Political Colours

That was an interesting result in the US election. Even more interesting will be seeing a lame duck president trying to rule when he does not have the numbers in both houses of parliament. 

US politics are difficult to understand, made worse by colours.

US, conservative red, liberals blue.

Canada, conservative blue, liberals red.

Australian, conservative blue, liberals red.

UK, conservative blue, liberals red.

Just one more area where the US is out of step with the world. 

Around the western world the parties pro big business and private profit for rich people use the colour blue and the pro worker, average person and a caring society use red. But not so in the US where the opposite is true.

Did the Republic Party never hear of the red communist menace, or the term 'reds' for communists? Reds under the beds?

I guess there is probably a long history behind the US colours, maybe back to the Civil War.  

Before you vote

Me commenting on elections if a foreign country may not be acceptable in normal circumstances, but the evil Trump has made his rule the business of the world. 

A young American journalist who is an intern at our respected local newspaper wrote that Americans don't quite realise how much President Trump's second reign has damaged the United States in the eyes of the world. 

They don't realise how much coverage Trump gets overseas for his absurd and nonsensical behaviour, let alone his social media posts. Perhaps what puzzles me and many people was that he was elected a second time.

I am not sure the US will ever recover from his reign. Canada was the biggest trading partner with the US, and it is now finding alternatives. The US has lost well over one third of its Canadian tourists, maybe up to a half. Tourism is well down from all countries.

There is saying about going for he hip pockets, or wallets if you want to get voted in. That is partly true, but some very ignorant people will still support Trump, in spite of the war he began for no obvious reason having sent the world and prices into chaos. Do Trump voters realise how much his tariffs have hurt his citizens?

The world has a hate on the US and it is down to Trump, his acolytes and those of his party that allowed his free reign. I add to that the piss weak Democrats, although I expect they are playing the waiting game of Trump's self destruction without them needing to do anything. 

And god save us from those bleeding hearts who are now in such difficulties because of Trump policies, yet voted for him. He was know quantity and stated what he would do. 

No one in their right mind could vote for a such the spineless Republican Party led by the criminal Trump.   

Just so awful

I feel so sad for our country and by all accounts a very decent woman, who happens to be an independent politician. Dr Helen Haines, member for the federal northern Victorian electorate of Indi, was attacked by a driver in 4WD not once but twice or more, mashing her legs between the front of his large vehicle and her own. It is horrific to try to even imagine what that would be like for the victim. 

The alleged culprit was initially apprehended by a local businessman, then along with others until police arrived to arrest him. It may turn out to be a terrible mental episode. Umpteen authorities are investigating and the law will prevail in due course.  

I have never heard such respectful words about any politician from all political directions than I have today about Dr Haines. I am not a believer in bagging politicians because they are politicians. There are some very honourable people in politics, of course with some not so honourable. 

I am not sure about other countries, but aside from perhaps the Prime Minister and high profile politicians who have a security detail, generally our politicians can get about freely in the community without threat, and I hope this doesn't stop that and we give in to the haters.

Helen is in a serious but stable condition, no doubt being treated the best doctors in Australia. With such trauma, she will initially be treated as a public hospital patient at no cost. She was flown by helicopter to Melbourne's Alfred Hospital and has had one leg amputated as the surgeons try to save her other leg. As she recovers, she can choose rehabilitation between public or private care.

This will be life changing for Helen, and if you wonder what it is like to suddenly become an amputee, you could hear, read and listen to what my acquaintance James O'Brien in Sydney has to say about it, along with his interviews with amputees, in his Limb Shift writings and interviews.

Good luck Helen. You need it.    

My Sunday

Today, Sunday, Kosov had a long driving lesson. He still needs work with roundabouts and turning right at traffic lights, and while he could drive on his own, he isn't yet ready to sit his driving test.

I've booked a weekend away for us in a couple of weeks. Ostensibly it is a birthday gift for Kosov, but it is also travel I will enjoy doing. I've gone a bit upmarket this time but for not much more than I would normally pay, owing to the isolation of the accommodation. 

I asked HH if she would like our monthly lunch catch up to happen this coming week, and she said yes, but the only day she was free was Wednesday, which was fine with me. When we took some birthday cake down to her last week, she was busy trying to sort out her finances. She is trying to hand all control over to her son, but with shares and other investments, it is surprisingly difficult. She said it was doing her head in, but later said, I can get back to it now after having some company. She is far more social than I am.

As I type, Phyllis is in the kitchen cooking up a storm and talking loudly on his phone handsfree, with the exhaust fan roaring away. I would expect 8.40 on a Sunday night to be quiet at home. No doubt I will get to eat some of what is being cooked at some time. 

