Posts Tagged victoria
An uglier game
Posted by eN0ch in Letters, Politics and society, The Age on 27 September 2011
The race to the moral bottom has gone viral, it seems. No longer confined to our major politics, it now infects our major religions too. The next time you put on your football scarf, there’s more to worry about than who’s out injured. Now you can ponder what proportion of your membership dues or gate takings is being invested off the field, in protecting your club’s pecuniary interest in the shattered lives of problem gamblers and their loved ones, whose finals will be anything but grand.
The silence of the plods
Posted by eN0ch in Letters, Politics and society, The Age on 9 May 2011
I would love to know what really went on between Mr Overland and his former deputy, Sir Ken Jones – just as between Nixon and Ashby, Rudd and Gillard, Turnbull and Abbott, Howard and Costello, Hawke and Keating … and a horde of other leadership intrigues if I’d only known about them. And if starved of facts, then I have sufficient time, intelligence, imagination- and Twitter – to feed an exhaustive cache of urban myths, innuendo and conspiracy theory.
But then would we really want to live in a world of unconstrained accountability? Anyone who’s been an executive leader of just about anything, has dealt with the sometimes daily necessity of keeping certain information restricted to a very few. The absence of such constraints could be a recipe for anarchy – or worse. This is precisely because we humans love to know and love to tell. When the organisation in question is the one chiefly responsible for keeping all of us safe from the darkest of human intent, we might just be especially glad that some files stay locked and some lips stay sealed.
I still wish I knew. But I like being safe.
A softer Ted?
Posted by eN0ch in Letters, Politics and society, The Age on 1 December 2010
Well I admit it. I’m starting to warm to Ted, moderate leftie though I am. The trigger is the new Premier’s recent more-than-perfunctory, warmly human and gracious comments on his predecessor’s legacy and the intersection of their lives. And yet these very remarks arouse the cynical voter in me, and I suspect numerous others.
The open question now is whether Mr Baillieu as Premier will resist the politics of personalised spin and invective patois played ad nauseam by modern day opposition leaders, himself not least. We now wait to see whether civility in Victorian political discourse has come to stay, or whether the Premier’s grace will display all the persistence of Tony Abbott’s “kinder and gentler polity”.
You’ve started well, Ted. The rest is up to you and your colleagues.
Pollie text
Posted by eN0ch in Letters, Politics and society, The Age on 30 November 2010
I’m all for a quick hobnob over a cuppa at govvy house. But surely in this age of digital communications and carbon conservation, we could have dispensed with the premier-elect making the trek to the Domain just to tell the Gov what he doubtless already knew from Facebook without leaving his chair. A few taps on the iphone and it could have been as simple as: “gday dave. water bracing, mind racing, votes counted, brumby dismounted, winners grinners, shame abt the cricket, needed wicket, gotta fly, ready when u r, ted”
On Kyi
Posted by eN0ch in Letters, Politics and society, The Age, World on 15 November 2010
Confucius say: Better to be oppressed with Suu Kyi than free with Myki
Jumping for blood
Posted by eN0ch in Letters, Politics and society, The Age on 3 September 2010
What kind of state leadership permits a racing body to continue a “sport” on the expectation of three cruel, senseless animal deaths per year? Probably the kind that’s driven more by electoral pragmatism than moral courage. Animal cruelty is a crime, eliciting stiff penalties on conviction and widespread condemnation. Our cars carry bumper stickers about pets being far more than Christmas presents, and responsible parents teach their children to protect and care for animals. Perhaps Messrs Brumby and Hulls could explain to those families why horses are different when entertainment and money are involved. I sure can’t.
While we wait
Posted by eN0ch in Letters, Politics and society, The Age on 28 August 2010
Shame about the desal construction crew having to down tools in the big wet. Maybe they could build an ark while they wait?
Indigestion
Posted by eN0ch in Letters, Politics and society, The Age on 27 July 2010
Metro’s Twitter feed must be one of the least digestible reads in Melbourne. I literally cannot recall a day since subscribing when there hasn’t been at least 2 or 3 tweets about delays on one or more train lines, usually due to a failure in some component of the transport network’s worn out infrastructure. Now we’ve the had the “morning from (transport) hell”, and if anyone’s surprised it won’t be the longsuffering commuters who subscribe to transport updates.
Now would be a very good time for Messrs Brumby and Pakula to come clean. Please, no more spin, fudging or blame shifting. Let’s have some straightforward transparent honesty. Something like “We admit that we and our predecessors, left and right, have failed to invest in public transport. It won’t be a quick fix, but if elected … ” Who knows, it might even win some votes on shock value.
Myki money
Posted by eN0ch in Letters, Politics and society, The Age on 15 June 2010
I recognise it’s not common to confess to a criminal lifestyle through a letter to this most respectable of broadsheets. However as a regular user of Myki on a tram (an illegal activity, it seems), my fear of prosecution is minimal. For each time I brazenly offend by touching off, Myki accepts my money without question. So how about it, Myki? I’ll ‘fess up to my felonious conduct if you admit to benefitting from the proceeds of my crime.
Myki music
Posted by eN0ch in Letters, Politics and society, The Age on 19 March 2010
The Comedy Festival could hardly be more timely. With a little creativity, even the Brumby government could still get Melbourne commuters chuckling .. and maybe even voting too.
I propose “Myki – The Musical”. To save a quid state cabinet members could sing the roles themselves. They’ve been so off key lately, no one would notice the mistakes. And at least we’d be entertained. Here are some seed thoughts to get things moving:
• Opening scene: John Brumby attempting to touch on, only to find his Myki account $350m in the red.
• enter Steve Bracks (guest appearance), Octopus card in one hand, Oyster card in the other, singing “We did it our way”.
• backdrop: a series of ghostly black and white video clips of Peter Batchelor, Lynne Kosky, Jean Ker Walsh and Claus Jensen (carrying a bulging money bag) – all played in an endless loop.
• closing scene: Martin Pakula tries to touch off, tries again, gives up, and uses a Metcard.
The show could be performed live at Fed Square, and beamed to screens on station platforms. A gold coin donation from every frustrated traveller should see Myki in the black. After the show we all have a good laugh. Then the premier buys drinks and brings back the connies.
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