Public First Program Editorials Podcasts on Real Estate Selling News

December 2008 #4 - Gaza Again

Public First Program Editorials

As I sat down to finish off the last of the Christmas fare I switched on the evening news. It was not a pretty sight. The lead item was the latest genocidal attack by Israel against the civilians of the occupied Gaza strip. The first pictures were of the bombing of the university in Gaza city followed by a montage of shots of ambulances disgorging wounded civilians and other pictures of injured children being carried into hospitals by their distraught parents. Then the cruncher. The reporter intoned that the 'continued rocket attacks against Israel were creating a climate of fear'. As he said this the picture that flashed on screen was of a burn mark on a road. The point was missed. The point is, the crude rockets fired by the so called 'terrorists' are virtually ineffective both in their accuracy and their potency. Most fail to explode or fall in unoccupied land. The few that do hit an Israeli town usually do not claim lives. Only two Israeli civilians have been killed so far this year. The low death toll can be attributed to the sophisticated network of bomb shelters and early warning alarms that allow the population, in most cases, to get to shelter long before the rockets arrive. While any civilian death in what is a full scale war is regrettable, the fact that Israel continues to kill hundreds of innocent Palestinian civilians each year is virtually ignored as the real issue. Mark Regev, the current mouthpiece of the occupiers, continues to run the line that they do all they can to avoid such deaths. He, like many other defenders of the occupation, continue to run the line that it is the Palestinians who are the aggressors. However, with the increasing civilian death toll in Gaza, I suggest that the Israeli army should get a refund on their so called 'smart weapons'. Meanwhile the extreme right wing in Israel continues it relentless march back to power – if they ever abandoned it. At the same time our mainstream media continues to ignore the protests going on in Israel by its own citizens who are opposed to their nation's ongoing occupation and aggression against the Palestinians. I ask you, where is the response to this current outrage by the Rudd government? Nowhere to be seen or heard. The current foreign minister, Steven Smith, seems just as mute in this instance as his predecessor, Alexander Downer. While quick to condemn, and rightly so, tyrants such as Robert Mugabe, our government's silence reveals their double standards. It seems, once more, that the Palestinians are the meat in the sandwich of Israeli and international politics. With an election due on February 10th, the Israeli political scene turns, like clockwork, to a show of force against one of the most vulnerable civilian populations on the planet. Like shooting fish in a barrel, the population density of Gaza means it is impossible for them to shelter adequately or effectively against the random bombing attacks on them. In the shadowy world of propaganda – sorry, I mean public relations – practitioners must take account of their various audiences both internal and external and craft their messages to suit. In the case of the current massacre of innocent civilians in the Gaza strip, a very important external audience is the incoming US president, Barack Obama and his coterie. As we now know, Obama is reviving the Clinton legacy and this scares many of the Israeli hard-liners because Clinton was the only US President to even come close to a peace deal. While that peace deal was flawed and very one sided, he was able to, at the least, get the warring parties to agree to a photo opportunity while shaking hands in the White House rose garden. The symbolism was immense and the underlying message was clear … “peace is possible”. Without an enemy, real or perceived, the dynamics of the Israeli interactions with the world would be seriously challenged. So, as we sit to finish off the Christmas fare and prepare to welcome in the New Year, it is important to remember that the blood of innocents is on our hands just as much as it is on the hands of those who ordered this latest round of genocidal attacks. We cannot escape this fact because we live in a so called democracy in which our leaders are elected, or so we are led to believe, to represent our interests. If our interests are not in protecting the most vulnerable, then the news coming out of Gaza and other places will only continue to worsen. read less

Download this podcast

Latest Episodes for this Channel

December 2008 #4 - Gaza Again

Mon December 29 2008

As I sat down to finish off the last of the Christmas fare I switched on the evening news. It was not a pretty sight. The lead item was the latest gen... read more

December 2008 #3 - Gouge Your Eyes Out

Tue December 16 2008

So now George Bush knows what its like to be a friend of Dick Cheney! Well, at least the guy didn't have a shotty. Might have made for better tele tho... read more