Jass had a bath and a haircut on Friday. Her grooming was really well done, even though I thought it was a waste of money, but it wasn't my money. She is looking much smaller now. She certainly isn't a big cat. 

Pleasing to read in our local state newspaper an explanatory article about teeth whitening. No commenter had praise for bright white tombstones. With a minimum of words, one commenter put it perfectly, "Meanwhile, on the other side of the world...".

But then the paper became political. 

"Not only do Democrats seem headed for success in the midterms, fuelled by a swell of Americans who see Trump as a crook, enriching himself while costs rise for everyone else, but the president’s inner circle is going up in flames. Aides are turning on one another and sinking in a cauldron of corruption and boneheaded policies."

Pauline (Bjelkie, Donald, Nigel) Hanson

As has happened around the world, Australia is dangerously close to a swing to the extremist far right, with our political party One Nation. The party is led by Pauline Hanson who has been in and out of politics for decades, with little success. Her fame first rose in the 1990s and put fear into recent immigrants as she gave permission for racist views to be expressed.

One would think that with her long time political partner and sorter of everything, James Ashby, that she would be pro gay rights and gay marriage, but no. 

Her views are very Trump like, pretty well anti everything about progressive society, along with being anti renewable energy. 'Build more coal fired power stations', she cries. "Let's look at nuclear energy".

Her speech at the National Press Club was very revealing. Let's have a look at what Hanson's policies are and could be implemented if she was in a position of power if her extremist party should have enough members elected to influence government policy.

Our multicultural society must become a monocultural society. The ship has sailed on that one, honey.

As she stated in her speech, Australian must reduce immigration, and the party has now released a policy that would see more people leaving Australia than arriving to Australia. That's a decrease in our population. To those with simple thinking may think this is a good idea. Instead think, geez, there will be no one to wipe our arses in our old age care homes. 

Before any public event speech, there will be a welcome to country, often performed by an elder of our Aboriginals, but not always. Some can be too long in my opinion, but she will ban the Welcome to Country speeches. 

She will shut down our multicultural tv broadcaster SBS, and make our ABC national media broadcaster subscription only for metropolitan users, but still free for country consumers of  ABC. Ah, she does not know how pro our public media ABC supporters can come out in force when our treasured ABC is in danger. 

She stated only late term abortions were acceptable, if the mother's life was in danger. Back to the mid twentieth century with dangerous backyard abortions for the poor, and richer women having obliging and expensive doctors.

It seems she thinks Australian workers have too many rights, are lazy, don't come to work, spend too much time on their phones and don't deserve pay rises. Bosses can't sack workers (they can't unfairly sack workers. There is a process). She wants a complete overhaul of industrial relations, no doubt to the disadvantage of average workers. 

In there 1990s the fish and chip business owner's cry was, we are being swamped by Asians. She was then gaoled for electoral fraud and dishonestly obtaining electoral funding  Now her cry is we are being swamped by Muslims. My old school racist mother's favourite nurse was Muslim. 

Australia's richest woman, the execrable Gina Reinhart, bought Pauline a rather smart aeroplane, and the party headquarters will move into a building owed by Reinhart. Reinhart has also donated $$$ to the party. She made her money by building on her father's mining business, plus other ventures. Do you think Reinhart won't want payback should Hanson be in a position of power? Reinhart is revving up to mine more of the Amazon.   

Then her party brought in a former conservative politician, Barnaby Joyce. He was interviewed here a  couple of weeks by a respected ABC Melbourne radio broadcaster, and his incoherent blustering was unbelievable. He is an old bloke who not so long ago ended up falling down and staying down on the footpath when very drunk in Canberra, our national capital city. 

The finances of Pauline's party, One Nation, seem very obscure and I would not be surprised if it is later discovered that there has been some illegal funny business going on.

I conclude with is god help us if Hanson's One Nation party wins enough votes to be in any kind of position of influence in my state and in Australia. 

Later edit. I had forgotten this one, that domestic violence is a two way street. Then a cartoon was published making fun of a fellow female parliamentary who spoke in parliament about her own difficult reproductive health at an older age. Hanson really is a horror show.   

Politics and our Kylie Minogue

It is interesting to observe former politicians, especially but not only the conservative ones, who suddenly become reasonable once retired. Former Australian conservative politician Joe Hockey seems to be such a person. From his ridiculous rants while on the floors of the parliament and once retired, he went on to be appointed Australian ambassador to the United States, 2016 to 2020. His speaking on tonight's tv seemed quite honest with his views of US politics, and the corruption within.

