6 - # of Straya threads or # of times we've changed Prime Minister in a decade?

[LemonMirrorSky]

You can see the Milky Way pretty much anywhere that isn't a city. Drive fifteen minutes out of Sydney (wherever that is at this point, halfway to Lake Eyre) and there you go.

I knew we should've taken that train to Katoomba in the blue mountains!

I didn't drive when I was there, so this would've been a good option to get out into the countryside I guess. But then we would have had to take a hotel room for the night and stuff.

 

[Kieran McConville]

Oh well, there's every chance that the Milky Way is visible from all sorts of places on this planet.

 

[LemonMirrorSky]

That reminds me; I thought more than once that certain rightwing cranks' dreams of creating an inland Australian sea could one day be turned to the purposes of ameliorating climate-change-induced sea level rise. Simply delve great channels at both the Gulf and the Bight to flood an inland sea basin. Downsides: ruinously expensive, tectonically unpredictable, fucking insane. But I've patented the idea.

Haha somehow I'm picturing a doughnut-shaped Australia outline with a sea hole in the middle now.

 

[LemonMirrorSky]

Oh well, there's every chance that the Milky Way is visible from all sorts of places on this planet.

There are actually plenty of stargazing hotspots here in South Africa but I believe Australia's got the better view.

 

[Vlad n U 2]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...are-welcome-says-nauru?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

We all knew the Australian state were very selective on who can visit Nauru, but good to hear we've more confirmation.

 

[Kieran McConville]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...are-welcome-says-nauru?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

We all knew the Australian state were very selective on who can visit Nauru, but good to hear we've more confirmation.

Well sure. Nauru, what is Nauru? It's a protectorate of the Australian government. At best.

 

[Kieran McConville]

Haha somehow I'm picturing a doughnut-shaped Australia outline with a sea hole in the middle now.

As are my patent attorneys!

 

[intedomine]

Ax, can you please post the link to your party reviews? I'm keen to peruse.


Sent from a barge floating through the docks of Dublin

 

[Kieran McConville]

Blatantly Partisan Party Reviews

He probably could but anyway I have it.

 

[Axver]

Ha, cheers. Tonight's batch of three includes our mate Xenophon.

I also need to frantically write some more reviews because there isn't much left in my queue... so many damn parties, increasingly little time.

Hey you've got to vacation somewhere.

As it happens, I once went to Sydney, but in reality I only really saw Newtown because that's where the people I was visiting lived. It was ok. Streets, buildings, you know.

Newtown: almost like a decent Melbourne suburb, but with crappier pubs and a nasty traffic sewer through the middle.

My wife wanted to go to Uluru to see the milky way.

We ended up going to Sydney Observatory on a rainy night.

Oh well, maybe next time.

I've lived in this country for 19 years and I still haven't been to Uluru.

That reminds me; I thought more than once that certain rightwing cranks' dreams of creating an inland Australian sea could one day be turned to the purposes of ameliorating climate-change-induced sea level rise. Simply delve great channels at both the Gulf and the Bight to flood an inland sea basin. Downsides: ruinously expensive, tectonically unpredictable, fucking insane. But I've patented the idea.

Hi CEC.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...are-welcome-says-nauru?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

We all knew the Australian state were very selective on who can visit Nauru, but good to hear we've more confirmation.

Probably the first time ACA has been called respectful and objective.

 

[cobl04]

25 and not been. I'd like to go one day, but it also makes me feel a little uncomfortable. I'm glad you can't scale it anymore.

The Milky Way is easy to see, you can even catch it in the city if it's a clear night.

 

[Axver]

I'm glad you can't scale it anymore.

You still can.

Controversial opinion time: I'd climb it. Yes, I respect that the original inhabitants have cultural/religious reasons against it. But I don't follow their culture or religion. I don't observe the dictates of any other religious system, and from personal experience I know full well that most conceptions of Christianity have objections to most of my lifestyle. It's possible to respectfully disagree.

Of course there's the added complexity of 200 years of historic dispossession, but it would be hypocritical for me to treat religions differently.

 

[Kieran McConville]

That's a bit strong isn't it mate? I mean, I don't have super-strong opinions about climbing Uluru, but the mere fact someone doesn't follow another belief system's worldview doesn't mean you could, for instance, take your motorbike for a spin through St Stephen's Cathedral or the Lakemba Mosque. Or use the vault for a cliff climbing practice session. I mean, you could, but it would be fairly prickish.

 

[Axver]

I think the "riding a motorbike" comparison only really works if you were to ride a motorbike across Uluru too. I wouldn't ride a motorbike through St Stephen's, but I also wouldn't ride a motorbike across Uluru. I would go into St Stephen's to quietly and respectfully admire the architecture, artwork, etc., in the same way as I would climb a natural wonder to appreciate what is surely a breathtaking view from the top.

At the end of the day, if I don't share somebody's religious beliefs (which I don't, in all cases), then I am not going to follow the dictates of their religion.

 

[Kieran McConville]

I probably misunderstood the intent your post, which was why I used variations on the analogy of trampling all over something. Like, fuck if it's sacred to someone, I'll do whatever the fuck I want with it - I see now that isn't actually what you meant. So if climbing a huge rock is meant in the sense of admiring it (as one would great architecture or whatever) well sure, I can see that.

 

[Vlad n U 2]

It's as if you momentarily thought Ax had made a brief transformation into Richard Dawkins and/or Bill Maher.

 

[Axver]

The problem with Dawkins et al. is that they don't quite understand that you don't have to be a douchebag to people with whom you disagree. You can take a contrary view and not do what they ask without essentially thumbing your nose at them or taking a piss on what they care about.

