Talk It OutTalk It OutThis blog is about issues that we do or should care about and talk about - politics, womens issues, law, society and the like. It's aim is to create a space to discuss and debate Articles
Off the rails journalism
2007-12-12 14:08:00 Sometimes I read an article that is so idiotic that I've got to wonder how the journalist responsible manages to get out of bed in the morning without hurting himself. There are some journalists (eg Piers Akerman) that produce nonsensical gibberish so often that I don't even have to wonder how any respectable newspaper would ... More About: Media , Women , Journalism , Rails
Condoning child rape
2007-12-10 12:57:00 One can't help but feel a certain sense of unreality when reading that nine men can gang-rape a ten year old girl and get away without so much as a slap on the wrist. In light of the attention given to child sexual abuse crisis in indigenous communities (which was used by the previous government ... More About: Child , Rape
Oh what a night!
2007-11-24 14:32:00 What a great night! Who would have thought that staring at numbers and graphs for six hours could be so exhilarating! The Howard era has finally ended. I must say that Howard's concession speech was both dignified and gracious. He has (finally) accepted the responsibility for the Libs' woes. And, to be fair, a political career ... More About: Night , Howard government , Australian election
Holding my breath?
2007-11-24 10:29:00 Having taken a bit of a break from writing, I'm now back, presently turning purple from holding my breath and typing very slowly with crossed fingers. 11 years of Howard's regime may just end tonight and it looks like Howard may be losing his seat (one does have to give him credit for having the ... More About: Holding , Breath , Australian election
And up they go again?
2007-11-07 13:27:00 It is doubly annoying having to listen to yet another Liberal party ad about how interest rates will be higher under Labor because of "union fanatics" "environmental extremists" and learner leaders, when we have now had yet another interest rise (the sixth since 2004) and the prediction is that the rates will keep on going ... More About: Economics , Howard government , Australian election
?Freedoms? not worth defending
2007-10-29 13:34:00 "While you weren't looking, your freedom went up in smoke" - a good headline for an opinion piece. Makes one expect an interesting argument about erosion of our freedoms. The freedoms that matter - such as the freedom from arbitrary arrest and lengthy detention without justifiable evidence, such as the freedom of information to enable ... More About: Freedoms , Worth , Wort
The Leadership debate - IR (un)truth test
2007-10-22 16:12:00 As one might expect, in the leadership debate, Howard made a few claims about the IR "reforms". Lets examine the veracity of some of these claims, remembering of course that one does not need to tell an outright lie to be untruthful. For example, when Howard was asked whether, under his WorkChoices laws employees could ... More About: Truth , Leadership , Debate , Unions , Howard government
The Leadership debate - some impressions
2007-10-21 13:29:00 Well, it was certainly exciting watching the leadership debate, worm-free though it was. I must say that on the whole, I think Howard blew it big time - it is doubtful that he'll want a repeat closer to the election. Howard confirmed one of the most damaging perceptions of him and his government - stuck ... More About: Leadership , Debate , Howard government , Australian election , Impressions
Taxing elections
2007-10-17 16:02:00 It is almost amusing that every time an election rolls about, the government promises substantial tax cuts. I wonder whether, if elections were held every year, we'd pay no tax at all. Wouldn't that be an attractive prospect? Perhaps not. If Oliver Wendell Holmes was right to say that taxes are what we pay for ... More About: Elections , Tax , Howard government , Australian election
Is this about teaching history or writing history?
