Blogging politics, culture, sociology and life from Brisvegas
By Amanda’s request:
We interrupt your regularly scheduled stoush to bring breaking news.
I just got a Google referral at 20:51:06:
is tracey grimshaw a lesbianMark, a new post on this issue if you please.
Maybe we should just give Amanda the keys to the joint (on the assumption that she won’t be persuaded to blog on politics) for a variety of google posts, and whatever other posts occur? What say you folks? Amanda?
Randwick City Council wants to privatise and limit your beach going experience.
In what is expected to be a first for Sydney, up to 10 per cent of the Clovelly Bay promenade could be reserved, with plans to introduce the service on other beaches, including Coogee and Maroubra, if it is successful.
You know, increasingly we see small encroachments like this onto what were once our public commons. The impetus? Mayor Ted Seng tells.
“We keep on getting proposals from business people and we thought it was time we tried this particular service,” he said.
I don’t really know where to start on this one, but it’s clear that there was no demand by the public for this “service” to begin with, the demand is only being driven by folks who would like to make us pay for something that our taxes already contribute to, a public beach space to throw down our towel where we’d like to, just like we always have. I willing to bet that if this idea catches on, we’ll soon see the best parts of a beach privatized in this way and locked down to other beach goers.
Why is Randwick Council acting on behalf of such a silly and annoying business idea instead of preserving what little public and community space is left in Sydney for all of us? It’s the beach dammit, a place where we’re equal in our budgie smuggling, thong wearing semi-nakedness, an icon of Australian egalitarianism. But maybe that’s the problem all along, no one sees any value in egalitarianism or public space anymore, it’s obviously time to get rid of it.
In light of some comments which were well outside the comments policy in descending into vulgar and unnecessary personal abuse, I’ve closed the previous thread and am opening this general one where I have every confidence that the usual canons of LP debate - including good natured stoushes - will prevail.
One of the nice things about this blog - as noted by readers here - has always been the absence of bile and abuse. I’d like that to continue, and both regular and occasional commenters should take note.
I don’t want to have to delete comments or ban people from commenting, and will give warning if I’m considering it, but the comments policy exists for a reason and should be taken seriously by everyone.
I’d also suggest that comments on events at other blogs serve little useful purpose, and given the turn the previous discussion took, on reflection, I’m not prepared to allow them on this post.
So, that being out of the way, please enjoy this (relatively) open thread.
On the thread about fashion-maestro Cardinal George Pell’s culture wars intervention around the Canon and the teaching of secondary English, I thought this comment by Russ Degnan was absolutely on the money:
Arguments about the curriculum are irrelevant in the context of a classroom of semi-literates. It isn’t that those students are learning Critical Theory when they should be learning Classics, it is that they are learning nothing at all.
It strikes me that too many of those who are quick to pontificate about school education have little or no idea of what classrooms are actually like, and what the job of teaching entails. It’s hard not to agree with state education ministers that the constant supply of irresponsible (literally, the dude isn’t responsible for any actual schools) criticism and comment from Nelson is insulting to teachers and demeaning of their professionalism under what are often very hard circumstances.
Having done a bit of teaching at tertiary level myself, and having friends who are secondary teachers both here and in the States, I’d be really interested to hear from Pellies and Donnellies and Shakespeare tragics whether or not they think that teaching Shakespeare with the aid of film is acceptable. It works for this Brisbane private school.
Nothing like a better address if you’re in politics, right? Everyone wants the imprimatur of the prime minister, the premier or whoever is top honcho. Higher status, better contacts, greater clout; it’s a no-brainer. Yes, come in here with me my dears, said the premier to the women in sensible shoes. Forget that old low rent Department of Women. Come into my deluxe department. Join a higher loop. Some tiny adjustments naturally come with the big time. What’s 75 per cent of your staff between a better class of friends? And lopping 85 per cent of your grant money is dirt cheap to get into this neighbourhood. I’m also sure you chicks won’t mind if we appoint some bloke who’s hanging about as a surplus clerk to be the boss of you newly elevated lot. Would Sandra sell you out? Never. The blokes are hungry. Let’s do lunch my lovelies. Equality forever. Here, allow me to open the door. Do you prefer red or white? Good thing that sleaze Brogden fell over, doncha reckon? What a disgrace.
Tonight’s 4 Corners on the ABC takes a look at the likely impact of the proposed IR changes. Should be worth a look.
Today’s interview on The Insiders showed us why Kim Beazley is not cut out for the job of opposition leader, let alone PM. From tax cuts, to questionable Ethanol policy, sacrificing Scott Parkin on the alter of wedge avoidance, to making scapegoats of the oil companies rather than addressing the issue of Peak Oil, mix that with a totally meek response regarding a serious security leak on the Parkin case to Chief Dancing Bear Greg Sheridan, and Beazley showed about as much passionate opposition toward this Government as Kate Moss does to a few lines of coke before a catwalk stroll.