So now George Bush knows what its like to be a friend of Dick Cheney! Well, at least the guy didn't have a shotty. Might have made for better tele though! Nonetheless, Muntadhar al-Zeidi will continue to languish in an American controlled Iraqi jail until he confesses … whatever. We haven't seen shoes used in such reverential surroundings since Nikita Khrushchev took off his off and banged them on a desk in the UN. What is interesting is that his reason for doing so was when a delegate from the Philippines launched a broadside at the colonial rulers who, even today, impress their will on subjugated peoples. Interesting isn't it, how 48 years later the imperialists are still encountering shoes used as protest props. It's a pity the much larger media delegation present at the time didn't stand up for al-Zeidi and use their voices and bodies to raise the serious questions that should be raised when Bush mounts the podium. Anyway, enough of that. It did add some colour to the ever decreasing range of political emotion we are seeing from our own crop of current rulers. Australian politics has, since the Rudd ascension, become an even paler shade of beige. Just how bad it is was brought home to me the other evening. I was sitting watching what passes for news on the TV when I turned to the trouble and strife and said, “I miss the Howard government”. Both of us nearly wet ourselves when we realised what I'd said. I'm not sure who was more shocked, her or me. Anyway, the upshot was that I got to thinking about how bland the Labor lot are. Where is the toffy, born to rule, guy with the perpetually red cheeks and expanding corpulence? Where is the former almost monk with his sharp tongue and acid wit? Where is the ever shining Minister for Agriculture or something who single handedly saved the Australian wheat industry? Where is the highly coiffed women who scribble on blackboards or power dress to the max? Where are the fun and games? Whole weeks go by and the unions don't take to the streets. They'll get out of practice unless they dust off the banners and get to a waterfront or store house and chant their uniquely Ozzie “Oi, Oi, Oi” style chants. Oh, I long for the days when I hung on the words of politicians waiting for a faux pax that I could use here. I long for the days when Costello would round on the opposition and leave them scrambling for a witty retort. I yearn for a glimpse of Howard, cocking his head, raising his eyebrow and pursing his lips as he told us another porky pie. He had great body language. Horrible policies but you could read him like a book. Where is the smirking Costello and the terrier Abbott? What a team they would have made. Lively, always ready for a bit of biffo, if they and Hockey had made the front row, we would be enjoying World Championship Politics. Sure, the Libnats had their weaknesses. I wonder if anyone has woken Ruddock up and told him they didn't win this time? Poor old Barnaby seems to be the only one on that side of the Senate who took his goolies with him. OK. Score one for colour. He did arc up a bit last week but it was a little to little far too late. My therapist says that I should take a more balanced response to conflict. I smacked him around to seeing things my way and we get on much better now. But boy, I've got to tell you I am seriously over the KRudd (he he. When I typed that in my spell checker changed it to crud). He sounds like a real try hard. He exudes passion like a B52 at 20,000 feet. All noise, you know its there and you realise that whatever its dropping on you is not good for your future prospects. Gillard. Or should I say Julia, is turning out to be just an extension of the PR wing of the Labor party. Sure, she has landed a few heavy hits on the opposition but when she speaks I want to gouge my eyes out with a nail file. She bores me almost as much as Penny Wong. I'm sorry Penny but your nose is for blowing snot out of not speaking through. The two of them are more wooden that Ruddock ever was and that, my friends, is saying something. I was going to mention Peter Garrett but what has he done that is worth mentioning? Mmmm, let me think about that? Thought so. Nothing worth writing about. I heard through a mate in Canberra that his staff have attached a GPS to him because they need to justify their own jobs for a minister who doesn't do anything worthwhile. A whole cadre of them now spend hours checking his whereabouts so they can tell the media “he's unavailable for comment at the moment” and be sure he is. Which brings me to another great disappointment. Steven Conroy. He was supposed to be a leading light. The man who was going to sort out the mess Coonan and Alston created by trying to bend over too far for the media moguls. Conroy did emerge from hibernation a few days ago to make a few noises about something but when Sol and Donald rang he quickly retreated to the safety of his panelled office and a cup of camomile tea. Nicola Roxon could be a good minister if she hadn't allowed herself to be corralled by the same vested interests that held the Howard government to ransom on health matters. While nice to look at, her depth of knowledge and understanding of the portfolio seems to be just one small step behind her. Like a wind up doll she faces the prospect of becoming another Julia or Penny in a few years. I could go on but I'm getting depressed again. I saw a comment in one of the weekend rags which said something like, “Howard, Rudd? Same arse, different cheeks” and I must admit the great saviour KRudd is letting me down. He is supposed to be younger than Howard but often seems like he's old before his time. Not in a wise and sagely manner, but just in the way he presents. He seems uncomfortable in crowds and unsure of himself. I guess all those years of being Goss's toe cutter has probably made him aware that somewhere, out there in punter land – that strange and dangerous place where all those inconsiderate and unappreciative people live – is a punter, with a pair of size tens, ready to let loose at him. Maybe, if that were to happen, I would, for one night at least, get to see some real pizazz in Australian politics and the Labour party on the evening news. By the way. I reckon the award for the most balsy protest in 12 months go to Anikka Dean, the protester who was dragged out of Rudd's concession speech to the coal industry the other day. Dragged out the door while she continuing to remind us of the truth of Rudd's deception, she at least demonstrated that some Aussies are passionate about politics even if our pollies aren't. read less