It isn't a good idea for bloggers to mix up subjects, but here you go with snaps of the tv screen when Kylie Minogue performed ahead of the Australian Rules Football Grand Final. 

She put on a fabulous twenty minute spectacular, and the 100,000 crowd loved her. 

West Timor

I have my reasons for checking out West Timor as a friend is there doing good works, that is volunteering. 

In the 1980s I was an activist for independence for East Timor. I lobbied, I wrote letters and attended protest meetings. Members of the Indonesian Army who controlled the island killed five Australian journalists in cold blood, as they were reporting on the battle for an independent East Timor. The five journalists became known as the Balibo Five. The Indonesian army was ruthless and lawless.

I kind of of have a personal connection to Shirley, the widow of one of the murdered journalists Greg Shackleton, who was helped in her older years by Ray in his volunteer role. She was a great activist to bring the murdering members of the army to justice, and as a advocate for an independent East Timor. 

I don't know why the island was divided. Under Portuguese rule then later Dutch rule, the island was Catholic in East Timor and Protestant in the West Timor. Indonesian independence in 1949 saw the central Indonesian government take control of the whole island, but those in the east weren't having a bit of this and fought for its independence. Many died in the battle and at one point Australian troops and others were there as a peace keeping force.

In 1991 we were living in our house in Glen Iris and with Ray at the wheel after a night out clubbing with friends, we had nearly reached home and I turned on the car radio for perhaps the 1am news, and I learnt that Indonesian troops had massacred at least 250 mostly young people at the East Timor Santa Cruz cemetery.

The massacre was witnessed by two American journalists and filmed by another from Yorkshire, England. The film was cunningly smuggled out from Indonesia to Australia and free for the world to see, and it was shocking.

It took until 2002 for East Timor to become an independent county, and later claim a share of the oil revenue from the Timor Sea.

Shirley Shackleton, widow of Greg, died in 2023 at the age of 91, and with a tribute from the President of East Timor.

After news of death came at the weekend, Timor Leste's President Jose Ramos Horta posted: "God bye Shirley. Thank you forever. Forever we will remember you. Your soul rests with us in Mt Ramelau". If you are interested, you can read this newspaper OB. 

So now East Timor, Timor Leste is an independent country, and Shirley was awarded The Medal of the Order of Timor-Leste. While she has won plaudits for her writing etc in Australia, oddly she hasn't received a government honour, such as a Medal of the Order of Australia, OAM. The Australian government covered up details of the deaths of the Bilabo Five, and still does so.

Err, this was supposed to be about West Timor, but I became side tracked with memories.

West Timor is marked as Indonesia, which of course it is. There is an odd little bit of isolated East Timor displayed on the map, and I have no idea what that is so. I will investigate when I do write about West Timor. 

Here is the location in relation to northern Australia, quite close.

My fingers run away

Phyllis has an excellent command of written and spoken English, and even without the usual Indian accent.

Kosov has excellent written English but his speaking is quirky. He struggles to explain anything complicated. But then I probably do too. At times I have had to restart explaining something. 

Neither of them have good mental arithmetic. If they want an instant answer to simple arithmetic, they ask me. And my mental arithmetic is far from perfect but faster than theirs, and more accurate.

When a new calendar arrives each year, Phyllis marks the calendar when the fortnightly rent is to be paid. I picked up that he mucked that up during the change from last year's calendar. He wasn't trying to cheat me, as his mistake was in my favour by one week. They are now paying rent four weeks in advance, but again Phyllis mucked up, and marked the calendar one month after he last paid four weeks rent. No, no. That short changes me by a few days each month. He understood and realised his mistake. I have no doubt it was unintentional. He knows I am smart with minor amounts of money, just not so smart with larger amounts. Yep, I look after pennies, not necessarily the pounds.

Speaking of pennies, for a long time I've wondered why Americans refer to coins as pennies. Aren't they cents? Aren't dollars and cents the standard?

Some good news here today. Food delivery drivers will now receive an hourly wage of around AU$31 an hour while they are working, plus some accident and personal injury insurance paid for by their employing companies. My lads never look to the future about shopping and we had run out of cat litter, which is not in my job description. Kosov didn't want to go out to get some after being told to do so, so he had it delivered from Aldi, for a fee of $4.50. That is simply a ridiculously low delivery fee. It may rise now that proper wages have to be paid to delivery drivers. Good.

What a horrible business in England, where a professor was driven to suicide, mostly by the Murdoch media. I can never remember an academic being attacked by media as he was. 

