Public Service Announcement

Politically I was raised in a home, which leaned towards the right. Opinions were never extreme and beliefs were considered rational and realistic. The left was never looked down upon unless it was absurdly far left. As us kids in the house all grew into young adults we were encouraged to form our own opinions and form conclusions based on what we personally considered to be the right thing. Having said that, it was never an overly political environment. We would make passing comments about stories in the news but never fully engaged in debate or argument.

            And so in my adult life while my overall view of the world is slightly from a right point of view, I would consider myself a swing voter. When it comes time to electing government I will vote for whoever I feel confidence in to best serve the interest of all. Whether that party is Liberal or Labor is irrelevant to me but it just so happens that at this point in my life Labor have never given me a reasons to support them.              

            As an observer with a whole range of opinions the one thing that I conclude is that politics is more fucked than it ever has been before. The political arena has become a public spectacle. Politicians ham it up for cameras; question time is a farcical parade of ego and insult and there is little difference between either of them right now. All political promises are pie-crusts that inevitably crumble.

            I might be proposing a simplistic solution to the government and coalition with the following advice but from a simpleton’s point of view it’s a winning strategy to regain confidence in your public. So to our country’s leaders I would like to extend this free piece of advice: When asked a question by the media, answer it directly instead of taking the opportunity to insult your opposition. When the other party actually does something good, congratulate them rather than scrambling for a criticism. Trust me, it wont be seen as a sign of weakness but rather a sign of strength that you are decent. When you promise to deliver something (or NOT to deliver something) then stick to your guns no matter how unpopular it seems. Consistency and stability is what people want and flip-flopping is really fucking annoying, ok? Whether or not your decisions are right for the nation doesn’t matter so long as YOU believe them to be… the next election will be the judge anyway. When in session, get rid of the cameras. All they do is fuel egos and cause theatrical outbursts (even Mr Speaker is a wanker when the cameras are on). Politics are important so why are you all wasting time playing verbal ping-pong and talking so much shit? Seriously, students get detention for behaving like this in class.

            Hey Libs!! Hey Labor!! You both suck! Grow the fuck up and actually stand for something. I'm confident most of us feel the same.

            This has been a public service announcement.

99% Manifestation

            “We are the 99%”. That’s what protesters are chanting on the streets on Melbourne. What an absurd notion. The numbers on the streets are most certainly a minority and who are they to claim a position on behalf of everyone else? “Down with corporate greed” is another one… all the while tweeting and blogging via iPhones, Blackberries and various other corporately minded networking devices.

            It’s a morally admirable point of view to adopt but nevertheless a narrow sighted and unrealistic one. And what’s to be achieved by gathering in the city, camping out in squaller and disrupting the every day lives of thousands of honest, hard working lives (must be that pesky 1% so fuck them)?

            During the 1960s it was a powerful sign of solidarity and did indeed influence change. In those times it was the only way to show support in numbers… They didn’t have the internet…They didn’t have social networking websites… they didn’t have mobile phones… and so protesting in mobs in today’s modern society simply looks foolish and disobedient. We are now able to connect with the world with the click of a button and so why are these people wasting time on the streets when they could be forging change intelligently?

            Nevermind the fact the Occupy Melbourne (and affiliated protests elsewhere) protests are foggy in their intentions and hazing in their reasons, I question what many of them are doing there at all. The police forcefully removed a 12 year old boy which begs the question; what are children doing there at all? A political movement is no place for a child. Not only is it a dangerous environment when violence breaks out but a 12 year old does not have the capacity to process, comprehend and articulate such things. More likely the opportunity of such a protest is an excellent excuse to ditch school under the guise of a moral stance.

            It’s illegal to camp in the city and thus the protesters were deemed to be trespassing when they refused to move along. Naturally the police were ordered to remove people and so they did. Oh but then they’re accused of unnecessary force… err what? When you have a large group of people disobeying police orders and refusing to budge, well then how else would they be removed? I’ll tell you…you grab them and drag them away (like children). When a person resists then naturally the force is increased. The police were doing exactly what us tax payers (must be that bloody 1% again) pay them to do.

            In regards to the illegal camping I have heard people ask “who’s land is it anyway?”. That’s easy, city council’s! Idiots!! In fact it’s pretty much illegal to camp in most places without a permit. And if I were to litter the street with rubbish I would be fined… oh “but who’s land is it anyway?”. And then they start going on about traditional land owners and all that crap… which bares no relevance to their actual protest and thus highlights the absurdity of it all.

            “We are the 99%” they chant while physically representing a puny minority. While the rest of us (the millions of 1%) sit at home and call them ferrels.