2007-10-13 15:50:00 I must confess that, the less cynical part of me supports Howard's plan to make it compulsory for year 9 and 10 students to study at least 150 hours of Australian history. It is a bit disturbing to see the perception among school children that, simply because history does not appear relevant to a particular ... More About: Education , History , Writing , Teaching , Howard government
When law becomes a tool for corporate bullying
2007-10-07 16:03:00 What does a single mother in US have to do to be fined USD$220,000? Defraud a bunch of grandmas? Abuse her child? Start a riot? No, just download and share 24 songs. Jammie Thomas, one of almost 30,000 people sued or prosecuted by records companies, chose to fight the charges rather than be pushed around by ... More About: Corporate , Tool , Bullying
Taking the humanity out of humanitarian migration
2007-10-04 15:15:00 Every time I think that this government cannot sink any lower I'm in for an unpleasant surprise. Kevin Andrews' comments about African refugees are as low as they come, but as the election looms closer and no credible excuse for the extremes of wedge politics is found, the government is sure to come up with ... More About: Human Rights , Humanity , Howard government , Humanitarian , Taking
Good citizens and bad policies
2007-10-01 15:32:00 I've previously written a few posts about the citizenship test and was just about to let the topic rest, until I read a wonderful opinion piece by Alice Pung, in the Age yesterday and felt that I had to comment. As a declaration of bias - Alice is a friend of mine, but the motivation ... More About: Policies , Howard government , Good , Citizen
Unhealthy State of hospitals?
2007-09-30 16:12:00 Mr Howard is once again going on about how State s are bad hospital managers and how, because the Commonwealth contributes about half the funding to state hospitals, it would like to have more input into their operations. I won't argue with the contention that State governments are not always great managers of hospitals. Hospitals need ... More About: Howard government , States , Spit
Testing citizenship
2007-09-25 14:59:00 I have previously written a post criticising the government's proposed citizenship test. The Democrats leader Lyn Allison released a YouTube video criticising the test. An article embedding the video can be found here. There is however another brilliant, animated criticism of the test which says it all. Enjoy: More About: Testing , Australian politics , Citizen
So who is engaging in thuggery?
2007-09-23 23:34:00 Remember those ridiculous big business-sponsored ads showing three thugs (supposed to represent union members) switching the lights off at a dress-maker store? Needless to say that militant unions and textile industry (especially small tailor shops) are not a realistic combination. In fact, somewhat ludicrously, one of the purported "union thugs" is wearing a CFMEU symbol ... More About: Political advertising , Industrial relations
The numbers game
2007-09-23 13:33:00 We've been hearing a lot about numbers recently. There are the poll numbers. They bring to mind Mark Twain's famous opinion about lies and statistics. One week Howard is down, the next week he's up, one day its doom and gloom for the Libs, the next they are catching up as the numbers inexplicably rearrange ... More About: Game , Numbers , Australian politics , Howard government , Number
Would you think there?s something wrong with this article?
2007-09-19 15:09:00 Would you think it odd if you read an article which started like this: Heterosexuals sue over IVF twins AN IVF doctor swore in horror after he mistakenly implanted two embryos into a heterosexual who wanted only one baby, a Canberra court was told during a landmark case yesterday. In the first case of its kind ... More About: Media , Article , Wrong , Artic , Some
Pinheaded excuse for badgeless police
2007-09-18 14:35:00 An internal investigation cleared police officers who failed to wear name badges while policing APEC protests. The excuse? Pins on badges could be used as "weapons" against the officers. Naturally it is important to guard against the danger of police officers being pin-pricked to death. But don't cops usually wear Velcro badges in these sorts ... More About: Police , Human Rights , Excuse , Pinhead , Badge
Workchoices counter-advertising
2007-09-18 13:09:00 Watching TV is becoming increasingly more unpleasant - those incessant WorkChoices ads are very annoying. The nonsense about employees having “even more protection” from an ambiguous and unenforceable, backpacker administered fairness test, the smug looking actors trying to convince us that employers would never sack anyone unfairly, the self-serving big business ads… So I decided that ... More About: Advertising , Political advertising , Industrial relations , Counter , Vert
Race to the bottom - more proof that WorkChoices harms employees