December 2008 #2 - Human Rights or Our Shame?

Tue December 09 2008

Sixty three years ago the global community drew its collective breath and sighed in relief at the end of World War II. Millions had died and many more... read more

Sixty three years ago the global community drew its collective breath and sighed in relief at the end of World War II. Millions had died and many more millions were displaced, suffering under conditions that the so called “civilised” world found repulsive. In a collective head spin the leaders of the “free world” came together to assemble what we now know as the United Nations. Ironically, an Australian politician, Herbert (Doc) Evatt, was the foundation President of the UN. Some would argue that Doc Evatt was one of the leading proponents of what became the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which, sixty years ago, Australia was a foundation signatory to. It seems from the historical record that 'Doc' was indeed a champion of those who suffered injustice and discrimination. At the launch of the foundation named in his honour, Indigenous activist, scholar and advocate, Faith Bandler said of him, “Dr Evatt fought for the oppressed, he fought for our political rights and civil liberties, our freedom of thought and action. We would not find it possible to be as outspoken today as we are if Dr Evatt had not fought for us as a judge, as a politician and as an Australian.” Speaking as an Indigenous person, she used the collective “we” in recognition of the fact that in 1979 our Indigenous brothers and sisters were able to vote and take part in mainstream Australian life. But not all of them. Many, as she and others knew, were still living in appalling conditions which remain virtually unchanged till today. However, she also recognised that the legacy of Doc Evatt and herself would not be complete until all her people were recognised as equal participants in the 'common wealth' of Australia. Yet, sixty years after Doc Evatt and others said “never again!” we find that here, in our very own back yard, Indigenous communities are living in fear under conditions that our government would openly condemn in nations far from our shores. Where is the respect for the “inherent dignity” and “inalienable rights” of our Indigenous peoples when they are forced by our government to accept a military 'intervention' on their homelands? Where is the collective outcry from the Australian community and the call to “rebellion against tyranny and oppression” when this occurs just over our back fence? Where is the collective outrage against the use of race as a basis to impose another degrading social and economic experiment on a people whose skin is a different colour from the majority? I noted a little earlier that I found it ironic that Doc Evatt was a leading Labor man. He devoted himself to what might, these days, be termed a 'socialist' agenda. While he might not have claimed that himself, he did seem to represent all that is, or should I say, was, good about the Australian Labor party. Now, sixty years on, regardless of the legacy left to them, the current crop of Labor leaders seem intent on nothing more than a continuance of the Howard government's disgusting “intervention” policy. As I have said before, 'if there was outrage and the need for intervention in the outback, why not the same in the upper class suburbs of the big cities where just as much child abuse and degrading behaviour takes place?' I guess I forgot for a moment that there are always one set of laws for “them” and another set for “us”. I caught