Sunday - Friday, September 1 - 6 2013 (diary)

We're almost there, tomorrow will be the General Election and hopefully the present hopeless lot will be kicked out.
Unlike most other Western democracies (where voting is voluntarily) voting in Australia is compulsory. I am not sure whether this is a good thing or not, because the result really is decided by the 30% (?) of voters who have little or no interest at all in politics.

As a consequence all competing parties are after that specific group of voters which means that the level of political debate (if you could call it that) is well below par for the full month.
The social media (Facebook, Twitter) too are heavily involved, with trivialities galore and nonsense getting a huge exposure.
Journalists too continuously focus on setting up shallow controversies, rather than promoting informed intelligent debate, are these guys really that dumb ??
In short everyone will breath a sigh of relief when it is all over tomorrow.

Making voting voluntarily would mean a lower turnout of voters, but at least it would be a segment of people who have some genuine interest in what sort of country Australia should be.

The month of September means the season in Southern Germany for "Neue Wein und Zwiebelkuchen" (new wine and onion quiche) and there will be plenty of that in the Waldcafe in Sankt Peter (Black Forest).
I have to be satisfied by looking at the photo shown above for now, but next year I will certainly be there in time to sample this delicious seasonal treat.

I have several of Donna Leon's Inspector Brunetti's crime novels, some in the original English, but most in German translation.   I am reading one in German right now and findn it most curious that I enjoy reading those translated into German much more than the English originals. Somehow Brunetti mood and feelings come across to me much better.

Saturday - Tuesday, September 7 - 10 2013 (diary)

I visited my son Jeroen and his family this weekend, inspecting their new home which is much larger than their previous one, and also entirely on the ground floor. So no more staircases to climb and plenty of space for their adopted son Jai to run around. They still are in the process of upgrading both the home itself and the surrounding garden which will take a few more months I imagine.

One of the things his wife Lisa did was re-upholster (very tastefully) what used to be my Grandfather's (Johannes Martinus Furstner) chair. My parents got rid of the leather cladding which had become all cracked and brittle, so this time is the second renewal of the chair.
Nobody ever really sat in this chair much or made it their own these past 80 years since my Grandfather's death (two years before I was born), but it has been an important and much treasured family relict from the past which now occupies a prominent place in Jeroen's house. I am very pleased about that.

Politics
Thankfully the Australian Federal election is finally behind us, with the Liberal- National Coalition gaining Government with a large majority. Australia will now hopefully be guided once again by a steady, competent and professional team of politicians.
Despite a resounding mandate to implement some changes, the early signs are that the Labour party, now in opposition, will remains petulantly obstructive in the Senate, trying to block progress.
Controlled by various workers Unions who regularly flaunt the rule of law in this country, this is hardly surprising. I find it surprising (to say the least) that any intelligent human being supports such a party, and indeed several of its former prominent members have left the party or are leaving.

Most of the Australian political journalists, it appeared to me, revealed having (or at least presenting) a very narrow, myopic perspective of politics and political players. Perhaps being so much in the thick of it, a case of not being able to see the forest for the trees.   For example their expressed general "surprise" of the revealed intelligence and leadership qualities of Tony Abbott.

Some 8-10 years ago when Tony Abbott was a Minister in the Howard Government he (to me) already showed to have extraordinary qualities as an intelligent, compassionate human being and a born leader of men.
And I was disappointed at the time (Peter Costello being the next in line then) at the slim chances he appeared to have of ever becoming a Prime Minister.   But Tony's time has come and he has in my view the potential to become one of the greatest Prime Ministers in the history of this country.

Talking about leaders I am also pleased that Angela Merkel is favourite to win in the upcoming German elections later this month. She must be regarded as one of the greatest leaders in Europe since World War 2, and on a par with Konrad Adenauer (who stabilised and rebuilt Germany after the War) and Margaret Thatcher (who pulled the UK out off the doldrums and back on a track towards progress).