Incidentally, Mark Latham didn’t fail beacuse he didn’t move far eough to the left, he failed because he was incompetent and weak in character. Also, intelligent voters recognised that an endorsement of the Labor party would have meant a return to power for the unions. In the current world climate that would have put Australia back into the fifties.

I wonder if Syd Barrett is singing wish you were here right now?

The problem is the upsurge of dominionist thinking in the neo-con Republican party and how this effects geostrategic posturing and warmongering by the US, and by proxy Australia.

Gracerequired, I’m a bit of a socialist as well, and I think that Latham’s problem was that he didn’t go far enough to the left. Possibly through the heavyweight Labor factions trying to be all things to all voters. But how can you compete with a nation of people who think that having a two storey mansion, an SUV (as they are now being called, grrr!), and a plasma TV, in other words consumerism and materialism is the purpose of life.

Money - which reminds me, Syd Barrett is dead.

For all you Aussies out there, this will probably upset many of you, but it’s only my point of view. I went off labour after the Whitlam fiasco as it seems to me his social reforms, civil libertarianism and multicultural experiments have had a detrimental effect on our society.

Morally, we seemed to lose the plot a bit after no fault divorce, lowering the age of consent, legal abortion and relaxed censorship laws on radio, television and printed material came into play. In the seventies, strip clubs, brothels and prostitution were by and large confined to one area-Kings Cross, nowadays you can see page after page of advertisements for brothels and “massage parlours” in the Daily Telegraph and even local papers.

For those of you who can remember the “6 o’ clock swill” when pubs shut no later than 10.00pm, there was a lot less anti social behaviour and relationship problems. Drinking establishments were also closed on Sundays and public holidays so at least by stealth, there was more likelihood of fathers spending more time with their families and, as I recall, there were less dysfunctional families-even where I grew up (Sydney’s outer west-tough neighbourhood). However, in the late 80’s our learned politicians decided 24 hour licences should be granted to “bring us into the 20th century” and later when poker machines were allowed into pubs it brought a lot of suffering

The multiculturalism experiment seemed to backfire as well. In principle it was fine but the countries he chose to open the floodgates to, seem now to be the main protagonists in much of the civil unrest and organised crime (in Sydney at least) at the moment. In no way am I tarring all members of a particular nationality with the same brush, but there is a predominance there. For all you who may think I’m racist, far from it, my wife is a French creole from the Indian ocean islands.

Perhaps all these things were inevitable and part of the global march toward the ‘end times”.

I can’t say that Malcolm Fraser was a shining light either, his” life wasn’t meant to be easy” dogma was a cop out and an affront to those who were unemployed and struggling at the time. Good entertainment value though, our first Prime Minister to lose his pants in public.

Bob Hawke seemed to steady the ship somewhat, but it was around this time that teaching scripture in schools and the observance and celebration of Christian events such as Easter and Christmas began to be frowned upon for fear of “offending other cultures”.

Paul Keating… what can I say? Which leads us to little Johnny Howard.

Howard was dodgy when he was in the Fraser Government and I don’t see the leopard has changed his spots but, for the last 10 years, what has been the alternative?? Kim Beasley may perhaps be intelligent (perhaps) but slouching around in Parliament merely laughing at Howard and Costello as they taunt him and the labour party is perplexing. When he actually puts his grumpy hat on and tries serious comment/debate he is as effective as Humphrey B Bear (and there is also some resemblance).

Howard, Costello, Beasley, Brown (heaven forbid!!). They’re all the same.

Jesus lived in one of the most politically volatile times ever but chose to keep out of politics, it’s a good example to follow. We all have to live in the world and have leaders of our respective countries, but it doesn’t achieve much to stress out over their character or shortcomings. Concentrating on God’s promises is a much surer option and we all know that his government will last more than 2 terms.

He’s started telling bare-faced truths.

This past week at church they showed a slick production by Equip a foundation for christian leadership - founded on the John Maxwell principles for raising up the leadership of the church - very much in the style of leadership discussed in other threads on this blog. You know while I have questions about this sort of thing inside the church the Labour Party could sure do with some of Maxwells insights. When are they going to have decent leadership.

The fact is that he is a liar, knew about the wheat bribes, got us into a war we have no right to be in, sucks up to the right side of the church (family values and all that) and disregards the left (often prophetic) side, bases his policies on what Alan Jones tells him, appoints people to the board of the ABC (as a reward) whose track record includes dismissal of the genoside of aborigional Tasmanians, wears rugby tracksuits horribly and is an aweful image for Australia to project to the world!

Give Costello a turn liar!

Year 12 Penrhos girls…it’s all starting to make sense!!!

Their Mummies and Daddies would be saying much the same thing as they drive past in their BMW 4WD…but just a tad more sophistication, one would hope!