Dear expat aussie, I really think you should have checked the facts before going off half-cocked about the people who reside on the large island off the north-west coast of your adoptive country. Not to mention the political history of NZ which before 1993, when the voting system changed from first past the post to proportional representation if I remember correctly, suffered from the same 'party orientated or lethargic' bias.
Leaving aside our populist federal government and its 1960's oriented and duck-shoving prime minister who has managed to remain in power for three successive terms by playing on the hip-pocket nerves and fears of the 'haves' against the 'have-nots' and sucking uip to the multi-nationals, Australia's major problems are the lack of a coherent and credible federal opposition to which the people can turn for help, and mainstream media which echo the government line.. Little Johnny (Howard, the PM) rabbits on about having the total Oz population behind him in promoting the war against Iraq. In fact, 65% of those people do not support him so don't believe everything you read in the local paper. Personally, if I met him in the street I wouldn't give him the time of day. In the last ten years I've been involved in five political campaigns - two federal, two state and one local government. In the 1996 federal election I was campaign coordinator for the NSW Greens Party in Eden-Monaro which covers most of SE NSW (about 35,000 sq km). My (now) wife Robin was the Greens candidate. I learned most of the tricks major parties play on minor ones and each other. Our major opposition, however, was an Independent who stood on a so-called 'environmental' ticket on behalf of the Forest Protection Society and attested volubly at every opportunity to having no money or resources. As it happens, the FPS exists to protect the jobs of forest workers, not trees, and has the backing of the National Assoc of Forest Industries in Oz together with its right-wing counterpart in the US. The Independent with no money ran a media saturation campaign for the last two weeks before election day - ads in every edition of 16 regional newspapers & magazines, several radio and tv stations. She took 6% of the vote because people believe what they read or hear or see in the media. We got 3.5%. I agree that on the face of it Oz currently has the appearance of being everything that you say it is but the whimpers are there, they are getting louder and they are being listened to. In the meantime, do you have a brown duck pepper because I have a colleague who wants one rather badly? roger (expat Pom) Glen Atkinson wrote: >James >I am not sure if you have noticed that Australia is the US's little >brother and that it is becoming more like the US every day and the >people are so party orientated or lethargic that they have not even >noticed some of the most draconion legislation in the world against >natural health and in support of rampant GE is in OZ. All with out a >wimper. As long as no one notices I guess it is not going on. A little >like the tree falling in the forest -yeah right. >The real axis of evil claims from the EArth Summit has been aimed at >Aus. Canada and the US. Ra RA the great aussie rip shit and bust spirit. >Yes it is there as it is in the US but the government is doing the same >things with the same attitudes with the same outcomes. It only a matter >of time and the US and Aussie will be indestinguishable. >
