Another one bites the dust
i care about outcomes for the community far more than i care about any miss-place loyalty to any political party.
They are suppose to be public servants.
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I am sorry for your bad experiences with the Greens. I can only speak from my own experience and about how our Branch operates, in fact all the Branches that I have been in over 49 years.
Every one of them is primarily concerned about itâs local community, and this is especially so here in the Marsh, where we have a fine record of serving Councillors and Mayors in our local Shires. We also act as a strong Community group raising monies for local charities and lobbying all levels of Government for necessary actions. and of course we are active in policy development and working to get our people elected.
All you would ever hear, is when a local Branch (usually one or two Branch Members) screw up by doing stupid things mostly in fund raising. You also only ever see or hear the dumb things that Local, State and Federal Pollies do, and not the work we all do in the Community. We are lucky, I guess, to have very fine people in Cathy King as our Federal MP and Steve McGhie as our State MP. Both are hard-working talented and very impressive people.
I view Politics as being all about outcomes for the Community both local and global, and that has kept me going as an ALP Member. Some on here may thing that I am just rusted on and have a misplaced loyalty, but that is just nonsense. The ALP is a very open democratic party; but not everyone thinks my way or agrees with me, and I do not agree with everyone else; and I work hard internally for progress.
My issues at my stage of life, are similar and also different to yours. My kids are all Adults, your are not and while I love and care for my Grand-kids, I have little influence over them and their lives, other than to throw dollars at them and their parents when they need it. The biggest issue our Nation faces is one of DIVISION , as while we should be striving to work with what unites us, we always seem to find new ways to divide us.
Bushfires and the aftermath should be something that consolidates Community into actions and future plans. But we seek to look for quick answers, blame others and not prepare for the next event. The Victorian Governments since 2009 and Black Saturday have done a good job at preparing and while these recent fires have been horrible, loss of life was low and organisation was good. It would have been even better if the CFA/MFB and all the dramas they had over the past 5 years had been better handled, but it moved in the best direction and the CFA were the best prepared they haved ever been and that will get better.
Winning the hearts and minds of our Voters is very, very hard ; there are many who Vote is a very uneducated way and cast their ballot from a hateful, fearful and negative point of view. I know more who actively vote against Labor , rather than supporting others. Their views are based on prejudice, feartand hate; and these are the people we need to bring into the Community.
Start your own Party if that is what drives you, but unless you can attract the Voteers with a Pauline Hansen meesage of hate or a bag of cash like Clive Palmer, you may be long dead before you get enough votes to achieve anything. In my view, better to make the Greens a viable choice or make the Labor Party a place you want to be.
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Thatâs actually what Iâm most interested in achieving, I want to try and unify the Center and the left
Isnât that the Labor party?
I mean itâs definitely Andrews in Victoria. Passing relatively progressive policies yet having the broad support of the centre.
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Yeah, it isnât federally though
Good for you and good luck with it. I admire your passion.
Yep, I second that.
Good luck with your endeavours
Within the Party, the Centre are the pragmatists and the Left are âprincipledâ. Well that is what the Left says; Centre take the view that principles and winning elections can be mutually exclusive. Buy me a beer one day and I will give you a plan to conquer the World, just like Alexander.
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I take it that by âCentreâ you mean âRight,â more accurately described as âLiberal Light.â
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Itâs quite incredible seeing Scott Cam on the telly every night, never as Jobs Ambassador
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I suppose anything that is not SL is Right, but sometimes Perce, I cannot tell the difference between any of them.
Here is what Tanya Plibersek actually said to a group of new citizens at a citizenship ceremony on Australia Day:
TANYA PLIBERSEK MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR EDUCATION AND TRAINING
MEMBER FOR SYDNEY
SPEECH TO THE AUSTRALIA DAY CITIZENSHIP CEREMONY
SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE
SUNDAY, 26 JANUARY 2020
I would first like to acknowledge the Gadigal people of the Eora nation, and pay respect to their elders - past, present, and emerging.
When Paul Keating was Prime Minister, speaking on this day 26 years ago, he spoke of the Australian summer as a chance for us all to get back in touch with the country.
âMercifully free from work and politicsâ, Keating suggested, âwe have time to reflectâ.
Christmas, family holidays, annual leave: the Australian summer allows us to see the nation with fresh eyes, outside the routine of daily life.
It allows us to see more of each other â to see more of the land itself.
Unfortunately, this has not been a normal summer. Thereâs been little chance for relaxation. The situation has been too dangerous. Too many people have lost too much.
But today, on our national day, we might still allow ourselves a short time to reflect.
Over the past few months, weâve experienced the continent at its most hostile. Weâve seen communities at their most vulnerable. But weâve also seen the country at its most generous.
In its scale and destruction, in its damage to life and community, the bushfire crisis has drawn Australians together. Itâs been inspiring to watch.
Without pause or hesitation, people have accepted their duty to each other as citizens, as neighbours, as fellow human beings.
