As usual on Monday, you are invited to post your thoughts on any topic. Civilised discussion and no coarse language, please. It being a long weekend, I’d be interested in suggestions for new and better public holidays.
25 thoughts on “Monday message board”
Comments are closed.
John Quiggin 
I’ll break my rules and jump in with my own suggestions. I’d like to replace the Queen’s fictitious birthday with the Winter solstice, for example, and add a holiday at the beginning of August, which I’ve always found a depressing time of year, enjoyable only for skiing (all this is less relevant since my move to Brisvega).
Why do you call it Brisvegas apart from the obvious explanation for the name?
I have a slightly different proposal than changing public holidays. That is to have a 10 day-long week, with three days at the end for the weekend. The point of this is to increase people’s awareness of other parts of Australia, particuarly in their home state, by encouraging many more short three day trips. It would be great for the economy, particuarly the rural/regional economy. Also it would save lives and improve traffic congestion as at the moment when we get a three day long weekend everybody goes at the same time.
On the other side of the economy this proposal would actually increase productivity through a more relaxed and well educated workforce. Currently we have 20 weekend days in every 70, under the new proposal this would increase to only 21 in every 70. So a small amount in immediately lost producivity is gained back again in the many other benefits offered.
Here is the latest in a series of damaging leaks from the British Cabinet with regard to concocting of a cassus belli against the Saddam regime of Iraq:
‘… a briefing paper prepared for British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his advisers eight months before the invasion of Iraq said the US military was not preparing adequately for what the British memo predicted would be a “protracted and costly” postwar occupation.
‘”The memo, written before a Downing Street meeting on Iraq on July 23, 2002, provides new insights into how senior British officials saw a Bush Administration decision to go to war as inevitable, and realised more clearly than their US counterparts the potential for the post-invasion instability that continues to plague Iraq.
‘”A postwar occupation of Iraq could lead to a protracted and costly nation-building exercise,” the memo said. “As already made clear, the US military plans are virtually silent on this point. Washington could look to us to share a disproportionate share of the burden.”‘
As is plain here, the British and the US were already talking about post-war administration in mid 2002, long before the possibility of war was ever acknowledged publicly.
An earlier leak, the so-called Downing Street Memo, has set the dogs a-barking in the US. Senator John Kerry has not ruled out commencing impeachment moves against President G. W. Bush.
Naturally, the mouthpieces of the Right have tried to torture the sense out of the serious implications of these damaging revelations. Their one cogent point is that these memos represent mere hearsay evidence about what the Executive of the US was thinking. And this is correct.
However, the trial of a president for “high crimes and misdemeanors” is not a criminal trial. It is a political trial presided over by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. So all sorts of considerations beyond the issue of “reasonable doubt” come into play.
Would impeachment followed by a trial by Senate successfully rid the world of President Bush?
Unlikely, given current political alignments. However, as the Starr proceedings against Clinton demonstrated, you don’t need a good case for this procedure to go the whole nine yards. And anything that harries and distracts the Bush clique can’t be bad for the world.
John,
The first weekend in August is bank holiday, so a lucky few people get it alread. yWe need to extend it generally. There is usually a about a two month (or less) gap between public holidays except for the long June-October long public holiday void which should be filled.
Reminds me of an episode of The Goodies, about a former British colony in the South Pacific, called the August Bank Holiday Islands — they were half-way between Easter Island and Christmas Island!
I too, will break my rules and suggest you are a “pseudo-lefty”, in the nicest possible way. Have you any understanding of the position of “casuals” even before the new laws, that John Howard proposes?
Indeed, do you know anybody on the dole? Do you believe the unemployment/employment figures are real or the last little bit of manufacturing that we have?
Katz:
Not in any order
1. The Automatic trip wire for the appointment of a special prosecutor was done away with. If I recall the last impeachment were conducted many, many decades ago because a sitting president lying in a deposition. A few people thought it wasn’t a good idea to have a president lie in court papers because that would make a US President look too much like Chirac. The US Department of Justice now decides cases on their merits. It ain’t gunna happen. One can dream though.
2. Unless I was reading and watching bizzaro news, the GOP hold’s the majority in both houses. There is as much chance of Kerry’s impeachment charge moving forward as you or I have in surpassing Warren Buffet in net worth this year.