In Israel, Netanyahu is trying to build bridges with far right parliamentary members who want to bomb Arab countries to bits before a forthcoming election, while #47 continues his nonsense, now having being humiliated by Iran. Yeah, all about oil, but #47, you have huge problems in your own country. Yet the fuckwit is against his own citizens and businesses who use and promote renewable energy, thus reducing the reliance on Middle Eastern oil. Follow the money for him and his corrupt cronies and you will find out why.

Now Kosov has his Master's degree and no longer a student, he had to apply for a two year post study visa. My god, how Australia rips off overseas students. Now it is an AU$500 for a medical check and chest x-ray. He has spent many hours online applying for his visa. Stepping out of my personal interest in having them stay, they are hard working, decent and honest young men, in a committed relationship. As much as they are taking from Australia, they are giving more back to the country. 

Oh yes, the three of us had a very nice couple of hours out with HH last Friday night. I was going to insist on paying for my two glasses of wine but I knew what her reaction would be, so it was pointless. She can certainly talk, but I noticed her conversational skills, by the way she engaged Phyllis and Kosov in conversations. You'd be surprised how well an 80 year old straight white Australian woman could talk with two Indian born gay overseas former students who have lived in Australia for a couple of years.

Hashtag I hate Trump

Another old unpublished post is set free.

It seems like California is the most progressive state in the US. It is certainly the largest by population and by economy. CA is the power house state in the US. Yet, how often has the President visited the state during his second term in office. Just once, in 2025 after the terrible Los Angeles fires, and even then tried to blame the state government for the fires. 

So why? Is he too old to travel? Or is that he knows he is generally hated on the west coast and there are no votes to be gained by visiting these states?

This question arose in my mind because I never hear a news story about #47 in California. I've never heard it reported that #47 avoids the west coast, but when my suspicions were confirmed by a little checking, it really is extraordinary that he never visits the most populous and economic powerhouse state. 

Of 59 interstate trips, (after discounting Florida, where he be visiting his ghastly gilt 'palace') in 2025 he made only one visit to California.

Of  15 trips, so far this year, none have been to California.

This would be unheard of in Australia, although at times federal politicians do tend avoid states where they are unpopular, but they know they must at the least fly the flag at times.

Aside from enriching himself and his cohorts, I don't understand why he is trying to destroy democracy, inclusion, world respect for the US, its long kinship with Canada, the decent hard working poor, the less fortunate in society, in fact alienating everyone he possibly can, except for his demented MAGA folk, the Basket of Deplorables.

I once thought it would not take long for the US to recover after #47, but now I am less certain. Other countries, as the learnt lesson was to future proof themselves during Covid, have now diversified their economies from the US. 

It is not just #47. It is the Republican Party that tolerates his outrageousness, the Democrats who vote for his policies and don't call him out. Worst of all is the 1/3 of voters, 77 million, who actually voted for #47.

A tax cheat, a multiple bankrupt, a rapist, a paedophile and the creator of ICE, which is like a paramilitary army, that kill US citizens who have done nothing wrong, and a war monger.

I just don't understand but what I do understand is that the world now needs to protect itself from US interests and the government's outrageous actions. The government can no longer be considered a reliable friend nor partner to Australia. 

Wednesday Extra

It has been an interesting week in the state of Victoria, Australia. 

Politics was at the fore as the ruling Labor Party dumped its leader Jacinta Allen for a respected bloke. 

After quite a number terms in office, the former premier saw the writing on the wall, and as happens, handed over the poisoned chalice to Ms Allen. This is what the Labor Party does when it sees the end of its rule on the horizon, handing over power to a woman. It has history.

Former Premier Allen received such undeserved vitriol. 

The numbers of women in politics in Australia is good, but they are just not well treated by apparatchiks, especially by the Murdoch media, and judged by the public much more harshly than men are judged.

Gracious in defeat, Ms Allen's resignation speech contained something for women to note.

She also urged women not to be discouraged from entering politics.

"Please don't look at what I have experienced this week and think: 'stuff that, I don't want to be involved.' Look at the support I have experienced over my career and think: 'I can make a difference here too.'"  

Exit the Famous Bearded Media Person

That is how I used to refer to fellow resident Derryn Hinch if I mentioned him.

He lived in our building for around as long as I have, some 24 years. He was always friendly and chatty when we engaged in lift conversations, and expressed his condolences when he knew Ray died. 

His publicly aired opinions were strong and often controversial, and I did not always agree with them. Nevertheless, he was a neighbour doing his job as a media person, just as I did my job. I didn't question him about his and he didn't question me about mine. I thought of him as an essentially a decent person. 

He served gaol time, for contempt of court, and one of home detention (he was allowed to leave his apartment to use our pool and gym), perhaps for the same reason, after naming yet to be convicted paedophiles as a warning to the community. 