2007-09-13 15:46:00 The Workplace Research Centre just released a comprehensive research report into the effect of WorkChoices in the retail and hospitality industries. If any more proof was needed of the harm that WorkChoices causes to ordinary employees, this report provides it. Some 20 researchers looked at every collective agreement lodged between 26 March and 8 December 2006 ... More About: Employees , Race , Proof , Howard government , Industrial relations
Coke is a health drink
2007-09-11 15:52:00 Imagine the outcry if our television screens were flooded with advertisements telling us that Coke is a health drink. Public authorities and various governments would surely kick up a storm - the blatant falsehood of the advertisements, the deception that a drink that is at best mildly harmful is presented as something good for the people, the cries about obesity in children, the declarations that Australian people should be protected from misleading ads telling us that something that is bad for us is in fact good. Well, the good news is that no one is advertising Coke as a health drink. The other bit of good news is that, consumed in moderation, Coke isn't going to do you much harm. The bad news is that while public authorities and governments would rush to protect us from the evils of misleading Coke advertising, they are the worst offenders in peddling poisons as heath drinks or tolerating such conduct from political allies. Yes, I'm talking about those damn WorkChoices... More About: Health , Drink , Heal
Workplace relations system - you can?t get the facts
2007-09-09 15:22:00 Barbara Bennett, the head of Workplace Authority and the star of Howard government's ads singing praises to Workchoices, is doing her best to prove that the popular beliefs about Workchoices may not be as mythological as the ads would have us believe and that getting objective facts about the impact of Workchoices and the application ... More About: Facts , System , Democracy , Relations
My fellow Austrians, welcome to OPEC
2007-09-07 15:34:00 Is anyone really surprised that George Bush managed to embarrass himself once again at APEC, thanking "Austria" for hosting "OPEC" (Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries)? Really what is the difference between APEC and OPEC? Or Austria and Australia? Just a few letters and half the world, but who cares! OK, its a mix up that ... More About: Funny , United States
Bin Laden APEC Chase
2007-09-06 16:10:00 Well, the authorities have certainly proven the value of locking down Sydney for APEC ! The Chase r team managed to get a motorcade into the APEC protected zone, through two checkpoints and parked the motorcade in the vicinity of Bush's hotel prior to being arrested for the horrendous crime of playing a joke and not hurting ... More About: Funny , Bin Laden , Laden
Government self-promotion costs now $2 billion
2007-09-03 15:50:00 I have previously written about the Howard government 's extraordinary waste of taxpayer money on advertising itself. The most recent Sunday Age investigation reveals that Howard government has spent $2 billion of taxpayers money on political advertising. Two hundred million will be spent this year alone, before Howard calls an election. Since the previous election, Howard ... More About: Government , Promotion , Political advertising , Costs
Let them pick up rubbish
2007-08-29 15:48:00 A Howard government-appointed administrator of a NT indigenous community has found a solution to the abuse of children in indigenous communities - chain gangs of children picking up rubbish. Kids who skip school are to be forced into work gangs and made to pick up trash until visibly tired. This highly beneficial and creative activity ... More About: Pick , Bish , Rubbish
And the moon turned red - in pictures
2007-08-28 16:11:00 Every day politicians can be counted on to do something worth debating or criticising. But it's not every day you see the earth cast its shadow onto the moon. So this post doesn't discuss politics, but has some pics of today's lunar eclipse. Times like these I wish I had a fancy camera with super ... More About: Pictures , Moon , The Moon
Australians all let us rejoice?
2007-08-26 16:08:00 Mr Howard may still remember longingly the "good old times" when the Australian government could keep out people with skin colour or political views it didn't like by the simple expedient of giving them a language test in any European language. The Australian people have allowed the Howard government to get away with a lot, ... More About: Australian politics , Australians
Religious extremists and good citizens
More articles from this author:2007-08-23 14:14:00 The media reports that earlier this month Howard met with Bruce Hale, the leader of Exclusive Brethren. Howard claims that there is nothing objectionable about the meeting, stating "They're Australian citizens, its a lawful organisation and as prime minister I have met an enormous number of organisations." I guess almost $400K in pro-Liberal party advertising ... More About: Religion , Australian politics , Howard government , Good , Religious 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 |
|
 |
|
 |
