In the past nineteen months, I have become deeply afraid. Because I think this nation is heading down the path of fascist totalitarianism so fast it’s almost unbelievably irretrievable.
abbott, that vainglorious little man, is only the front puppet.
Behind him are the forces of BIG energy (aka coal and oil), BIG Pharma (what is the TPP all about?), BIG guns (aka the Military-Industrial Complex, about which President Icingsugar warned us – well, that’s what I thought his name was 55 years ago), BIG whatever else you can think of . . .
Puffy’s piece is a timely reminder of the hell we are perpetrating, not only for others – for which we should be hauled before the International Court of Justice – but also the hell we are fomenting for ourselves.
You can’t do this stuff without enormous psychic damage to everyone.
Thank you, Puffy.
(Image Credit: How Stuff Works)
A discussion in two parts
Part One – The reader completes a task (please).
Australia has entered an Age of Internment, the like of which not seen on our soil since World War Two.
Both major political parties have gone down this miserable road, in thrall to a section of the populace fearing outsiders and the perceived threat that they may steal this land in the way we stole it from the Aboriginal peoples in 1776.
There was a road to a humane solution that could have saved lives, built a new regional plan to help asylum seekers while taking Australua off the people-smugglers’ menu. It was, in my opinion worth a try. The Gillard ALP government’s Malaysia plan might have worked. We will never know now, as partisan politics and the chance of picking up some votes in electorates where racial fear was opportunistically stoked by the Liberal and National parties scuttled that idea.
So here we are,going backwards into the internment era, and worse, with reported conditions akin to the worst hell-hole in a mad third-world dictator’s prison. The reports on the treatment of children are shocking.
This is the perfect time to revisit an old social science experiment, one shocking and controversial. This experiment triggered the creation of University Ethics Committees, which these days examine every researchpropsal for potential harm to the participants.
This research would never be allowed today and cannot be repeated. Indeed the experiment was cut short when the lead researcher was pulled up by a colleague who saw he had gone off the rails too.
I am of course discussing the Stanford Prison Experiments at Stanford University, California, in 1971.
Many are aware of it but I urge you, even if you have not the slightest interest in social science, to set aside a little time, grab a glass or cup of whatever and read through the complete description of the planning, carrying-out and fall out of this seemingly innocent almost naive research.
Because nobody predicted the shocking results.
Then think of Nauru and Manus Island. Think of the Department of Immigration, the Minister, and our Prime Minister.
I will not pre-empt the story just now, but will follow up with another post when people have had the time to read, listen and absorb. Please don’t just read the first page of the website and think, yeah, that one. Take the slide tour. It has the detail which contains the devil.
Thank you.
THE PUB 
I see Julie Bish in her presser was very scathing of the ALP. She played politics with the families of the executed Australians by accusing the ALP of playing politics over the deaths. She reckons mentioning anything about the change in the directives to the AFP, which she vehemently denied happened, was crass.
She did her “bodies still warm and ALP trying to score cheap points – shame. shame’ act. I don’t know who mentioned it first, ALP, MSM or Social Media but she was doing her mesma stare outrage act to the hilt before shutting down questions about it.
My ginger moggie, Champuss, went missing for two days causing me to worry that he’d come to grief. This is the first time in his 9 years that he hadn’t been yo-yoing in and out the cat flap for tucker and his brother, Murphy, kept hanging around me as if he expected me to show him where Champuss was. At 7pm last evening, my boy turned up in good health but ravenous – he ate a big serve of ‘roo mince plus a 100 g sachet of tuna/chicken but was back an hour later stuffing himself with dried bikkies.
Dunno where he’d been but where ever it was, he obviously found tucker was scarce.
Those ginger moggs, Janice…they move in mysterious ways!
Janice,
I’m so glad the prodigal has returned, and that you killed the fatted kangaroo, chook and tuna for him!
Brian interviews Stu Pidlaw
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-04-30/bryans-quick-thinking-could-save-australia-12b-here/6434506
janice
Champuss might have been trapped somewhere, and someone might have rescued him. He could also have been unwell. Cats often disappear for some days when they’re sick or injured. Glad he knew his way back.
http://www.thelocal.de/20150428/renewed-calls-to-recognize-namibian-genocide
Puffy: Great, isn’t it? How dare the ALP get in the way of the Liberal Party playing politics over those deaths?