It was interesting when I became an atheist, started drinking heavily, lived with a partner outside of marriage, etc. A few of my very religious friends drifted away completely, they disapproved so strongly of my life choices. But in general as long as we were both able to respectfully agree to disagree, it was all good with most folks.

 

[Kieran McConville]

It's as if you momentarily thought Ax had made a brief transformation into Richard Dawkins and/or Bill Maher.

It's a little bit like that, yeah! Hence my brain-freeze.

 

[Kieran McConville]

The problem with Dawkins et al. is that they don't quite understand that you don't have to be a douchebag to people with whom you disagree. You can take a contrary view and not do what they ask without essentially thumbing your nose at them or taking a piss on what they care about.

It was interesting when I became an atheist, started drinking heavily, lived with a partner outside of marriage, etc. A few of my very religious friends drifted away completely, they disapproved so strongly of my life choices. But in general as long as we were both able to respectfully agree to disagree, it was all good with most folks.

I must have a very strange outlook on my (nominal) faith, in that questions surrounding lifestyle rank somewhere near the bottom of what interests me.

Speaking of all those 'Christian' microparties you find yourself reviewing, I can't take seriously any Christian politician who is not, at best, deeply ambivalent about capitalism and the prevailing economic dispensation. (and indeed some have been, for example the unelected BA Santamaria and later camp followers in the DLP etc).

I think Christianity in the west has fallen prey to its own kind of identity politics, though the strands of thought around matters anti-sexuality (not merely anti non-mainstream sexuality) stem right back to the early, extreme unworldliness of the faith, and the rejection of things of this world. Like a lot of good ideas it can drift rather badly.

 

[Axver]

Oh it's identity politics through and through. It's surprising how little the Christian micro-parties care about anything other than families, gays, and sex. The DLP preaches "distributivist" economics but even this is just a cover for FAMILIEZZZ! Even when these parties make a nod towards poverty there's no attempt to analyse the underlying causes.

I might dial this up when I get to Rise Up STRAYA, because I feel like I've mainly been hammering single-issue and socially liberal micro-parties for a lack of economic perspectives. At least I know when I get to the two socialist parties there'll be some more robust economic policy.

 

[Kieran McConville]

There is, or has been, in parts of the world, a radical Catholic left, for instance. But electoral politics isn't really its milieu; I'd bet serious money that most people of that persuasion in Australia vote for either Labor or maybe the Greens or maybe what's left of the Democrats, and stand for one of those if they run for office at all.

So that leaves the 'religion brand' field to idiots like Family Fist and Rise up Straya, who really are peddling a kind of snake oil not much dissimilar to Amway (which has its own fairly creepy US Christian-Dominionist links).

 

[cobl04]

Turnbull has just said that even after his supposedly fiscally conservative responsible party staged their 14 trillion dollar plebiscite, Liberal MPs would still be free to conscience vote. What a delightful old cunt.

 

[Axver]

Turnbull has just said that even after his supposedly fiscally conservative responsible party staged their 14 trillion dollar plebiscite, Liberal MPs would still be free to conscience vote. What a delightful old cunt.

You know, this may actually be a subtle way for Turnbull to kill the plebiscite without having to do it himself.

A plebiscite has to be set up by parliament. Turnbull may be banking on the bill going before the Senate, and the ALP, Greens, and enough of the crossbench turning around and saying "wait, you want to spend $160 million on a plebiscite only to follow it with a conscience vote? Why not skip the plebiscite and just hold the conscience vote?" The Senate would then kill the plebiscite bill and try to bring on a conscience vote. It means Turnbull doesn't have to spend a bajillion dollars on what will be an ugly campaign, but can keep telling the loonies in his own party that he wanted a plebiscite and it was that nasty Senate what killed it.

It would be smart strategy, because otherwise he's in an invidious position. The crazy wing of the Libs would crucify him if he walked away from a plebiscite. Meanwhile the general public will be deeply unhappy with the cost of the plebiscite, especially if all that money is spent only for parliament to defy the will of the people in a bullshit conscience vote. Much more expedient for ol' mate Malc - now with vitamin R - to let the Senate kill off the whole thing for him.

 

[intedomine]

Blatantly Partisan Party Reviews

He probably could but anyway I have it.

Ta!


Sent from a barge floating through the docks of Dublin

 

[intedomine]

I admire Dawkins' work and generally empathise with his views on most things, but taking to Twitter ruined him. His tweets just come across as rash, foolish and alarmist. He has really tainted the "new atheist" movement (if you could call it that) and comes across as a kind of caricature these days.


Sent from a barge floating through the docks of Dublin

 

[Vlad n U 2]

The 'new atheist' movement was never good to begin with. It's all a bunch of shit.

 

[Kieran McConville]

I don't respect Dawkins or his work, so I guess between us all we have most bases covered!

 

[Kieran McConville]

I see Mr Turnbull is getting in on the act (not Dawkins, the Brexit vote). Vote for me, because something happened.

Let me repeat that: vote for me, because something happened in Britain.

Let that sink in.

Fucking cocksuckers who rule us. They are worth... nothing. Nothing at all.

 

[Axver]

Dawkins is the sort of person who starts off with a good idea, then behaves about it in such a way that it makes everybody who's in agreement with him not want to be in agreement with him.

Turnbull is the sort of person who starts off with a good idea and then gets rid of it on the open market because capitalism.

 

[cobl04]

Haha, my girlfriend (who is living in France) was like "I need help to vote" so I got drunk and spent like two hours writing her up a super basic document (I didn't realise how fucking many candidates there are for the Victorian senate) and she's pretty much gonna do the same as me, vote 1-6 above the line for all the left parties not called Socialist Alternative.

She lives in Goldstein which is an incredibly safe Liberal seat, and with the new Liberal candidate being gay will appeal to the rich but socially progressive young voters so I just said vote 1-2 Greens/Sex.