder launch Still Not Happy John
Monday 8 October, 5:30pm, Manning Clarke House,
11 Tasmania Circuit, Forest. Be there!