Politically Correctness! It stops us saying what we really want to say. As John Howard said all those years ago, even though he didn’t agree with Pauline Hanson, it was refreshing that now people felt able to express themselves without being stifled by political correctness. Of course, a pedant may have pointed out that she lost Liberal endorsement for doing just that. However…

Free speech. We’re looking at outlawing people advocating boycotts, but apparently making racist comments is just exercising one’s rights.

Free speech is a wonderful thing. I’m looking forward to the removal of the restrictions of 18C so I can say that Andrew Bolt is just being true to his Aryan roots, but I suspect he’ll stick to his claim that he’s indigenous. But that’s not why I’m writing at the moment.

I had this great analogy suddenly occur to me about the way in which Australia approaches free trade agreements. It’s like a dialogue between a pimp and a prostitute and it goes like this:

Pimp – I have some good news and bad news.

Prostitute – What’s the good news?

Pimp – You’re no longer a prostitute.

Prostitute – And the bad news?

Pimp – You still get screwed, it’s just that you don’t get any of the money.

Of course, as I was starting to write this, I thought that it would be more politically correct to call the prostitute a sex worker, but somehow that didn’t have same punch.

On a totally unrelated matter, I was going to make some comments about Arthur Sinodinos, but I couldn’t remember how to spell his name. Now, I’m sure that some of you think that a person who writes for nothing should remember how to spell everything, but there’s no need for someone who’s paid $200,000 a year to actually have to remember exactly what it was that he was expected to do for the money. Or even what he did for the money. Or have checked where the money was coming from. Or where it was going to. Or even what he did for the pittance he was paid. Let alone for whom he was working. Or why.

But ICAC has already said that they very much doubt that Arthur will be found to have behaved corruptedly. So he can go back to being Assistant Treasurer where he can apply these skills to the Australian economy.

So, at the risk (?) of being politically incorrect, what is the difference between being a sex worker and a prostitute?

Well, one is prepared to sell themselves for money then pretend it never happened; the other isn’t a politician.

Free speech. I have a right to be a bigot.