STOP

 March 2015 - children telling us to stop

Yesterday, this beautifully written piece by Australian author Tim Winton on Palm Sunday eloquently expressed all I feel on the issue of asylum seekers in Australia. My favourite section (and there were so many to choose from) was:

To those in power who say they're exiling and caging children for their own good, I say we've heard that nonsense before. So, don't do it in my name.

To those who say they're prolonging misery to save life, I say I've heard that nonsense before. You don't speak for me; I don't recognise your perverse accountancy. 

To those in power who say the means will justify the end, I say I've heard that nonsense before. It's the tyrant's lie. Don't you dare utter it in my name. [my emphasis]

To those who say this matter is resolved, I say no. For pity's sake, no. For the love of God, no. A settlement built on suffering will never be settled. An economy built on cruelty is a swindle. A sense of comfort built upon the crushed spirits of children is but a delusion that feeds ghosts and unleashes fresh terrors.

If current refugee policy is common sense, then I refuse to accept it. I dissent. And many of my countrymen and women dissent alongside me. I don't pretend to have a geopolitical answer to the worldwide problem of asylum seekers. Fifty million people are currently displaced by war and famine and persecution. I don't envy those who make the decisions in these matters, those who've sought and gained the power to make decisions in this matter. I'm no expert, no politician. But I know when something's wrong. And what my country is doing is wrong. [my emphasis]

And just like above, I really don't have any idea what the best political solution is but I really want this inhumane, unjust, foul, brutal and dishonest treatment of vulnerable people to stop NOW!

NSW election funny

Tomorrow is election day. Not sure about you but I have really struggled to have time for this election. With work to do, sick kids, Easter to plan and life in general, an election, particularly an election where the government hasn't really annoyed me much, or more that the opposition seems rather invisible, feels like a nuisance.

But participating in the democratic right to vote is still something we all should but some thought into!

(said with a very mummy voice!)

One of the biggest issues I can glean in my brief moments reading news, is that sale of electricity infrastructure.  The current Liberal government is planning to LEASE them with the promise of the money going into more infrastructure, like what they have been doing already. The opposition are opposed to it. Energy infrastructure isn't one of my biggest priorities but public transport is. So, with that in mind, I thought this image was particularly funny.

24 hours to decide who to vote for! Thank God for the internet (and hopefully kids who will sleep so I can read up)

Election happening in NSW soon!!

A lot of this blog has been about Federal politics.  Issues of immigration, environment and parental leave are federal issues.

State and Federal politics are two very different beasts.  Each state have their unique cultural, environmental, demographic and financial situations.  There are some states, like QLD, that have favoured one side of government more than the other.  State politics use to be considered less volatile to change, however the recent QLD election shows that anything can happen. I was amazingly fascinated with the results in QLD because they were so close and the result was surprising. I strangely started getting a little bit excited about the NSW election.

I have been thinking about this post for over a month, but struggled to have time to think and read.

It's important to realise that State Politics has very different issues they can control and to be wise about which ones you will vote about. State government control a lot of things that we touch, see and have to deal with each day.  Transport. Healthcare. Schools. The main ones that I am interested in are:

• Infrastructure- namely transport and the increase of public transport;
• Education - namely provision of public education in my area (not many co-ed comprehensive public high schools around here);
• Healthcare - namely funding for hospitals and area healthcare services; and
• Environment - mainly mining and mining licences.

I live in an electorate that has been historically Labour, by a slim margin. In the last election, it had a swing of over 20% against Labour to give the Liberal Party victory for the first time in over 20 years.  I don't think it was the candidate. I think it was more the perception of the party at the time.

In this election period, I have not see hardly ANY poster boards for anyone else except my sitting Liberal MP. Are there any other options? I have seen a few posters for these guys. Not sure if I am all for one-issue parties. I have received one hand out in the post for Labour and just received a letter, addressed to me, with my current MPs "plan".

To try to find out what options I have, since neighborhood light posts are not helping, I have gone to this electoral NSW website, which tells me what my other options are. Appears I have 5 other options (which is nice).

Even though my seat has been a swinging seat, I suspect that it will stay Liberal as the local member is very popular. I also think, that on the issues above, all bar one favour the current government than the the one who is challenging.

But I haven't read enough.

What you are thinking about in regards to this State election? Thoughts on one-issue parties? Or other minor parties?