He travelled the world in his media role, was a radio broadcaster, tv presenter, charity donor of time and money, made fortunes, lost fortunes, owned a winery and was married five times.

As was said at his funeral, he loved media, women and alcohol. He was a huge drinker of wine, I heard a figure of six bottles a day as a minimum, and this caused problems. Here on his balcony late at night he would burn papers in....... I can't remember the name. It was Japanese outdoor thing you could burn stuffs in? Hibachi? The smoke used to annoy his next door neighbour who liked to have her windows open. The then the body corporate became involved in the neighbour dispute and he was warned more than once.

His drinking also led to liver failure and he received a liver transplant about the same time as our late friend's brother in the Austin Hospital, so they got to know each other. The brother of our friend, a non drinker, is still going and I exchange occasional messages with him. His lovely wife now sadly has dementia.

Derryn owned a ground floor apartment but lived in a rented apartment on an upper level. His PA, and general everything who sorted out his life lived in the apartment he owned, and he eventually bought the apartment where he lived.

He was married five times, twice to the same woman, the famous actor Jackie Weaver. His animal activist girlfriend, Lynda Stoner, from the eighties became his last partner. While he lived here  he met and married Chanel. I knew her rather better than I wanted to, as I, she and the building's cleaner were stuck in a lift for an hour or more in 2009 when a bushfire burnt through a major electrical cable in the north of the state and most of Melbourne lost power. She was pleasant, very glam and to use an old fashioned phrase, of a nervous disposition. She recognised a couple of old queens, Ray and myself, as cool guys, and while aloof with most people, she was over the top friendly with us. She owned a private detective agency. 

They did not live together though. She lived in another apartment, and her parents moved into yet another apartment. Although Derryn once drove around in a Rolls Royce, while he lived here he owned a huge converted to right hand drive black American Cadillac. The carpark in a large building behind the Highrise used to have a car wash facility and Derryn used to have the staff there come and collect his car, clean it thoroughly, and return his car. One staff smashed up his car, and it was off the road for months as parts were hard to obtain. He stopped driving many years ago.

His physical deterioration was quite rapid, and rather sad to see. There was nothing wrong with his mind and he continued to write up until the day before he died in his sleep.

Up until about three years ago, he used the Italian restaurant opposite as his office in the afternoon. With his laptop, he would dine, work, socialise and drink moderately for a couple of hours in the afternoon. The restaurant closed, and so he would be seen less often going out.

After numerous falls and leg infections, he died in his sleep. 

Yesterday he was honoured with a State Funeral, and it was broadcast around the nation by commercial television. At two hours, it was a long watch and I skipped through the music as I watched in a little delay. I seldom praise commercial media, but Channel 9 made it a terrific coverage, without ads. 

My eyes wetted up when Jackie Weaver spoke via video, and his very emotional PA spoke, who obviously I know from lift encounters. Also mentioned and was a pall bearer who was the local resident who organised my repainting and recarpeting two years ago. In the last year or so he put in a huge effort to look after Derryn and his PA.

Oh, I haven't mentioned that he formed his own political party and became a politician in Victoria's upper house, as a member of the the Legislative Council.

Nor did I mention he published 14 books.

Nor that in the early noughties when he was reported in the media, he was described as living in an exclusive St Kilda Road apartment building, which quite amused us and fellow residents who live in the cheap seats of St Kilda Road, but it wasn't always.    

Eras end, and so has another. Vale the Human Headline, the Mouth from the South and Beast from the East, Derryn.

Modi Matters

India's Prime Minister Modi is visiting Australia to a hero style welcome by the Indian diaspora. He is only visiting Melbourne, probably because 40% of the Australian said Indian diaspora live in Greater Melbourne. 

Modi is a man of the people, especially if you are Hindu. He is not so popular with Sikhs, Moslems and southern Indians, the latter as I am informed by Phyllis and Kosov. India has the largest population in the world, so it is kind of important. 

I don't really follow Indian politics but I've picked up that Modi is a rather autocratic leader who has pushed through some great things for India. India now stands on the world stage, and I think that has been Modi's doing, partly by modernising the country, fixing some issues, but not poverty. And also making world alliances, as he is doing here in Australia. It seems his general popularity will ensure his party will continue to be elected to government until he retires, or is assassinated, as a number before have been. 

My workplace in my young years had many Anglo Indian staff. As time went on, there were more Indian Indian employees. I developed a friendship with a gay Anglo Indian who was educated in one of the best schools in Calcutta and spoke with a very posh English accent in a nice baritone voice. 

