Imperial Fruit: Bananas, Costs and Climate Change

The curved course of the ubiquitous banana has often been the peel…

The problems with a principled stand

In the past couple of weeks, the conservative parties have retained government…

Government approves Santos Barossa pipeline and sea dumping

The Australia Institute Media Release   Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek’s Department has approved a…

If The Jackboots Actually Fit …

By Jane Salmon   If The Jackboots Actually Fit … Why Does Labor Keep…

Distinctions Without Difference: The Security Council on Gaza…

The UN Security Council presents one of the great contradictions of power…

How the supermarkets lost their way in Oz

By Callen Sorensen Karklis   Many Australians are heard saying that they’re feeling the…

Purgatorial Torments: Assange and the UK High Court

What is it about British justice that has a certain rankness to…

Why A Punch In The Face May Be…

Now I'm not one who believes in violence as a solution to…

«
»
Facebook

Let’s Just Remember That Bloke In The Senate Didn’t Get As Many Votes As You Have Friends

It’s important to keep a sense of perspective here. I read somewhere today that Fraser Anning was elected with 19 votes. I’m not prepared to accept that as fact because it’s clearly wrong!

No, it’s not true that Anning was elected to the Senate with less votes than even Malcolm Roberts…

He wasn’t elected.

He was appointed after Malcolm “I thought that I was Australian” Roberts was turfed out because he had dual citizenship. Which makes Anning’s hostility to immigration a little ironic.

After being sworn in, even his own party didn’t want him and so he joined Bob Katter’s party.

When it’s all said and done, I may not have that many friends, and not everyone in my family would vote for me, but I suspect that I’d be able to rustle up more votes than he did.

So why are we all getting so worked up about a loser like this? I mean, why give him the free publicity he must surely be seeking…

Of course, we could accept the explanation of Bob Katter that – owing to his lack of university education – Anning had never heard the phrase “final solution to the Jewish problem” and that it was just an unhappy coincidence that his racism should coincide with one of the best known racists of the 20th Century.

I mean, we shouldn’t be calling him a Nazi. Godwin’s law and all that.

And is this perhaps another case of political correctness gone mad? I mean, free speech. You know, shouldn’t someone be able to call for a referendum on immigration without these attacks because doesn’t free speech mean that privileged white men should be able to say whatever they like without criticism?

But perhaps the time has come to stop arguing with certain people. Perhaps the time has come to simply stop all the “political correctness” that right wing nuph-nuphs complain about and start telling it like it is.

So, Fraser, why on earth should we think that someone who’s so ignorant of history that they’ve never heard the phrase “final solution” would have any ideas about how this country should be organised? And when you say we should introduce the White Australia policy does that include the dictation test*? Come on, Fraser, you must surely know what the dictation test is. Are you bringing that back in, or are you proposing a new,  more restrictive White Australia policy? And were you aware that your speech contained a number of inaccuracies, or is that part of the whole thing that it’s only the elites who have to worry about things like what’s true and what’s not true? Or don’t I understand that it’s only the educated who have to worry about justifying their position – when you don’t bother finding out what’s true and what’s not true, you’re one of the people.

You know, one of those people who belongs to a party where the leader has their name embedded into the name of the party… like Clive, Pauline and Bob. Where we don’t like elites… Unless they’re the god-like founder of the party.

Fraser, you’re a stupid man and it’s about time we stopped all this “political correctness” and simply told it the way it is: Some people are born stupid, some achieve stupidity, and some have stupidity thrust upon them.

And speaking personally, I’m sick of all the stupidity thrust upon me from politicians, the media and the guy who hasn’t read anything about a topic but thinks that his opinion is just a good as a scientist who’s been studying it for years.

Let’s hear it for the clever, the informed and the thoughtful. Stop pretending that Trump is a good role model and accept that the foolish can be lucky for a while but sooner or later, people who play with matches start fires that they don’t know how to deal with.

*  “The Dictation Test applied to all non-European people entering Australia between 1901 and 1958. The applicant was required to write out 50 words in any European language (after 1905, any prescribed language) dictated by an immigration officer.”

 

Like what we do at The AIMN?

You’ll like it even more knowing that your donation will help us to keep up the good fight.

Chuck in a few bucks and see just how far it goes!

Your contribution to help with the running costs of this site will be gratefully accepted.

You can donate through PayPal or credit card via the button below, or donate via bank transfer: BSB: 062500; A/c no: 10495969

Donate Button

18 comments

Login here Register here
  1. totaram

    RE: the dictation test.

    Correct me if I am wrong, but you could be asked to write a dictation in any (prescribed) language. So if you came from Hongkong, you could be asked to write a dictation in German (not English for god’s sake! That might be too easy because the guy was good at it). Better still, if you came from Malaysia, you might get a dictation in Dutch, depending on who the official was and how s/he felt about you.

