Wednesday - Sunday, October 16 - 20 2013 (diary)

I don't want to keep raving on about politics, but this must be said. Is Australia asleep or what ?
I have from the very beginning (in 2007) considered Kevin Rudd a fraud and a nasty piece of work. The following only confirms this.
In her John Button Memorial lecture this week former Labor MP Nicola Roxon launched a scathing attack on the former Labor Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.
There can be no doubt whatsoever that all her fellow Labor Parliamentarians were well aware of Kevin Rudd's incompetence and chaotic approach as a Prime Minister and his vicious personal attitude towards all and sundry.
Yet they remained silent about this and so remained the political journalists, who surely too must have known what was going on.
Despite all this Kevin Rudd was re-elected as Prime Minister only a few months ago, for the sole opportunistic purpose of perhaps gaining a few more seats at the past Federal election.
It shows the Labor party's total lack of morality and ethical values by promoting to the general public a leader with reprehensible and (to the public) unacceptable social values which they know to be incompetent. Instead they pursued a ruthless election campaign in order to deceive the Australian public, treating them as mugs.
The resignation of half a dozen Labor Ministers at the time was an honourable thing to do, but for the party as a whole surely that was not good enough.

Bill Shorten, the newly elected Opposition leader, was at the center of this gross deceit of the general public.
Shorten (a former Union boss) was instrumental in first removing Rudd (in 2010), then stabbing Julia Gillard in the back (in 2013), and reinstating Rudd, "for", what Shorten pronounced to be, "the good of the party".
Can Bill Shorten now be trusted by the Australian public ? I very much doubt it, for his overriding attitude in politics clearly is : the goal justifies any means.

Monday - Friday, October 21 - 25 2013 (diary)

Before the recent Australian Federal election, Tony Abbott promised that, if he were to become Prime Minister, he would, whenever possible, continue with his regular Community participations.
These include charity runs, charity bicycling events, as well as his duties as a Surf Life Saver and Volunteer Fire Fighter.
This weekend Tony Abbott became true to his word by doing a 14 hour night shift (from 6pm to 8am) as a Volunteer Fire Fighter with his local Fire Fighting Brigade.
It shows the calliber and character of Tony Abbott, the man, that not a single anouncement about his involvement was made to the media.
It was only by chance that the National media became aware of it, after a bystander, who spotted Abbott driving past in one of the fire trucks, put a photo of it on Twitter.

Saturday - Thursday, October 26 - 31 2013 (diary)

Way back during the final three months of 1965 I had just completed my National service and was waiting home (with wife Antien and daughter Babette) to emigrate to Australia.
Just about every evening you would find me in my "local", Cafe Beuse socialising with friends and neighbours. The nights were cold then, but it was always warm and cosy in the pub and I enjoyed my final days there.
These days I have swung to the opposite and shy away from the cold, much prefering the tropical weather we have here in Darwin. I am very comfortable here, even when the humidity is high.

We have had some rain this month, 110 mm in total (44 inches) and it is lush and green on our mango farm. The mango geese are a pest though. They have become very daring and fly into the tops of mango trees or onto the roof of my cabin, something they never have done in previous years.

When living or visiting "down South" (in SE Queensland) I used to love my daily routine of reading The Australian newspaper. But until recently this was not much fun up here in Darwin. The daily paper would arrive only mid to late afternoons in the News agencies, who also put a $1.60 delivery premium on its price ($3.80). That was just ridiculous I felt.
However recently things have improved. The Australian is now available in the morning and the large supermarkets, Coles and Woolworth sell The Australian now for the regular price of $2.20.
So I am back at reading it. Just as well, for the political programs on ABC TV (7.30 report, Lateline, The Drum, Insiders, etc.) are predominantly dealing with trivial subjects only, providing a decided left (socialist Labour) slant to much of it.
The present (conservative) Liberal Government, is trying to reduce the political trivia by only making announcements when there is something of value to report, but the TV media in this country appear to be unable (or unwilling) to rise to a more intelligent level.