On the car radio on Wednesday, I heard a report which featured the nonentity who is our Minister for Multicultural Affairs (if that's his official title) whose name I don't even know - it's John something. He was making the scintillating point that Islamic leaders in this country need to go on training courses so that they can communicate with "Australians of many generations". This sounds like a version of "they can't even bloody well speak English" and made me wonder whether Australians of just one or two generations (what exactly constitutes many?) are to be completely excluded from this 'communication' - that would be about half the population, by my reckoning.
The next night on the TV news, the Minister for Education Brendan Nelson (how could I not know his name) was expounding his new policy (or is it a demand?) for the teaching of Australian values (sic) in schools, especially Islamic schools - cut to a closeup of the pugnacious Nelson who charmingly told us that if *they* don't like our values, "they can clear off". Is this man in the running for Amanda Vanstone's job as Minister for Detention and Deportation? He should be.
Jesus H fucking Christ (is that Australian enough for Brendan?). What sort of soulless authoritarian racists are running this country?
It's crazy isn't it?
And that idiot Nelson carrying on about Simpson and his donkey...
Posted by: Tex Lumbago | Saturday, August 27, 2005 at 01:04 AM
I have a friend who lives in Nelson's electorate and she says he is very popular. He appears to have gone to some kind of 'toughen up your image' strong-guy training school. When he makes these punchy "clear off" statements, it puts me in mind of that Sylvia Plath poem about the boot in the face - 'every woman loves a fascist"....
Posted by: suzoz | Saturday, August 27, 2005 at 09:15 AM
Yet ironically no-one that works at Telstra can communicate with Australians.
Posted by: Gwyn | Saturday, August 27, 2005 at 01:12 PM