We were friends for some twenty five years before he had a mental breakdown (AIDS related I think), cut himself off from all his friends and acquaintances and moved to the country. Ray and I at the time felt it was a very hard rejection but in time we came to understand his mental health issues. 

Through him over those years and even after his breakdown, we became part of Melbourne's gay Indian community and also that of Chinese type Asians, and the good and bad of it all. We got to know many people, some of who I still know.

So Ray and I did know quite a number of Asian and Indian gay guys. On a whim I just thought, I wonder what an ad on GayShare might bring up? A quiet and studious Asian guy student or a young and out there white gay guy? An older white guy? My thought was to offer cheap accommodation to a gay overseas student. 

The guys I could see online were prepared to pay quite high prices. I felt financially insecure at the time, wondering if I could afford to continue to live here without Ray's contribution to half of the costs. 

Within a few hours Phyllis answered the ad and I arranged for him to visit. Renovations were soon to start, so he could not move in immediately, but before works were finished, he was desperate and had paid a substantial deposit. Then his 'straight' friend moved in too, who absolutely adored Phyllis, so not so straight. I think in less than five years, they will marry. 

Indians seem to be my destiny, or at least around for most of my adult life. Little did I know how our lives would become entwined. This is a photo Phyllis may have used on GayShare. I am not sure now. I found it somewhere. 

The cult of celebrity

As I observe from afar:

It is funny that all I can remember about former PM John Major is that he tucked his shirt tails into his underwear. Former English PM Boris Johnston had lots of charisma, until he became too absurd and too broken. He had taken over from the rather dull May, solid and dependable but hardly exciting. Former PM Cameron dressed smartly and had something about him, rather like former PM Blair.  Nowt to say about the Truss disaster. The exotic Sunak was not a rich old white bloke but a younger rich brown bloke. I struggle to remember anything he did.

Then came Sir Keef Stammer, with a landslide victory, which was not won but by a decisive rejection of the governing Tory party. Sir Keir was not inspirational, and while not Scottish, he came across as a dour leader, without any charisma whatsoever, perhaps like Gordon Brown. He speaks with a posh accent, and I don't really know how this goes down with those who don't speak thus, but it must be a disconnect. But I can't remember leading political figure in the UK with a regional accent.

I really don't think anyone would be electable in Australia now if they spoke was such an accent. It is too loaded with wealth and privilege. 

Sir Keir, I'm sure a decent and honourable person, who did get some some good legislation through to improve the lives of the English citizens. But no one could say he was inspirational. If only he attacked the rich...practically and verbally, which is what a Labour leader should do. 

Which brings us to his replacement, Andy Burnham who does seem to be inspirational, with good political credentials. I've yet to hear him speak, so that will be something interesting. Burnham picks up the huge majority of parliamentary seats from Starmer's Labour Party, and he really must take advantage of this to improve the lives of the average English citizen in an obviously public manner. A bleeding heart about immigrants will not cut to the chase. The loud citizens of England have made this clear, and I think it goes deeper.

This is rather like Australia. Most people know we need immigration to sustain our country, but it needs to be very controlled. The perfect example was immediately post Covid when there weren't enough workers in the country to staff businesses, and then there was a flood of migrants. In my opinion, too many refugees from one country doesn't work. Take in refugees from all over the world but not huge numbers from one country. Apparently assimilate is a bad word, so I suggest less numbers from one part of the world with a careful monitoring of numbers, will mean better integration into Australia. 

I can't stop ranting

Tommy Robinson, not his real name, is a far right activist in the UK. I remember lunching at a pub in Whitehall as a protest march passed by, with buses diverted, which I think is quite common in Whitehall. It seemed to be a protest about a certain Tommy Robinson being gaoled. I had no idea who he was. 

More than a decade later, I now know about his far right politics and he has served five prison sentences, for assault, threats, harassment, fraud and contempt of court. He became a bankrupt after racking up a lot of gambling debts. He was sentenced to a community service order of 150 hours, and a three year ban from attending football (soccer) matches.

In August 2025, Robinson shared a video on Twitter of a black man and his brother playing with his white granddaughters in a park in North Yorkshire, falsely accusing them of paedophilia, which resulted in the family being racially abused with false paedophilia accusations. Labour MP for Redcar Anna Turley had to write a reference letter of good behaviour after the victim was suspended by his management. Turley stated that there was "no place for hate in our town" and said she was "heartbroken" for the family "who've been targeted and abused because of Tommy Robinson's poisonous lies"

Nice dude hey. No! A nasty piece of work. He's maybe as bad as #47!

Not my business? It is when an Australian became involved, one popular morning tv host, Karl Stefanovic. 