If you ask me, Abbott and co couldn’t give two shits about those deaths. What they do care about is having been shown up by Indonesia too much lately. And they think that doing a bit of grandstanding by playing on our sympathies is a great bit of payback. Unfortunately for them, they can’t get around the fact that those guys were nabbed by Indonesia with our blessing under the Howard government, and the fact that the AFP haven’t actually officially opposed capital punishment since last year. Tiptoeing around that means that the Abbot government, try as it might, can’t find a way to properly hitch itself to the no-deaths bandwagon – too many no-go areas when they try to make public statements on the matter.
For myself, I oppose capital punishment in Indonesia in the same way I oppose it anywhere – ie. if anyone asks me I’ll let them know I’m against it, but no more vehemently just because there’s an Australian connection. I’ve never made a song and dance about it before, and I can see that the public outrage is selective seeing as the US approach to capital punishment hasn’t entered the conversation.
To be honest, I find the death porn more offensive than what happened. Ask any of these dumbfucks going on about boo-Indonesia no-capital-punishment what they thought of the death of Saddam Hussein and see what happens. I’ll think you’ll find most of them are for it ‘under certain circumstances’. Which ultimately means they’re for it ‘at somebody’s discretion’. Which is a very flaky argument indeed.
Champuss may have met a particularly attractive gel cat in the neighbourhood.
Aguirre. Well said.
How many of the current protesters were against the death penalty when it was the turn of the Bali Bombers (a question I would point at the Daily T and its collection of hypocrits), how many were protesting the death of Timothy McVeigh of Oklahoma fame, etc etc.
Gigilene,
I suspect Champuss may have spent his time away up a tree! There are wild dogs that inhabit the national park that takes in the mountains behind us. Being born and raised here with little contact with other humans other than No.1 son and his family, it is doubtful that he’d have trapped and rescued, because he would steer clear of the neighboring farm houses. He sure doesn’t look as if he’s been unwell – he’s never had a sick day in his life so far…therefore I think the probability is high that he took refuge in a tree to escape the attentions of a wild dog, or even the neighbour’s bull terrier x which may have spotted Champuss traversing ‘his’ back paddock.
Maybe he had a go at being Puss-in-boots
Kambah Mick – I’d go further than that. If our current relations with Indonesia were strong, then all the media reports would be about what animals the Bali 9 were and how many lives they put at risk, and the majority of the country would just go along with it and say death’s too good for them. It’s all a matter of where the media choose to focus, and that’s dictated by editors, who usually pal about with the Right in politics.
Precious little logic or consistency of thought goes into most thinking about hot-button issues.
Jaycee. Re ads for stockings. Back in the 70s I was very good friends with a part time teacher and model who was frequently selected to do ads for stockings and hand products. For a year or so I would often see her fabulous legs displayed on the side of buses and trains etc all over Sydney. She also featured in a famous add for dishwashing liquid where her hands were used and an actress of a certain age did the speaking part pretending the hands were hers.
At nearly 6 feet tall she had a lot of legs!
aguirre,
This govt missed the fact that Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Marty Muliana Natalegawa had a favourable view towards Australia while their replacements had the opposite opinion.
rnm1953 – the devil’s in the detail:
http://www.apsc.gov.au/aps-employment-policy-and-advice/aps-values-and-code-of-conduct/code-of-conduct
I can’t get inspired by Bill Shorten- and I think Labor misses the fact they are in Opposition. It might be better not to comment rather than enthusiastically endorse what the Libs say. I didn’t see much evidence of Bi partisan ship when the boot was on the other foot.
From my dealings today the Australian general public are not up in arms over the shooting of 2 drug runners.
Usual response was sick of hearing about it, and to tell the truth so am I. WE will now be subjected to endless stories of ” The Boys ” coming home ,then the funerals. What next a State funeral?
Kambah…So they really DO have “Hand Models”, like George Costanza in “Sienfeld”?