And it has come in gestures large and small.
Of course, we are grateful for those wealthy enough to donate big dollars to the cause â to the businesses and foundations giving millions.
This will all make a huge difference.
But we are equally thankful for those who have managed to help with their own modest resources.
These are the Australians who will never receive headlines for their service. Australians who have given what they can.
The examples are endless. From people lending out spare bedrooms to families fleeing the fires; to schools opening their halls to make room for temporary wildlife hospitals; to every single Australian who donated money from their tight household budget.
This has been patriotism at its practical best; patriotism as the thread connecting us all as Australians.
Weâve all felt this impulse over the last few months. The desire to help our countrymen and women â to lend a hand to those who need it â has proven bigger than any difference in our community. It has come from every corner of this country.
It didnât matter if you came from the Bondi Surf Lifesaving Club, organising a donation drive on the floor of your clubhouse.
It didnât matter if you came from the Australian Islamic Centre, hauling truckloads of supplies down to the fire front.
It didnât matter if you came from Melbourneâs Sikh community, cooking hot meals for those without a home or kitchen to return to.
Or if you were one of the thousands of professional or volunteer fire -fighters or other emergency services personnel.
All that mattered was that fellow Australians were in trouble â and that there was something we could do to lighten their load.
Moments like this make me reflect on the nature of patriotism and citizenship. On what it means to truly love your country.
Iâve always loved the citizenship pledge new Australians recite on days like this.
From this time forward, I pledge my loyalty to Australia and its people,
whose democratic beliefs I share,
whose rights and liberties I respect,
and whose laws I will uphold and obey.
Every Australian school student should learn this, and think carefully about what it means. Itâs an elegant expression of what it takes to be a good citizen â of the rights we hold and the responsibilities we owe.
Contrary of what some people seem to think, patriotism is not about exclusion. Itâs not about policing the boundary of who does or doesnât count as Australian.
Patriotism, like mateship, is about solidarity. Itâs about what we owe each other as citizens.
Patriotism is the knowledge that weâre not alone in this life; that our neighbours are there to share our struggles; that we have 25 million people in our corner when we need it.
To love your country is not to assume itâs better than others. Patriots donât need to feel superior to feel proud.
As the bushfires have proven, solidarity crosses national borders. The world has shown us incredible love and kindness in our moment of need.
Of all this international support, what strikes me most is the generosity of Pacific neighbours.
Vanuatu, a developing country with per capita incomes nearly one twentieth the size of Australiaâs, offered to help us fund the recovery.
Papua New Guinea offered to send 1,000 firefighters and soldiers to help us on the fire front.
We should never forget these acts of regional community.
To love your country is not to assume that itâs perfect. Patriotism is not above self-reflection and self-improvement.
You can be proud of your citizenship and dedicated to progress. You can cherish this nation and want to make it better.
You can be a progressive and love your country: I certainly do.
And this summer has reminded us that there are things we need to do better as a nation.
Most urgently, we need to do better on climate change.
As scientists keep telling us, to keep global warming below two degrees, to stop our summers getting hotter and dryer and more dangerous, we need to reduce our emissions; we need to actually engage with international negotiations; and we need to resource our emergency services properly.
Because patriotism is not a single act. Itâs not something we do in summer and forget by winter.
Patriotism is an ongoing commitment to your country â and an ongoing commitment to the people with whom you share it.
When the ash settles, when the news reporters finally move on, bushfire communities will be rebuilding their towns for years. We need to be there with them as they do.
As citizens, as patriots, as Australians, we should all dedicate ourselves to strengthening the ties that bind us together in 2020.
We shouldnât let ourselves forget the solidarity weâve all felt this summer â nor the hurt that brought us here.
Australia is strongest when we all embrace the high standards we set for citizenship: as inclusive, egalitarian, and open to all who share our values.
To all our new Australians, Iâm so thrilled that you chose our country as your new home.
My parents once stood in your shoes, in the years after World War II. They came from Slovenia in search of new opportunities and a new life.
As they learned, becoming a citizen of a new country is like having another child. It doesnât divide your love, or lessen your love â it only expands it in new directions.
I trust that Australia will reward your decision â and that the country will embrace you just as much as you have embraced it.
Welcome home.
ENDS
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Scomo announcing a medal for volunteers. Not sure many would actually welcome it, much like a handshake from the great man.
The cringefest continuesâŚ
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Fark Old Colls.
I took special pleasure in rucking those silver spoon feckers when I was a 135 kg lock for Woodville.
Fark em.
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You get the handshake whether you want it or not.
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I wanted to answer this one with the reminder that these nutjobs are part of Morrisonâs group of friends according to the Guardian. (But couldnât do that in the deaths thread)
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Thatâs a great speech and totally appropriate for both new and old citizens.
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I get what Plibo was aiming for, but having kids recite a pledge doesnât instill any of that.
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She didnât say kids had to recite it as a pledge. She said they should learn it and think carefully about what it means.
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