Category Archives: john howard is a fool

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Historic changes for Northern Territory Aborigines have been signed off by federal parliament, ushering in a new wave of intervention in indigenous communities.
The laws – which are discriminatory, by the government’s own admission – were passed on an unusual Friday sitting of the Senate after a marathon 27 hours of debate.
They include the controversial commonwealth takeover of indigenous township leases, removal of the Aboriginal land permits system, quarantining of welfare payments for neglectful parents and bans on alcohol and pornography.
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NT Chief Minister Clare Martin said some aspects of the federal intervention were not about tackling child abuse, as Mr Howard has claimed.
“We support many of the measures put forward by the commonwealth, including welfare reforms to get children to school, and securing additional doctors and police,” Ms Martin said.
“We’re against measures which have no link to the protection of children, in particular the removal of permits and the compulsory acquisition of land.”
She warned the alcohol restrictions were impractical.
Democrats senator Andrew Bartlett said the government’s failure to consult with Aboriginal people about the changes had rendered the laws “fatally flawed”.
“The government’s insistence on politicising this issue and taking such an aggressively divisive approach where there is almost universal public support for helping Aboriginal people has been destructive and unhelpful,” he said.
“The approach the government has taken deliberately attempts to destroy the middle ground, dramatically increasing the likelihood that this will turn out to be yet another government failure.”

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Howard out, now

Gay couples face overseas adoption ban
“For a government to deliberately set out to stigmatise same-sex couples and their children to win a few votes in the lead up to an election is beneath contempt”.
Also, Gay lobby hits out over adoption bill.
I didn’t think I could hate or despise John Howard more, yet it turns out it’s possible. What is his problem? I can’t believe he can be so callous.

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This has cheered me up:

THE Howard Government has been accused of failing to provide moral leadership on crucial issues by the newly named Younger Victorian of the Year.
Tom O’Connor, Victorian director of the youth poverty-fighting group the Oaktree Foundation, used yesterday’s award presentation to launch a blistering attack on the Federal Government.
While he was “humbled” to receive the award, Mr O’Connor stressed he was accepting it on behalf of a generation that expected moral leadership from government.

The Age: Young state award winner lets fly at Howard Government

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This was on the front page of the Age online: Divided in sport, united in love

First they played against each other, then they fell in love. Now two of the world’s greatest women hockey players have had a baby together.
That’s the story of Australian Olympian Alyson Annan and her partner, former Olympic rival Carole Thate.

It’s a charming story, and it’s a great balance to Howard’s homophobia which at this distance otherwise forms my opinion of Australia’s attitude to all things gay.
Oh, and al-Qaeda can go fcuk themselves.

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Muriel Bamblett, “chairwoman of the Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care, the main body for Aboriginal and Islander Children and Family Services”, writes in The Age: Please listen to us, PM:

The Prime Minister says the “old ways” have failed and the time for talk is over.
We would like to believe you, Prime Minister, but your own “old way” of dealing with Aboriginal people is to disregard our voices. We have been trying to talk with you for years about the lack of services for health, education and child protection. We have been giving you examples of Aboriginal communities that have begun to turn around the drug and alcohol abuse and poor health outcomes, communities that have succeeded because they were empowered and resourced to take action.
We have been talking about a human rights and culturally respectful social investment approach. But the approach by the Federal Government is a policy of disinvestment. It promotes mainstreaming and denies community control. It has no evidence base.
The evidence from overseas and in Australia points to the fact that when there is properly resourced indigenous community control and effective culturally based programs, social dysfunction indicators, such as poor health outcomes and youth suicide rates, decrease.
The Prime Minister says the measures he has announced will stabilise and protect communities. We would like to believe you, Prime Minister, but your measures are disempowering and punitive.

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Aussies knocked off as world’s most friendly

“”Although Australia still has a strong reputation as an aspirational destination, we must focus more on our cultural heritage, national parks and alternative, more accessible holiday options to encourage a broader tourism appeal,” Mr Harcourt said.”

Or maybe we should just stop being arseholds in immigrants and refugees. Why spin it when you can just be nicer?

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What to call John Howard?

I can’t remember if I’ve posted about this before, but if you had to think of a phrase to describe John Howard in his role as Prime Minister of Australia, a la miserable failure, what would they be?
Suggestions so far have included Recalcitrant Weasel, Duplicitous Bigot, Mendacious Throwback, Reactionary, Machiavellian Despicable Derelict Misanthrope and finally Myopic Fear-monger.