In a vodcast, Stefanovic became Robinson's best mate and not at all interviewing him in a normal journalistic questioning manner, and ignored Robinson's past. It was all very lovey dovey. From other areas, it seems Stefanovic has become hard right, even though his father, a Serbian, was an immigrant to Australia. 

Stefanovic has been sacked from his television gig and for many of us, is a disgraced person. Public figures may softly indicate where their politics lie, but if they follow extremism, they will accordingly 

be judged. 

My Politics #101

Labor Australia, Labour UK, Democrat US, Liberal Canada.

All of the above have manual worker beginnings, as downtrodden and abused workers came together and demanded decent pay and rights. The right for workers to strike became entrenched, and I must say abused at times. But the only thing protecting basic workers rights was that they collectively would decide on a course of action against their exploitive employers, and it worked. Pay increased, working conditions improved, and best of all safety for workers in their workplaces improved immensely. From this arose the above listed political parties. 

Liberal Australia, Conservative (Tory) UK, Republican US, Conservative Canada.

These are parties built by rich people and wealthy business people. They are anti worker, anti union, anti progressive society, such as gay and trans rights, no care for the disadvantaged in society, anti free public health care and public school education, anti taxation of rich people to improve society, anti big government control, anti regulation of safety in all kinds of areas. Anti tech regulations, anti public transport.  Also anti environment over profits, and anti renewable power. Anti brown people, unless they are factory fodder. These parties are anti everything that makes modern society better. 

But then we now have far right parties, so much worse than the conservative parties. In the UK, Reform Party, in Australia, One Nation. The US Republican Party has crossed over from being conservative to extreme far right, up there with One Nation and Reform. 

To quote the leader of Australia's One Nation, "There are no good Muslims". This from she who said thirty years ago, "We are being swamped by Asians". She has also been heard spouting anti African immigrant comments.

I have my opinions on immigration and how it could work better for Australia, one being don't take too many at once from one country. There are refugees all over the world, and many well educated possible immigrants. Many of our successful immigrants are those who came here as students and received permanent residency before becoming citizens, my hope for Phyllis and Kosov.   

I could never vote for conservative parties simply because everything they stand for goes against my values. And OMG, voting for the felon, war monger and pederast, the Orange TACO, aka the 47th President of the United States. You just can't.

I'll try to be less ranty at the weekend.   

Sexism in Politics

I am sorry this is a long read and ignore it if you wish. I think it is very important. 'Liberal Party' in Australia means conservative/Tory/Republican party. The person, Jacinta Allan, is the Premier of the State of Victoria. 

Funded by a brothel owner and others, the mobile ad is travelling around Melbourne, where mobile advertising is allowed, and it is just appallingly sexist. Shame, shame, shame. Photo from The Age.

Franco Puleo, who owns Gotham City brothel in South Melbourne, is among the people funding the $105,000 Ditch the Witch advertising campaign.

The campaign is using misogyny to get Jacinta Allan out of power in Victoria.

I've spoken to many SWers who say Puleo is as sexist as this campaign.

Billboards are being ferried across Melbourne with Allan as a witch.

I have it on authority the campaign has the support of the Liberal Party and Liveable Victoria - an organisation focused on planning and other state issues.

The Herald Sun ran a page on the campaign in its print edition and used the slogan in the copy in the same way it uses slogans for its own campaigns. Interestingly, the Herald Sun refused to name the organisation and people behind the campaign. Possibly because the editorial department is firmly focused on securing a Liberal Party win in the state.

The Ditch the Witch campaign reflects the Liberal-aligned Ditch the Witch campaign against Julia Gillard in 2011. 

The price of fagging

Like it not, I will use the US currency for the price of a packet of 20 fags from around the world.

US, $8 to $12

UK, $15 to $18

France, $12 to $14

Japan, $4 to $6

Indonesia $2 to $4 

Portugal $6 to $7

Australia, $28 to $35

As you can note, cigarettes are very expensive in Australia and over 70% of the cost is government taxes, that increase often and has acted as a disincentive to smoking, a good thing. Australia's rate of smoking is around 10% of the adult population is one of the lowest in the world. 

That is until the illegally imported cigarettes arrived that sell for around US$9, which is close to what the rest of the world pays.

That came the stand over tactics, 'buy our illegal cigarette or you business will be firebombed', and mayhem arrived, with many many outlets firebombed, with flats often in the same building.

The sale of vapes has been banned unless by doctor's prescription, yet vapes are readily available in the cigarette shops that sell illegal cigarettes.

It is a protection racket, which has now extended to nail salons, dance club venues, gyms, and new car businesses, one close to the dealership where I bought my car.