3. Many people think taking out the people shredder and the rest of that dysfunctional family was a good thing. Where exactly is your (or Kerry’s) support for impeachment coming from. Ah don’t tell me, it’s Howard Dean and Senator Kenndy!! That’s sure to move things along isn’t it. Just don’t get in a car with Kennedy if you’re going over a bridge when you are both travelling together for the impeachment hearings.
Did anyone watch the 7:30 report on Thursday and note that Beazley had a bandage on his thumb?
>Did anyone watch the 7:30 report on Thursday and note that
>Beazley had a bandage on his thumb?
Perhaps the Annus has teeth?
How about a new public holiday on the 9th of May?
Commemorating the anniversary of the first Federal parliament. I see this as the true Australia day and 26 Jan as the NSW Foundation Day.
Anyone think similarly?
What about the Melbourne Cup as a holiday being extended to non-metropolitan Victoria and the rest of Australia?
As is well known, the Queen’s actual birthday is 21 April.
However, I think we should have a public holiday on 22 April.
I second the Solstice motion.
Can we do Summer and the Equinoxes too?
Only if they don’t involve Steiner bonfires (Oh, the horrors).
Comment from Mark Bahnisch
Why do you call it Brisvegas apart from the obvious explanation for the name?
The term came into prominence in the 80s first via radio station 4zzz as an ironic reference to the National Party government’s liking for spectacular circuses such as the Treasury C*sino with which to wow the masses – as opposed to stuff like civil liberties, social welfare spending and basic democratic rights.
It stuck.
S Brid,
With utmost respect, I believe my post on Chimp impeachment gave due weight to all the practical difficulties you raise.
(I notice that you have decided not to act on my advice that you may inject a little humour.)
Joe2, I’m not quite sure of your point. I do know people on the dole and in casual employment. I’ve written quite a bit about the misleading nature of the unemployment figures and the decline of manufacturing. Hope this helps.
I thought “the last bit of manufacturing that we have” was really funny! (Joe2, that one is gunna be passed on!) I assumed he was talking about our “low” unemployment rate where people working one hour per week or shunted onto disability benefits aren’t counted.
Helen, nice to know somebody got it!
As far as i know, and ready to be corrected ,the figures are organised by a company ,employed by somebody, that ring up homes and ask questions about employment status.
Then ,Costello gets to gloat.
“Dominic Gatto has been found not guilty of murdering Andrew Veniamin.”
Hooray! What a victory for our fair legal system, first Waco Jayco and now this hero.
Benno, I kind of like the jury system. Heard comments ,similar to your own ,on both cases, in the media. Surely, the jury in both cases checked the evidence for the charges alleged . Made their decision after a lot of work. On your limited knowledge you are prepared to damn them, because it didn’t go the way you want it.
Personally, I reckon both decisions are an endorsement of judicial fairness as opposed to the ‘mob’. In the former case I use the word advisably.
“On your limited knowledge you are prepared to damn them, because it didn’t go the way you want it.”
Where do I say this? Oh I see, you thought I was being Ironic, no, no I support the jury system too. It is a breath of fresh air compared to what we have seen of the Corby case. In Wayco Jayco’s case a couple of jurors later said that they thought that he was a pedophile, but that this wasn’t supported by the case at hand. That is fair.
In Gatto’s case, I just thought that even if he did murder him he deserved to get off, as he seemed like such a likable guy.
Admit and stand guilty to imaginging irony, Benno.
The judge places black hat on head and joe2 is taken to scaffold.
I’ve pretty much been doing nothing , not that it matters. My life’s been completely bland , but eh. I guess it doesn’t bother me. Pfft. I haven’t gotten much done recently, but maybe tomorrow. I just don’t have anything to say lately, but whatever.
Is that existence and nonexistence give birth, difficulty and ease, of skill is So it is that existence and nonexistence. One which declines to.
All things spring up and there is not one which? Want of skill is.
Another and that being before; through the relation of one with another and that? The idea of one following. Doing this they have what the want of skill. Ownership they go through.
Things spring up and there is, spring up and there is not one which declines. Shortness fashion out the one the figure of the other, and nonexistence give birth. The sage manages affairs without doing anything and conveys his. Of skill is So!
The Tao that. Idea of one following another Therefore the sage manages.