Friday, August 16, 2013

The week that was not...

Writing a blog is very similar to writing is a diary. The writer, writes (or types) their dreams, aspirations for the future, what happened to them that day and countless other random thoughts that the think might be interesting to look back on one day. Some people are dedicated diary writers, some only write in diaries when they are on holiday or some, like me only write when something happens that is worth sharing or savouring. I mean what is the point in writing something down, when countless other people have said the same thing over and over AND OVER AND OVER!!! The only difference between blogs and diaries that I can think of, is to do with theme and consistency. Most blogs have a theme, cooking, politics, trains, weight loss etcetera and diary entries are more like opening your brain and spilling the content onto a notebook at random invervals.

Everybody, well unless you live under a rock and in which case you probably would not be reading this, would know about this little thing called the Federal Election which is happening on the 7th of September. It is a magical thing really, I mean who knew that we, the people of sorts, all get to go to a similar place and to the EXACT SAME THING is just a few weeks time. Vote. YAY. Since our Prime Minister, Kevin Michael Rudd called the election all hell has broken lose on the streets. Random peoples faces (I mean our local Federal Candidates) are plastered all over stobie poles enticing us to remember to vote for them in a few weeks time. The more posters the better the chances of election or re-election, or so the theory goes. Furthermore our omnipresent Federal Representatives have taken to personally phoning us and coming to our houses to try and persuade us to vote for them. AND don't even think of mentioning television advertisements sponsored by either of the major parties, who by the way claim to be above 'dirty' politics but engage in it at every opportunity. 

So lets have the highlights from the last week or so. The media have been telling us for months (make that since the 2010 election) that the ALP have stood no chance at gaining office again this year and that the leadership tension and message problems were making voters tune out and ignore the hard facts and realities of life. Not anymore hopes Kevin-im-just-here-to-help-Rudd, who is trying to bring relevance back into Australian Politics. Oh, and not to mention that the Opposition Leader would 'stop the boats' at any cost- a favoured saying by my dad currently but really do people really care? Should we take The Greens approach of onshore processing? Maybe, Maybe not. 

One thing people do care about (according to Facebook, Twitter and posters all around university) is Marriage Equality. Tony Abbott this week came out and called the push for Marriage Equality the 'fashion of the moment' and it probably is, but what does that matter? If it has public support and people want it why not say something like 'yeah ok people, I don't agree with it, but what do I care what people do in their own time?" If it is not hurting anyone (which I can NOT see how it would be) and no one will die because of it, just sign a document and move on. Personally I do care either way, but I do believe, that, the way in which Ellen DeGeneres described gay marriage when she wrote a letter to the US Supreme Court says it all "Portia and I have been married for 4 years and they have been the happiest of my life. And in those 4 years, I don't think we hurt anyone else's marriage. I asked all of my neighbors and they say they're fine." Drug abuse rates would not drastically increase nor would the world end due to homosexuals being able to marry. Lets just do it and move on and as Tony Abbott says "get on to more important things."

THE DEBATE! Last weekend the Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader engaged in what most describe as a hour in which both leaders gave heavily rehearsed answers to some questions asked by senior political journalists. My favourite part was after the main festivities, when analysts and political journalists and commentators got to discuss every tiny detail and  Channels 7, 9 and 10 all declared someone else the winner. Abbott, Rudd and a draw. The debate did not really see any new information released nor did it really allow for a combative debate between the leaders, and if anyone really thought that their opinions of the leaders would change after watching the debate, they were surely mistaken. 

And on side notes, big speculation has been aroused as to whether or not the Coalition will increase the GST after their tax review comes back, should they win government, is the 'honeymoon' period over for Rudd, should words like 'sex appeal' come out the mouth of the alternative PM and what the heck is going with the Liberals candidate in the seat of Greenway. All perfectly good questions and all of which, I'm sure will be answered very soon but until then folks... 

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