Ashamed to be an Australian

[girliejones]

Yep, I've been swearing a lot lately at the car radio on my drive into work - it's mostly the only place these days I hear the news. I'm ashamed to be an Australian in the world, to be honest with you. We voted in Kevin Rudd to lead us to a place where we didn't feel that way, the way John Howard made us feel. We voted in Kevin Rudd to fix national

Comments

[homonculus]

the UNHCR was now looking to decide which country they should be sent to for *asylum* and I found myself yelling "Send them here, we're wankers!"

Only if they are decent spin bowlers. Australia can always make exceptions for decent spin bowlers.

[girliejones]

yeah.

[girliejones]

its enough to make one disenfranchised!

[homonculus]

In Australia it is illegal to be disenfranchised.

You could be done for sedition by saying such things!

[gillpolack]

Mind you, sedition through not voting is a small fine.

[punktortoise]

While I share your disappointment in Rudd's performance on asylum seekers and climate change, I can't decide whether to be heartened or dismayed by a report on the Improbable Research website on US political perspectives on climate change:

Heartened, to a degree, because it appears that Fielding isn't the only know-nothing crazy person in the political arena (well, hell, I knew that already, but still...). Dismayed, because what the hell can possibly explain the existence of an elected representative who, in this day and age, maintains (and I quote) "If we have ice thinning up on the polar cap, I would say that’s more natural variation than it is man-made CO2. For one thing there are not many people up around the North Pole, so it’s pretty hard to see how we could be causing it."

[girliejones]

Doctor Karl had this awesome tweet the other day:

Human-caused Climate Change? @JaneNeely According to the Climatologists, it is almost certainly the case. Some non-experts disagree.

[punktortoise]

That's a pretty good summary.

[nyssa_p]

<3 Dr Karl!

[nyssa_p]

I fear I was a bit too optimistic about Copenhagen. I actually thought there'd be civil discussion about the serious problem facing the planet. Civil? Discussion? Politicians? Those words go together?

"I am ashamed that these people are out there, representing me."
From the high priorities of refugees and climate change, to the internet filter and lack of R18+ rating for games, I feel less and less like the people of Australia actually matter to those with the power.

[girliejones]

So young, so much disappointment and cynacism to look forward to :P

Copenhagen I think was always going to be a wankfest.

[nyssa_p]

LOL! You should have seen me when Rudd was elected. I was telling everyone on World of Warcraft how Australia was going to change for the better!

Made of fail >

[girliejones]

Ah just not, you know, jaded by political evidence yet. I remember Rio de Janeiro in 1992 - its what got me interested in this whole thang in the first place. (Biodiversity Summit)

[anonymous]

We've still got 24 hours to go. There may be a better result than what seems to be emerging right now.

And if there isn't - well, we can only blame ourselves for not giving the ALP the balance of power in the senate.

Obama has the same problem.

How frustrating it must be to win government and yet be unable to pass the laws you promised to pass.

Thoraiya

[girliejones]

It kinda shows the naivete that either they had before they ran or that they thought we had when they promised us stuff they could never deliver.

Obama shows up today - let's see if he is all he promised.