Well, my iPod and I are back from a beautifully relaxing few days staying with a friend at Mt. Tambourine. Best story in the papers today is the one about the 25 most depressing songs of all time:
4. Total Eclipse of the Heart, Bonnie Tyler(1984)
THE Welsh singer’s collaboration with Meat Loaf producer Jim Steinman still vanquishes all those who turn around to gaze into its bright eyes. Under Steinman’s direction, Tyler rasps her way through a million permutations of the phrase “every now and then, I get a little bit [insert neurosis here]” before losing it during the song’s demented chorus. Clocking in at more than seven minutes, Total Eclipse is Wagner’s Ring cycle without the funny hats; the equivalent of an opera company pelting you with copies of Anne Rice novels. You’re completely drained when it’s over and desperately in need of a shower to rinse off the raven droppings.
I apologise if the tune of this loathsome lyric is now stuck in your head.
I’d quibble about Billie Holliday’s Strange Fruit, but the list is mostly spot on and very amusing.
So here’s your chance to try out your hand as a music critic! Acerbic as possible, please.
Both John Quiggin and I wrote last week about the extraordinary reports of the British using tanks to smash down an Iraqi gaol. In light of comments, I’m prepared to concede that what happened is somewhat murky, but one thing emerges as clear as the light of day from this episode.
An Iraqi judge said on Saturday he had renewed arrest warrants for two British soldiers who were rescued from jail early this week by troops using armor to crash through the prison walls.
The British government said the warrants are not legally binding, as the soldiers are subject to UK law.
Basra authorities said the operation violated Iraqi sovereignty, and the governor ordered all government employees to stop cooperating with the British, who have 8,500 troops in the Shiite Muslim-dominated region.
Judge Raghib al-Mudhafar, chief of the Basra Anti-Terrorism Court, said Saturday that he reissued homicide arrest warrants for the two soldiers on Thursday.
But the British government said they are not legally binding on the British soldiers.
“There is no legal basis for the issue of this arrest warrant. Rather, we have a legal obligation to investigate the allegations ourselves. That is being done as we speak,” a spokesman at the British defense ministry said in London on Saturday.
It’s clearly a nonsense to suggest that Iraqi authorities are sovereign in their own country.
Watching two entertaining American based video interviews recently I was struck by an interesting little attitudinal shift, maybe it was just because the guests pushed back harder, but the two hosts, Tucker Carlson and Bill O’Reilly, clearly in the neo con pro war camp and major Bush sock puppets over the life of that administration, appear to be backpeddling, or maybe they are simply attempting to rewrite their own personal history vis a vis Bush and the war in Iraq.
Young fogey and Readers Digest intellectual Tucker Carlson.
CARLSON: He’s come out for affirmative action. He said in his speech the other night that he thinks that poverty‚Äîor racism causes poverty. These are all liberal ideas. He is behaving like Lyndon Johnson. When at some point are liberals going to say, this guy is not a conservative, after all, he is talking like us?
MAHER: I don’t think he has ever been a conservative. I don’t know why you guys ever were so strong for him to begin with. He’s obviously…
CARLSON: You guys, I never was.
MAHER: … not up to‚ÄîYou never liked George Bush?
CARLSON: Yes, I always liked him, still like him now personally, I think he is a totally charming guy, but I never, ever thought, day one, 1999, that he was conservative. I never felt that.
Fascist blowhard and falafel lover Bill O’Reilly.
O’REILLY: Alright. That’s why we have the Congress. If they want to take action, they can take action. Now I’m gonna say somethin’ then I’ll give you the last word. The Iraq War is not something I embrace.
DONAHUE: makes surprised sound.
O’REILLY: It absolutely could be a tactical error.
Hilarious. Tucker Carlson now believes George Bush is a liberal, and Bill O’Reilly says he did not embrace the war in Iraq? Don’t these guys listen to themselves?
Some time ago, I wrote about the campaign Brendan Nelson is waging against un-Australianism and militant Islamism aided only by that quintessential Aussie symbol Simpson and his donkey.
Fresh from coming up with another bright idea to test year 12 tests, the hyperactive Education Minister has turned his talents to poster design.
In future, Commonwealth funding for schools will be conditional on every classroom displaying a poster designed by the Minister listing Australian values with a background of a photo of a statue of Simpson’s donkey.
Doesn’t Dr Nelson have something better to do, like wooing backbenchers? Or attending a lesson in Federalism and the Australian constitution, perhaps?
An open thread where you can, at your weekend leisure, discuss whatever you like.
…while I try to upgrade the site to the latest version of WordPress. Things might be a bit strange until I iron out the wrinkles.
Note to self: try uploading all of the files before you switch over…
Ok… Well, everything seems to be in working order. Those of you who can log in will notice the change behind the scenes! The next step is to put together a new theme, which will (1) make it more obvious that Mark doesn’t post everything on this blog, and (2) resolve some of the problems people have had scrolling through long comments threads.
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