Comments on: The Toaster awards for crimes against amenity

By: Angharad

Angharad — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 03:07:47 +0000

A couple of years ago the Democrats surveyed a sample of major donors to political parties and asked what they expected to get out of donations. Did they expected to get influence, or did they just wanted to contribute to the political process? A number of these were developers and other major Australian corporations. Only a few were prepared to even answer the survey. Those that did, were cagey at best.

By: Andrew Reynolds

Andrew Reynolds — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 06:37:27 +0000

The ad on Domain has gone now.

By: Phil

Phil — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 05:08:01 +0000

Jinmaro, please, everyone else on this thread is sticking to the topic, this one is a Chavez free zone OK?

By: jinmaro

jinmaro — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 05:05:56 +0000

yeah, a good mate worked for the NSW Teachers Federation for 8 years: ALP hacks to a T mostly. The workers (60 ASU, formerly FCU) permanent staff struck them so hard they didn’t know whether they were coming or going sometimes.

Lefties can be nasty employers, but nothing a good democratic grassroots organisation can’t mitigate. I’m all for it. Democracy has to be constantly fought for, day by day, minute by minute, you know.

By: Quinton McHale, as played by Earnest Borgnine

Quinton McHale, as played by Earnest Borgnine — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 04:46:25 +0000

Certainly Hale is a red-blooded democrat who knows the power of media campaigns to shame bosses into doing the right thing by their workers. *cough* I'll add, to Robert's question about Anvil Hill, what's wrong with the Port Enfield freight centre? I would have thought State Government investment in rail infrastructure would have been something to applaud.

By: jinmaro

jinmaro — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 04:33:31 +0000

Good old Sylvia Hale, that woman is a class act. Not only a true-blue environmentalist who knows how to culture-jam but a red-blooded democrat through and through.

E.g, apropos the democracy discussion on the Pilger thread, I believe she was one of many leading political lights, including former ALP MLC Meredith Burgmann, Phillip Adams, Warren Mundine, Jack Mundey and a cast of trade union luminaries who recently signed a national statement inviting the President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Hugo Rafael Chávez, to visit Australia in 2007.

Perhaps when the ALP is elected federally? When things get a wee bit more democratic in the Lucky Country? Let’s hope. I would love ol’ Chavez interviewed by Kerry O’Brien.

The petition read:

Dear President Chávez,

We, the undersigned citizens of Australia, would like to extend a warm invitation for you to visit our country. We have watched developments in Venezuela with great interest. We have been impressed by the great effort that your government has taken to improve the living standards of the majority of Venezuelans. We have also noted with keen attention the moves that your government has begun to make to create a society based on popular participation in all spheres of society—from the workplace up to the national government.

Although we are on the opposite side of the globe we feel that our shared ideals of social justice and democracy bring us close together. Every country has its own traditions and culture and has to find its own solutions, but what Venezuela has been able to achieve in so little time will be a source of inspiration and ideas for many in Australia.

In this light we believe that a visit to our country by yourself would not only help to improve the awareness of the Australian people of developments in Venezuela, but also be an unparalleled opportunity to strengthen the ties of

friendship and solidarity between our two peoples.

By: Down and Out of Sài Gòn

Down and Out of Sài Gòn — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 03:57:50 +0000

Phil: could I knock one dollar off the price for fire damage?

By: Robert Merkel

Robert Merkel — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 02:32:50 +0000

Can’t agree on the Anvil Hill Coal mine. Trying to reduce greenhouse emissions by shutting down individual coal mines is an unwinnable game of whack-a-mole. There’s just too much of the stuff elsewhere.

On the building that inspired the awards itself, how did the Toaster ever get planning approval? FFS, in Melbourne they compromised the design of Fed Square to allow a better view of St. Paul’s Cathedral, which is just another production-line church if you ask me.

By: TimT

TimT — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 02:30:27 +0000

FDB: Like many in the chattering class, I love the sound of breaking glass. (Cheers Belloc.)

No matter, Liam. That line he stole, with subtle daring, from Wing Commander Maurice Baring.

By: Kieran Bennett

Kieran Bennett — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 02:16:00 +0000

I do believe it costs a little more than $15 to buy an election.