Had a mate that worked in his “retirement job” as a janitor in a primary school…He related to me the story of this one teacher of the preps there who used to dress in these ultra mini-skirts with black stockings on legs that went right up to Aplha Centauri…and she used to walk like a model too…used to drive his testosterone level through the roof….at his age!
One day he’s at one end of the corridor sweeping up the crushed cheezels and she comes out of the furtherest room and comes slowly strutting down the linoleum on ultra-high heels…”tak – tak – tak – tak” straight toward him…he stopped sweeping, leant on the broom handle and when she came near he said ;
‘You know, Pammy…I’m not a religious man and I don’t believe in God…but when I look at you , I sure as hell start to believe in the devil!”
He was hauled into the principles office and nearly got the sack!
” I can’t get inspired by Bill Shorten-“…I’m with you, Catalyst…to me, he’d be the equivalent to eating a cold, empty pancake after a night on the turps.
Bishop was doing ok during this affair, saying just the right things, and of course she had to clean up the mess made of our bilateral relations by the National Embarrassment.
But once she got onto home soil she went pure political preying manits over it. She tells everyone and their dog about how she is ringing the families and helping them. Good on her for doing it but she is using them for cover.
I think the biggest shock Mesma got from the whole episode was the realisation that in the real world of foreign affairs, she and her influence and opinion really aren’t worth shit!
Catalyst,
I see where you’re coming from, but I think the more Shorten is reasonable and not loudly slamming the (overwhelming) shortcomings of this miserable government, the more stark the contrast between them becomes. The old meme ‘they’re as bad as each other’ no longer applies so that when it is time to vote there is the choice of the loud, bad and the ugly, or the reasonable, calm and caring.
Most people have been subjected to ongoing coverage. For some it was voyeuristic. other just I see Julie Bish in her presser was very scathing of the ALP. She played politics with the families of the executed Australians by accusing the ALP of playing politics over the deaths. She reckons mentioning anything about the change in the directives to the AFP, which she vehemently denied happened, was crass.
She did her “bodies still warm and ALP trying to score cheap points – shame. shame’ act. I don’t know who mentioned it first, ALP, MSM or Social Media but she was doing her mesma stare outrage act to the hilt before shutting down questions about it.
Comment navigation and others quite emotionally involved in it.
Where ever on that scale anyone is, I reckon everyone just wants respite from it all. The families are entering terrible grief. Coverage on TV can only heighten this distress.
It is best left alone until some calmer analysis of this whole affair can be conducted.
I think we can safely say that The Oaf and Mesma’s claims that our relationship with Indonesia are just faaabulous are dead buried and cremated.
Most people have been subjected to ongoing coverage. For some it was voyeuristic. other interested and others quite emotionally involved in it and others not at all.
Where ever on that scale anyone is, I reckon everyone just wants respite from it all. The families are entering terrible grief. Coverage on TV can only heighten this distress.
It is best left alone until some calmer analysis of this whole affair can be conducted
7.5 has been doing execution and grief pornography for all its worth. Not that that’s much.
The ABC loves a funeral.
Kevin “Haneef” Andrews showing yet again what a hypocrite he is
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/apr/30/julie-bishop-nothing-normal-about-recalling-ambassador-from-indonesia
CTar1
“The ABC loves a funeral.”
Not as much as the bastards lurve a “royal” baby . (insert vomit emoticon)
Also, just as Australians just got all jingoistic and oi oi oi over our place in the world via the 100th ANZAC Day. Almost at its peak, Indonesia delivered a blow to this self-image. All the pressure, pleading, demonstrations, social media, petitions, actors and eminent people, and finally our government had absolutely no effect. In fact the Philippines had a better outcome, as did France.
This is national powerlessness not felt in a long time. It may also explain the crusty conservative set going down the ‘They knew the law’ road, in spite of the way the Indonesians ignored their own laws to illegally kill these men. The executed reminds these people of their insignificance and that of their government in the great scheme of things.
This is a slap in the face, and being reminded of it on TV is not going to go down well.
At risk of repeating an anecdote I may already have shared on this blog (but hey!..it is “The Pub” after all, and the front bar IS the place for repeats!), I recall one afternoon taking a short-cut through David Jones (Adelaide) and found myself bailed up in the perfumery by this extravagantly coiffured lady with a tray with a small amount of assorted sample bottles obviously of scent..