    I have read somewhere that even if the test was in English, it was made deliberately difficult by pronouncing it in as strangely an “Australian” way as possible.

  2. Kerri

    And why should we listen to Fraser’s no. 1 fan? The grandson of a Lebanese immigrant who refuses ro believe there is any good in accepting Muslims immigrants whilst at the same time denying his grandad was a Lebanese immigrant?
    That journo who called crazy Katter out deserves a pay rise. She/he really riled up the old nut job.
    I watched the presser live and noticed as the shot zoomed out at the end just how few journos regard Bob’s wisdom as reportable.
    Long live the nutty senators and for god’s sake people STOP saying “I’m not interested in politics!”

  3. Kaye Lee

    Rossleigh,

    I raise a glass in your honour. You have a real talent at exposing us all. It’s funny isn’t it that we hesitate to use our free speech to call out the ridiculosity of the free speech advocates. They are such precious petals that they hate their distorted privileged view being challenged.

    The world needs more voices like yours that make us laugh and squirm at the same time with your unique ability to make us look in the mirror.

  4. MissPamela

    You are so right Kaye Lee. Thank you Rossleigh for putting this all in perspective.

  5. John Inglis

    My special subject is climate change and renewable energy. I stopped being polite to deniers about 12 months ago, when it became clear that facts weren’t important and greed had sent us past the tipping point and into catastrophic change. I can’t see why we should be polite to people stealing our children’s future. It’s way past time for a revolt, and revolts aren’t polite.

  6. New England Cocky

    Now, now Rossleigh … you will have your Parliamentary Press Pass revoked if you continue with this “tell the truth” campaign. I mean, how would this LNP misgovernment truthfully describe their politicians? Inept, unworthy, traitors??

    Women supporting Adulterers support National$

    “So why are we all getting so worked up about a loser like this?”
    “Let’s hear it for the clever, the informed and the thoughtful”

    The MSM beat up this rubbish to obfuscate the lack of LNP misgovernment policies for the benefit of Australian citizens.

    Well articulated outrage!!!

  7. kristapet

    I love your outrage!

    This is pure gold:
    “Fraser Anning, you’re a stupid man … Some people are born stupid, some achieve stupidity, and some have stupidity thrust upon them.”

    LNP creating distractions yet again

    Bob Catter is another misguided old man defending the indefensible – bluster and nastiness doesn’t cut it!! Saying, “Are we racist?Well we’re Australians ” As if?? A ridiculous claim! Being Australian is not synonymous with racism.It is presumptuous nonsense by a hot air balloon, of an opinionated , sad, old, bitter, ignorant, man spouting vitriol!! Why did mainstream media him the space? Guess they like, and, are dependent on sensational rubbish so they can sell their news, most of their news is not worth reading or watching!

  8. Kaye Lee

    I rang Bob Katter’s office to express my outrage. When I apologised to the very nice young girl who answered the phone for venting at her she said “Don’t worry, you’re not the first.”

    Every day politicians say stuff like the people who ring my office aren’t worried about climate change or 90% of Australians want Muslim immigration banned or other such twaddle, I get on the phone to express my view. They do take note of the number of phone calls and emails. Flood them!

    Here’s Katter’s number if you feel like expressing your opinion. Telephone: (02) 6277 4978

  9. Kyran

    Sooo, wait a minute. Are you only getting outraged by these fools now? Believe it or not, this ‘government’ has been in place for more than five years, although the difficulty they have passing their legislation makes it feel like ten.
    For a start, this whole sad sorry scenario is due to the MalFunction currently occupying the PM’s seat, safe only because no one else wants it. Well, there’s Tony, but he doesn’t really count.
    The ‘DD election we had to have’ (ABCC/Union thugs) served to lower the senate entry level from an already abysmally low level to a paltry level. Hence the plethora of miscreants.
    Then we had the ‘Constitutional Crisis’, a laughable situation, given there were no Australian citizens prior to 1948/49.
    “The principal milestones in the development of Australian nationality law have been:
    • 1920: Nationality Act 1920 codified the concept of a British subject, as defined under Australian law, effective 1 January 1921.
    • 1948: Nationality and Citizenship Act 1948 created the concept of Australian citizenship, and came into force on 26 January 1949. Australian citizens continued to also be British subjects”