the final episode of “The Howard Years” on the ABC the other night. There was Mal 'the enforcer' Brough, shedding crocodile tears as he recalled the 'facts' of Indigenous child abuse and neglect. The fact that these “Facts” were concocted lies deployed in the dying days of the Howard government in an attempt to bolster their flagging credentials, was obviously lost on Mal. As he shed a tear, perhaps more for the fact he was no longer one of the 'ruling class', Mal studiously avoided any reference to the neglect and disrespect his government had shown to the First Australians while they were in office. As we pause a moment to consider the power of the words in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the sentiments that lay behind them, we should also reflect on the fact that our government is ignoring the plea by those who penned it that “never again” would military force be used to reduce a people to nothingness. While our government seeks to turf Indigenous people off their land and out of the towns that will eventually be bulldozed for the minerals that lie underneath them, we should be fulminating and taking to the streets in solidarity with our black brothers and sisters. “Why”, we should be asking our politicians, “are you introducing programs to overcome the preventable diseases which shorten the life span of Aboriginals?” “Why”, we should be demanding to know, “are you telling us to spend, spend, spend when you do nothing to lift this people out of poverty?” “Why”, we should be shouting outside their offices, “do you claim to need more pay when you “quarantine” the meagre benefits of those who need them most?” We should be shamed as a nation that our leaders proclaim outrage at what Robert Mugabe is doing in Zimbabwe, and it is an outrage, while they allow similar conditions to prevail here, on our turf. We should feel shame that while we proclaim our “success” on sporting fields, we continue to ignore the poverty that exists in places we would never visit. We should be shamed that as we give Christmas gifts to each other this year, hundreds of Aboriginal children will be denied that simple pleasure because our government chooses to withdraw their access to 'disposable income'. A 2005 report by the United Nations “Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination” condemns our governments and describes in detail the ways in which racism is institutionally reinforced and supported. The Howard government responded with an attack on the committee which lead the Brazilian delegate to reply “As a veteran diplomat, this statement, with its language describing programs and attacks on NGOs, reminds me of the sort of statement from communist bloc countries and Latin American dictatorships that Australia used to condemn.” As the world celebrates the sixtieth anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, where are our thoughts? Are they turning to the embedded and institutionalised racism that prevails in our country? Are they turning to the fact that we live in a country that is unique among nations in being condemned for its inherent racism? Sixty years after Doc Evatt and others struggled to codify the basis by which human rights would be measured and upheld, we celebrate this day and hear, perhaps coincidentally, about another push for a federal “bill of rights”. But we should not forget that those who said “never again” were remembering something that is beyond our imagination. The fact is that today, for many of our indigenous brothers and sisters, their memories are still being formed. read less

