How to Speak Your Mind Aussie Style.

As those who know me are aware I am a great fan of Australia having spent the best part of six years there. I like their style, values and honesty and in particular their unequivocal political honesty.

There was an interview with Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer. He was asked what he thought about the handful of protesters outside the GNAT’s conference.
He said "Well they are from the Socialist Alliance. These people are losers, you know. They lost the Soviet Union and they lost the Cold war. Yes I thought about them. It was raining and I thought the harder it rains the wetter they’ll get".

There are many in the Labour Party, including me, who will subscribe to the sentiment.

Guns.

The Government's plans for 'drop-off zones' for illegally held guns is at best a pathetic response to the problem. It does nothing to address and correct the core problem of why some children and youths feel obliged to carry such weapons and why they are so alienated from the rest of us.

For at least two decades successive governments have been warned about the inevitability of a breakdown in society if no action was taken to stop the increasing number of young people being shunted in to an expanding underclass and little or nothing has been done about it.

What is needed is action to create a more egalitarian and equal society. The disgrace of the very rich being allowed to live and work here when they are non-resident for taxation purposes would be a useful start. Immediate investment in education to bring our state schools up to the standard of public schools is an absolute priority. We need to stop fiddling with exams and other aspects of the education system. What is required is real investment to ensure that the school environment and facilities match the best available in public schools, that Headmasters are free to run their schools without interference, that class sizes are reduced by at least half and that salaries are such that they attract the best of talent into the teaching profession.

Perhaps if these and other measures were taken now to attack the basic problem we could anticipate a more decent society in ten-twenty years time.

Favourite Jokes

On Radio 4 the great and very funny Barry Cryer was asked what was his favourite joke. He had no hesitation in relating that whilst driving in the countryside he ran over a cockerel. Mortified he went to see the farmer's wife and explained what had happened and offered to replace the deceased bird.

The farmers wife looked at him curiously and said "What ever grabs you - the chickens are in the third building on the left."