Let me draw a parallel. Extortion at cigarette shops that sold illegal cigarettes and vapes was ignored by governments, just as cops ignored manic ebike and electric scooter riders speeding along footpaths. Eventually authorities were forced into action, but had they clamped down on all before they became so big, Australia would be a better and more law abiding place.

The illegal cigarettes come in by container load from China and the Middle East, the latter via Singapore, I believe. I've seen and in a minor manner used AI. Surely can't technology detect the illegal cigarettes? 

At best I suggest there has been a lack of political will, at worst, some very powerful people, and I don't mean gangs, have a vested interest.

This is mayhem that has never been seen before in my lifetime. Changing your vote on polling day will make no difference. A chilling statistic is in Victoria, nearly all Melbourne based, between mid year 2024 and mid year 2026, there has been 300 fire bombings, a shocking statistic.                                                                             

Leadership women

This post probably needed more work, but I am sick of looking at it. 

This is Heidi Alexander, Secretary for Transport in England. At the launch of unveiling a livery for trains taken back into public ownership after years of private operation has been proven to be a failure, she was at Brighton Railway Station to launch the new livery of Great British Railways.

If you are in the US, Canada or Australia, this is not how a woman in public office would appear in public. That's perhaps so for most countries.

Politicians and spokespersons need to be super groomed, with tailored clothing, good hair and good makeup, men and women both. It's not that Alexander can't glam up if she wants.

Heidi was none of those at the media occasion. She is a good speaker, clearly passionate about her role and spoke sensibly. In the US #47's leading women, past and present are super groomed but frankly talk a lot of crap, spitting out lie after lie. Yes, Leavitt, Bondi, along with dog killer Noem.

I care more about the spoken honesty from Alexander rather than how she is dressed or made up.

Later edit: Just as the press do, I used an incorrect photo for Ms Alexander. I have removed the photo and replaced it with a correct photo. Thank you YP for pointing out the error. 

Not quite buddies in the Middle East

Israel was a once safe place for Jewish people from all over the world. If only Israeli Jews did not illegally extend their territory into Palestine. If only rabid Palestinians a couple of years ago did not go on a killing and abduction rampage in Israel.

I know about what has happened in the Middle East because many on the ground journalists have informed me. 129 journalists and their assistants who have informed the public have been killed as they went about their daily jobs. These are generally not western country journalists, but locals, as western journalists have been banned.  

Although with troublesome neighbours, isn't Israel a civilised democratic country? Yeah, nah. No. In 2025 two thirds of the 129 reporters covering the conflict were killed by Israeli forces. My abacus tells me that is 86 people doing an honest day's job. This would not happen if not for the huge funds being transferred from #47's government (yeah, you US taxpayers)  to Israel. The US is equally complicit in the killing of journalists as it blindly supports Israel.

To me it is simple, and call me an ignorant simpleton if you like, but Israel recognise Palestine as an independent country and not take over Palestine land. US, get the fuck out of there. For Palestinians respect that they have their own county and there is no reason why they cannot peaceably live next to Israel. The two countries may never be bosom buddies, but they could exist beside each other.     

Docklands, Cocklands or Divorcelands

The latter reference in the title directed towards men who recently divorce and move to Docklands to live a wild life.

London has a Docklands area, and it it is a huge development of high rise buildings a little blended with historic areas. There are so many waterways, to a foreigner, it is very confusing. I really don't know if the development of the London's old docks area has been judged as successful. Fun60?

Melbourne's docklands area redevelopment to high rise apartment blocks has not been judged as successful. The areas was taken from City of Melbourne to the Docklands Development Authority, and if the authority tried to do a bad job of its task, it succeeded. 

No matter what money, festivals, fireworks and community celebrations have been thrown at it, as a great place to live and visit, it has been a failure. 

The Docklands area is a soulless and a barren windswept area full of high rise towers but little street activity.

Where I live, a street full of apartment buildings and office blocks, there is constant activity on the street. I remember stepping outside a few years ago on a warm summer night at about 9pm and I could not believe the number of people out and about. 

The development of Docklands happened under the then Premier Jeff Kennett, just another, white, male, born to rule, rich politician c***. I tire of them, both conservative and Labor. 

Lol about Soho and Notting Hill. I think Professor Burke might have it right. 

Former premier Jeff Kennett once described Docklands as a rare species of plant that takes a while to bloom. Demographers predicted it would become Melbourne’s Soho or Notting Hill, a waterfront spectacular and an urban oasis.

Swinburne University housing researcher Professor Terry Burke made a more stinging assessment in 2006: “They should blow it up and start again.”