Dec 2008 #1 - Dentists, Dole and Private Schools

Tue December 02 2008

There are two places I really don't like. The first is dentist's waiting rooms and the second are dole offices. Being in both give me a sense of dread... read more

There are two places I really don't like. The first is dentist's waiting rooms and the second are dole offices. Being in both give me a sense of dread. In the dentist's waiting room I begin to sweat a little and my knees begin to ache. I imagine the huge – I mean really, really big – needle that will be plunged into my gums and the way in which my jaw will ache for a day or two afterwards. I imagine the recurrence of the dreaded 'dry socket' which is even worse than the toothache. In the end I submit to the procedure and put up with all the uncomfortable processes required. When it comes to the dole office, similar feelings of dread are evoked. Earlier on this year I found myself waiting in the que at a dole office as I signed up to receive the infamous 'welfare benefits' our society grants to those who are in hard times. Out of necessity I booked in to sign up and duly attended the appointment. I found my way to the office and when I entered I felt like turning around and walking straight back out. The last time I was ‘on the dole’ was when I was in my teens, fresh out of high school and looking for an apprenticeship. How times have changed. In this age of “accountability” I had to bare my soul to the “customer service officer” and give over the most intimate details of my private life. I had to sign a document, that described in detail, the penalties that applied should I give false information, regardless of whether it was by way of oversight or deliberate. For what seemed like forever, I sat as a barrage of questions was fired at me. I was asked how I had lived without income (savings), whether I had looked for work (yes), if I had travelled outside Australia (no), if I had any bank accounts other than the ones I declared (no) and on and on it went. I was also asked to sign a “mutual obligation” form that outlined the obligation I had to diligently look for work and the ways in which I would penalised for not doing so. I was also given a “work diary” which I had fill in each fortnight, detailing the jobs I had applied for. I was also given a form that I had to fill in every two weeks and return to the dole office so my “benefit” could be processed. Don't get me wrong. I can see the neead to ensure that people who are claiming benefits are checked and that we are grilled in order to ensure that our claims are in no way just an easy way out. My six weeks or so on the dole demonstrated to me the ways in which we are subjected to classification, surveillance and monitoring when it comes to being assisted by our fellow tax payers. What I also realised was that being on the dole is pretty much a full time job. Scouring newspapers and the internet for jobs, calling or writing to prospective employers, filling in “job diaries” and responding the seemingly never ending stream of paperwork mean that being on the dole is not something that can be done between drinks. Thankfully, that short period of being subject to constant threat of penalties is over. It did, however, renew in me the respect I have for those who, through no fault of their own, find themselves subject to the scrutiny of the state. It is not pleasant, places you in a constant state of dread and certainly doesn't do anything to boost your self image or morale. But when it comes to our private schools, it seems they demand a different set of rules. You might have heard that the current federal government is wanting to pass a bill that will cause all schools, public and private, to, among other things, disclose a whole range of things that, in the case of private schools, have been hidden from public scrutiny since the start of time. Of interest to me, in the current context, is the fact that the schools will have to disclose all sources of funding in the new format for annual reports. Julia Gillard, the Federal Minister for Education says that such disclosure will usher in a “new era of transparency” and make it easier for parents to make ‘informed choices’ about their children's schooling. Yet, the private schools, who stand to get twice the funding of the public schools, are baulking at opening up their books. So, I ask you, ‘is it fair that the poorest have to subject themselves to scrutiny while the wealthiest do not?’ Evidently it is fair. It is worth noting that most of the wealthiest private schools in this country are associated with religious organisations. Anglicans, Catholics, Baptists, Uniting, Presbyterian, Orthodox, Jewish and other faith based schools account for the majority of private school providers. The non-Catholic ones want to disguise themselves behind the “independent” label. Yet it is apparent they really should be called “non-accountable”schools. Its also worth noting that under the much maligned Australian Constitution, there are clear declarations about how the state should not fund religious bodies, which obviously includes their schools. However, these declarations are ignored by successive governments seeking to curry favour with their “serious money” backers. Another thing worth noting, as our government seeks to inject $28 billion of our hard earned into the private school system, is that the so called “Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority” will include only government appointed bureaucrats and private school nominees. I suggest it should be renamed the “Australian Private School Fund Raising Authority”. With no public school representatives allowed on it, how will the government know what the true state of public education in this country is? Like dentists and dole offices do to me, the thought of private school money having to be accounted for sends shivers up and down the spines of the elites. Unlike me and many others, when it comes to their spending of our money, they do not have to sign forms, attend job appointments, fill out activity diaries or in any way stand accountable for putting our their hand for a hand up (as if they need it any way). I’m all for choice and all for assisting those who need a hand when times are tough. I even support dentists who provide good care (even if I try to avoid them at all costs). But when it comes to my taxes being spent at a 2 to 1 ratio to save the already wealthy from the ramifications of their choices, I think there is something seriously wrong with our system. I suppose the wealthy are just as nervous about having to disclose how they maintain their lifestyles as I am about saying ‘ah’ when the person in the white jacket with the big needle asks me to open up or when the “customer service officer” asks me to ‘sign here’. read less

Nov 2008 #4 - Not Winning. Losing

Mon November 24 2008

It’s amazing how time flies when you’re having fun. And haven’t we been having some fun lately. Work, mortgage, work, car repayments... read more

