Happy Birthday to Me
I am 25, but I am still an unemployable, impoverished and partnerless piece of protoplasm.
Last night I went to a forum with Barry Jones, national ALP president, who performed a wonderful and objective treatise of the federal party's many woes. I was very informed, but left the event feeling rather despondent and bereft of hope. Perhaps when I get my degree, I will sail off to the uttermost East, to a far green country where the flowers of modern socialism still bloom in a swift red sunrise.
Spent my birthday fighting with Centrelink over back payment and their own idiotic incompetence and having to do a summative viva voce exam with three hours' notice. I hence wasn't able to go to the big anti-VSU march, but I did make an appearance at the subsequent culture festival.
And now I have a stupid stats assignment due tomorrow......
Newspoll and other morsels
The latest Newspoll as published in the right-wing Australian showed that John Howard's approval rating has dropped to the lowest level in months, and is now under 50% for the first time in a long while. However, in party terms, the news is not so good: the Coalition leads Labor 45/39 on primaries and by 51/49 on two party preferred. I believe that there has been some variation recently within the margin of error and that the Coalition has not genuinely improved its position over the last two weeks, but that the fourth-term honeymoon is definitely over for the Government. However, these figures show that voters are by no means convinced that they should change sides, and, much work needs to be done in both putting forward Labor's own policies and providing more than a modicum of accountability in a rubber stamp senate.
In other news, Erik Locke has resigned as the state secretary of the ALP, most likely to be replaced by the deputy Stephen Newnham, with whom I have only ever had one interaction and well, on whose morals and ethics I shall abstain from commenting. Meanwhile, the reactionary forces' Herald Sun today showed a picture of Kimberley Kitching, ex-President of Carlton Branch who has publicly declared herself bankrupt and admitted she would lose her $3M parkville mansion due to the gigantic sum that she now owes to businessman Solomon Lew.
Indian Giver!
So the Howard Government cuts the Medicare Safety Net that they said in an "iron-clad guarantee" that it would not be touched during the election. The costs have blown out and Tony Abbott knew! Indian Giver! And now the interest rates are more than likely to rise again next month!
The latest polls have shown a favourable move in the figures with the latest Newspoll, Morgan and Nielsen Poll all with ALP in front on 2pp. But this is two and a half years from an election and I'm sure the Howard Government can fool the wretched people when the time comes with simple bribes.
There will be a huge demonstration beginning at 2pm outside the State Library against Voluntary Student Unionism on Thursday week, 28 April - my birthday. Make sure as many of you as possible are there.
A time of reflection
During the Easter Break, I went to Dinner Plain to do some hiking. Unfortunately, on the first morning I woke up with a severe malaise that turned out to be a virus. I spent most of the rest of the week that we had off from uni, in bed. :(
I was, however, able to attend the anti-branch stacking meeting outside the ALP's head office in King Street. Later that night I went to Richard Wynne's fundraiser where for the first time, I met Premier Stacks! Shaking his hand felt as though years of depression, anxiety, apathy and pessimism were washed away. I have become exalted and cleansed!
On the weekend I went to the Anti Cancer Council's 24-hour relay walk to raise money for cancer research. As a future health professional I felt it was fitting for me to participate in this annual event for the first time, and under the ALP umbrella with Moonee Ponds branch. It was certainly good to see a number of comrades from the student body turn up too.
This week has been overshadowed by the death of Pope John Paul II. He was a person who made great strides at international diplomacy and was instrumental in liberating many of Eastern Europe's people from dictatorship and autocracy. However, his views on many social issues, such as abortion, contraception, the ordination of female priests and queer rights, leave much to be desired and in many parts of his domain developments in these areas have regressed. Soybean Stew recognises the third-longest serving pope as a great elder statesman and regrets to hear the news of his passing.
As some of you probably know, I will be going to Aotearoa (New Zealand) this July to help the NZLP's campaign for a third term. The National Opposition has so far not shown any appreciable momentum and the latest polls are showing things travelling well. However, I was saddened to hear that John Tamihere, who was Youth Affairs Minister, gave an interview to Investigate magazine denouncing PM Helen Clark as "emotionally unstable, falls apart" and fellow comrades as variously "smarmy", "tosser" and "queer". He also said that the New Zealand Labour Party was too politically correct and anti-men, "sucking to the unions" and in the interview also praised National Party members.
This shows that one must never waver to complacency or brashness and the extent of damage that disunity, however "minor", can cause. Mr Tamihere was chosen as a minister for his contributions to the Maori community and his supposed economic credentials as a leading (though sometimes controversial) member of the NZLP's "right faction" (although they are nowhere near as factionalized as the ALP). However, his outburst has clearly shown that he does not espouse real Labour values and there is no place for him in a progressive party like the NZLP. He should promptly apologize for his actions and resign.
I'm getting a new PDA - the Asus A730W with 128mb of RAM with 1.3MP cam and Bluetooth and Wifi - woohoo! A far cry from my family's first computer - a compact Mac that served us faithfully for the better part of a decade.