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_nationality_law

    It should also be mentioned that MalFunction has not resolved the matter, just kicked the can down the road a ways. The senate replaced their miscreants by proxy, while the Reps had entertaining (and expensive) pseudo by-elections. It has served its purpose of distraction for months now.
    As for the White Australia Policy, it was also ‘in vogue’ in 1948. Not surprising was its distinctive anti-Asian flavour, given the recent end to WW2. What I don’t get is how little we ‘skips’ know our own history. John Curtin’s War (Vol 1) has a few little titbits in it worth a thought. He was all for the White Australia policy and it was Pig Iron Bob who started its rescindment. Given his preponderance for selling metal to the Japanese pre war and his expression of surprise when it was returned as bullets and bombs, his stance on White Australia is easily explained as assuaging his compromised conscience (should he have had one). The DFAT “Fact sheet – Abolition of the ‘White Australia’ Policy” is worth a look if you have any interest in correcting merely some of the fanciful mutterings of the current imbecile du jour.

    https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/about/corporate/information/fact-sheets/08abolition

    As so many have noted, our ‘leaders’ will contain and curtail any worthwhile discussion of immigration, restricting it to meaningless analysis of phobia’s.
    Another sad reality of these pathetic fools and their meaningless pantomimes is that of the current ‘rules’. Two points to consider.
    Firstly, the next senate election will be ‘normal’, returning to a merely abysmal entry level. You have to wonder about motivation (if you are cynical) when you have the likes of Anus, Erica, Lay-on-him, Hunch, Pantsdown, tripping over themselves to get media coverage of their mindless, useless ‘thoughts’. These fools have obtained notoriety that may ensure their name is familiar enough to the casual voter that they will get ‘brand recognition’ at the next election. The casual voter may recall the name when voting, and not recall the reason the name is familiar.
    Secondly, you have to remember this government is the proverbial ‘dead duck floating’. Cormann has been doing all manner of ‘Senate deals’ to hobble together enough votes to get things passed. He is yet to disclose the agreement with Pantsdown, which he ‘took on notice’ in May, advising how much legislation of hers the government would support to enlist her vote for their legislation. The Family Court turnaround was merely one example. Anus is, to any reasonable mind, an obscene aberration. To Cormann and this government he is a vote. Make no mistake, he will be courted and feted by Cormann and all Anal requests will be considered. These are grubby little bastards after all.
    As to your English test suggestions, Dutton has been trying to get that passed for years now. It never passes the stage of requiring he demonstrate one, just one, of his colleagues that would have the necessary requisites. Naturally, funding for English language programs has either been abolished or decimated, manufacturing a compliance problem they will bang on about ad nauseam.
    These ‘people’ are not worth remembering, however much our media will foist them upon us and circulate their mindless garbage. Well, maybe remember them once. On election day. When you put them last. Please? Pretty please?
    Thankyou Mr Brisbane and commenters. Take care

  10. Josephus

    Could not be better said. Gratitude and anger . Thank you. SICK of fools who think their opinions matter. Moon is made of cheese. Etc.

  11. totaram

    Rossleigh: Wonderful link! No wonder we have such a large number of crypto-fascists in our politics!

  12. Adrianne Haddow

    Give an idiot a platform, and he’ll still be an idiot.

    What authority can be attached to an idiot who lucked out on gaining a seat in parliament through default, and then jumps ship to another deplorable party? Any ethics ? Any pretence of serving his electorate? Anything beyond vitriol toward, and fear of, people not like him?
    Or was he hoping for his turn on Sky, along with all the other opinionated wankers who claim to speak for us?

    As for Katter’s 1000% backing of this drone’s freedom of speech, it just shows his intelligence and thirst for higher learning. Just as well he’s a politician, he wouldn’t make it in the business world with his wonky maths.

    Thank you Rossleigh. You, and other AIMN writers, keep me sane and prove that there is intelligent life on this planet.
    Just not on the right wing of the Australian parliament.

  13. helvityni

    “It’s important to keep a sense of perspective here. I read somewhere today that Fraser Anning was elected with 19 votes.”

    What can we do about the racists who are in our Government right now, and who did get plenty of votes to get in…

  14. Josephus

    PS Katter’s ancestor might have been a Lebanese Maronite- cf civil war between the Christians and Moslems there. No excuse of course.
    Ringing Katter number now.

  15. Keitha Granville

    I am not sure whether or not to be outraged that Katter was proud Anning hadn’t been to university – or was he hoping we’d feel sorry for him that he hadn’t. I am confused.

    Stupid is as stupid does. They can’t help it poor things. But we have to stop giving them air.

  16. Paul Keating

    As regards the dictation test – it was not just applied to non-Europeans but was used by governments to keep anyone out they wanted. Best example is anti-Nazi journalist Egon Kisch who was refused entry to Australia by Menzies government in (i think) 1938. As he spoke 7 European languages he was given a language test on Gaelic.

  17. Rossleigh

    Thanks, there’s a link to Kisch in my earlier comment. Menzies was Attorney-General at the time.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

The maximum upload file size: 2 MB. You can upload: image, audio, video, document, spreadsheet, interactive, text, archive, code, other. Links to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and other services inserted in the comment text will be automatically embedded. Drop file here

Return to home page