It’s amazing how time flies when you’re having fun. And haven’t we been having some fun lately. Work, mortgage, work, car repayments, work, groceries, work and on and on it goes. Meanwhile, out in the ‘real’ world, elections have been had, grand finals lost, economies collapsing and all that stuff. If it wasn’t for the distractions of work, mortgage, work, car repayments, work, groceries, work and so on, one could get very depressed. Take the oldies. A bunch of them recently got together in Melbourne to vent their spleens over the cost of living and the pittances they get as pensioners. My, what a sight it was. However, they failed to realise that their greatest advocate (according to his memoirs) is no longer in office. Instead of a bloke about their own age, they now have a PM who is young(ish) and more concerned about his frequent flier points than doling out more cash for those he sees as being ‘great contributors to the nation’. The pensioners and retirees who gathered in Melbourne need to ‘get with the program’ a little and realise that the greatest contribution to the nation they can now make is to unselfishly get back to work and do so until they kark it! Then, at the other end of the life spectrum, we have the kiddies. They’re the ones who don’t mind taking a dump in their pants when you’re in the middle of coffee and buns at the café and who cause you great embarrassment when they spew their lunch all over the back seat of your best friend’s Audi. It seems that despite successive government’s endorsement of private child care, the great saviour of mankind (sorry sisters) that is capitalism, doesn’t really do much to solve our biggest problems after all. Now, before we get all starry eyed and blame the Howard government for the ABC fiasco, lets recall that it was the Hawke and Keating governments (which according to my memory were Labor) who deregulated the child care ‘market’ and opened it up to ‘for-profit’ companies. Seems like the whole shebang is coming down around our ears. Now I could talk at length at the disappointment we Geelong supporters have over not winning the flag this year … but I wont. It pales into insignificance when compared to what is going on as governments around the world bailout whatever multinational comes knocking and enter into the ‘socialist phase’ of capitalism. The wonderful thing about capitalism seems to be that it is blind to age, infirmity, middle wealth, poverty and the environment. These impediments to the upward redistribution of the common-wealth do not stand its way. Well, not really “its” because capitalism isn’t really a ‘thing’ as such. Neither are the ‘ailing’ or ‘weakening’ markets. If you’ve ever been to a market the first thing you will notice is the people. There are people behind the stalls. They want to sell you something and you want to buy. The market without people is just an empty space with stalls in it. There is no activity, no trading, no fracas and no exchange. In other words, the market place is only created when rational people, who have an aim to maximise their utility, come together and trade whatever commodity they have. So, if the market is made up of rational people who trade according to rules they agree on, then we have to agree that if the so called ‘global financial crisis’ is having material outcomes (no more retirement funds, collapsing businesses and so on) then it must have been people who caused it. On the surface this sounds fairly simple. Yet, the reality is much more complicated and far less understandable. However, in order to make sense of it all, it is important to remember that the biggest benefits of capitalism do not accrue to those who must adhere to its ‘rules’ but to those who manipulate or ignore the rules and bribe the umpires. Elections, as we have seen, do not bring regime change (and neither does invading a sovereign nation under false pretences). As we see Obama putting together his new government we must really ask, is this not a rearrangement of the deck chairs? Similarly, and despite his “apology”, the Rudd government is failing to live up to its promised ‘saviour’ status. Even the mysterious Mr. Garrett must be getting worried about his latest album. Tuneless melodies and obscure lyrics mean his latest work is not being received by the masses as well as his managers had hoped. Meanwhile, back at the coal face, we are encouraged to work harder, volunteer more, drink less and enjoy the ride. We are reassured that noting beats working when it comes to living a fulfilled life. Who was it that said “Arbeit macht frei”? Now, I can accept that my beloved Geelong didn’t have the mettle to go all the way this year. What I can’t accept is that we are still expected to swallow the whole ‘work will set your free’ mantra. The worst thing we can do is sit back and accept that there is no alternative. There is. But it won’t come free. While I am the first to admit that, as a theory, capitalism has some upsides, I am not stupid enough to miss the fact that, like any theory, it can used to justify dogma, ideology and the severest human rights abuses. The fact that the “market” has been corrupted cannot be missed by even the strictest adherent to its tenets. Even though it scares the bejesus out of me, I can’t help but have a chuckle when I see one of the “leading economists” turn themselves in knots trying to explain why the public purse needs to be used to bail out those who caused the problems in the first place. The bottom line is, with thousands more about to lose their jobs over the next few months as factories close and the ‘economy contracts’, the question for us, will be, are we really content to just work, pay the mortgage, work, make the car repayments, work, buy the groceries and work more in order to see our inheritance used to enrich those who see us as nothing more than stepping stones to their own enrichment? read less