“Would Sir like to sample some men’s perfumes?” She politely inquired. She was of what may be described as an ‘appreciative age’, and the twinkle in her eye could easily have been a reservoir from many times swirling arm in arm on the dance-floor with her “Bert” under the staccato flashes of a disco mirror-ball….
I returned her cheeky grin…
‘Madam..” I touched her display-tray reassuringly.. ” Experience has warned me that the most alluring scent a man could wear, is the smell of money…a commodity at this moment ( I swept my arm in a gesture emphasising my then mode of attire) sadly lacking from my borse!”…to her credit, she didn’t laugh out loud nor mock me in silent scorn..( she was of an appreciative age )..instead she leant close to my ear and whispered ..
” I understand exactly what you mean..and I do sympathise.”….and we parted company in respectful nod of the head.
jaycee423
Long time Pubster. First time reader of story.Very civilized all round.
What’s wrong with a little testament…
At the going down of the Abbott government we will remember them.
This little black duck,
Although they deserve putting in the category of best forgotten, I hope I live long enough to be able to forget that this miserable mob ever existed whatsoever! 😉
We still remember Pig Iron Bob.
Shorten’s just negotiating an ongoing tricky situation. He continually has to find a position where he’s not completely betraying the bulk of left-leaning voters, while still keeping onside with those swinging voters who hold a lot of backward attitudes. And he’s up against a government that will take any and every opportunity to resort to shameless jingoism and lowest-common-denominator politics for short-term advantages.
Under those circumstances Shorten simply can’t keep everyone happy, and there simply aren’t enough enlightened people in this country to give him a chance of getting into power with purely Labor principles. Knowing when to let the ball go through to the keeper and when to get on the front foot is a difficult task. There are a bunch of slurs the Liberal Dirt Unit would be ready to hurl at him, and I reckon ‘ineffective’ is probably the least damaging to him. He puts a foot wrong and they’ll be all over him – and that includes the entire political media.
That would be the current LNP strategy, by the way. Forget about winning over the electorate in the short-to-medium term, that’s a lost cause. Just find a way to bring Shorten down between now and the election. They’ve tried a few things already, and they’re still behind around 47-53. But they’ll keep looking. I don’t know what else anyone would expect from what’s proven the most negative and vindictive government we’ve ever seen. They only know one way.
They’re pumping up Plibersek now. That’s purely because they’ll find it easier to do their job if they’ve got a misogynist angle to push. I doubt they’ve used up all their Handbag Hit Squad material, for instance. And they’d love to trot out ‘hysterical’ as a slur, too. Can’t do that with Shorten. He may be low-key, dull even, but that sort of small-target strategy works because it keeps the spotlight on the government. Right where they don’t want it.
Shorten also has the Greens poised to attack from the other side, which is another complicating factor. They’re not averse to the odd bit of hyperbole if they think it’ll shift a few ALP votes their way.
Bill Shorten has come out with a few welltthoughtout policies.
That has three advantages:
1. He is seen to be doing something
2. He has little visible dissatisfaction in the ranks
3. Most importantly, they are good policies and the Government will not adopt them, just because they are Labor policies. They will have to find different ones that work and, given its record, that is entirely beyond them.
4. He’s not Tony Abbott.
5. And he’s not Kevin Rudd.
Shorten is keeping off the stage when the audience is throwing rotten fruit and coming out whenever Abbott gets a few rounds of applause.
I reckon it is driving Abbott nuts, hence JB’s over the top reaction to Bill’s questioning of the AFP directive.
6. He is not Kevin Rudd.
Mandy Rice-Davies lives!
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-04-30/premier-moves-to-alleviate-fears-over-planned-cuts/6435346
I wonder why the “I think” is there.
Either “they have been very carefully thought out and they are fair” or they are not. What’s to think?
Just possibly the best yet:
I agree with No.4, No.5 and No.6.
TLBD
The Emperor is going to face a “perfect storm” .
http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/perth-house-prices-still-sliding-despite-interest-rates-20150429-1mvzx0.html