Scoring Points

It is interesting and odd to hear our Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, call for an end to the “political point scoring”. All this in spite of her election campaign being the dirtiest that I have ever witnessed. It was a campaign all about scoring political points.

It is usually the case that those commenting about political point scoring are in fact themselves trying to score political points. For Gillard it is to score points with those that have allowed her to form government by the skin of her teeth.

By her statement she has drawn a line in the sand and she will have to lead by example. The proof will be in the pudding when it comes time for another election in 12 months, I mean 3 years time.

What Really Matters

It was great to see a spirited Jim Stynes at the Brownlow Medal presentation. He spoke on matters football, life and cancer.

Interesting that it took his serious cancer for him to put his life in perspective. Now he openly claims that in the long run football doesn’t matter and he is now focused on being the best man he can be and making a positive difference to the world.

Football is good, but it has never been the be all and end all of life. It just takes time for some to get it.

Jim Stynes says he was taking too much for granted prior to his cancer diagnosis. Goes to show that we should all know what is most important while we still have our full health. For Jim that means relationships, with family, friends and teammates.

The playing of football is fleeting. Even the night’s winner, Chris Judd, reiterated these sentiments, so refreshing to come form a current player.

Being Neutral

It is a worthwhile exercise for all footy purists like myself to attend a match where one has absolutely no ties to either team. I had a chance to do this recently when I attended the VFL grand final between North Ballarat and the Northern Bullants.

Being neutral it is interesting to observe those in the vicinity that have a greater vested interest in the match’s outcome. Umpires were abused and player efforts were either lauded or insulted. I watch and wonder if I look that absurd when I get very parochial.

There is no foul language from my lip like there were with these fans, but I do get carried away sometimes.

Let’s hope that I have mellowed enough in my mature age not to be as embarrassing as those whom I witnessed.

A Balanced Debate

“Climate Change: The Facts”
Collaborated by the Institute of Public Affairs

Climate change is a confusing issue. No one knows the facts on what will happen, that is because no one can know what will happen. Be very wary of the use of the term modelling, that’s one fact.

Alarmists and Sceptics, whatever. One thing is for sure, debate has been non-existent or at the very least one sided with claims of settled science. Science demands rigor, and on this issue there has been none.

The Institute of Public Affairs aimed to rectify this imbalance by producing this book and sending it to every MP and selling it to those in the general public willing to purchase. As it is aimed at politicians it is brief, to the point and broken down into manageable chunks covering a variety of aspects on this huge issue.

It not only covers the science with experts such as Ian Plimer. It also informs on the climategate scandal. As well as the economic and political ramifications, often forgotten by those running the country.

It’s short yet thorough. A good read for anyone interested in balance in debate.

Fizzer

Let’s get something out of the way early, I don’t like Collingwood. Who does? Except for Collingwood members and supporters.

So it’s understandable that when I scored a ticket for the Geelong Vs Collingwood preliminary final that I went hoping for Geelong to give Collingwood a football lesson. How disappointed I was.

From the outset it was obvious. The umpiring was going Collingwood’s way, as was the bounce of the ball. To rub salt into my wounded heart, Collingwood were skillful, had better decision-making and tackled ruthlessly. Geelong was never in it, Collingwood never let them have a sniff.

Geelong constantly made mistakes, as the pressure was intense. So intense that there became the perception of pressure when there wasn’t any.

Geelong got a few goals back in the last quarter but it was little consolation as Collingwood had long gone into autopilot. You just can’t give the best team in the competition a 10-goal lead and expect to get away with it, I don’t care who you are.

The Geelong dynasty is in danger of being declared officially over. Cameron Ling looked slow, Ottens made no impact and has one year left maximum. Gary Ablett’s apparent move to the Gold Coast won’t help either.

An Ablett departure would draw the curtain on Geelong’s era of dominance. He was the only Geelong player that could say they had a positive influence on the game that night. Some rapid infusion of youth might be necessary as those stalwarts that were so important to their success are on the decline.

The years ahead will bring opportunities for other teams to start their own dynasty. Just please, not Collingwood.

A Dose of Patience

I was impressed to hear Labor MP and current Health Minister, Nicola Roxon, come up with a poignant statement regarding the prospect of a hung parliament. That prospect has since become a reality.

I paraphrase, she said that the Australian people will have to be patient as the political process will be slower given neither party has majority in the lower house.

Perhaps that’s what we need, a dose of patience. Since most of the population these days are in it for all they can get. As if the govt were a piñata. Like when people saw dollar sign when Rudd delivered a $900 stimulus cheque. That was pure short-term thinking on their part as much as ours.

Good on Roxon for acknowledging this need. It has been needed for a while. Perhaps now we will also get more vigorous discussion on policy instead of rushing into unnecessary actions.

Pedestrians Beware

There have been recent incidents of pedestrians being fatally injured on our roads. The pedestrian council becomes vocal every time this happens. After the most recent incidents their first reaction was to apparently call for fences along the footpath on main roads. What we need are smarter, more aware pedestrians. The pedestrian council does have education initiatives with the aim of changing current attitudes. It would be good if they could focus on these methods rather than trying to protect the public from their own stupidity (as is most often the case in these incidents). Perhaps they are resigned to people continually doing stupid things, no matter how educated they might be. Let’s face it, we live in a sinful world that holds a long history of human stupidity.

With my own eyes I have seen pedestrians step onto a road at an assigned crossing, blissfully unaware of the traffic. All of one metre was the difference between life and severe injury or death on one incident where I was a bystander. So fences might be good around pubs and clubs but at crossings they would be rather impractical.

Is there a permanent solution? Well the pedestrian council seems to be trying hard with it’s limited resources. What it would take would be a dramatic cultural shift. A turn away from our self-obsession and ‘everything now’ mentality. People need to take responsibility for their actions as pedestrians, as their decisions can affect many others, not just themselves. There shouldn’t have to be a pedestrian council to keep you safe.

The Stable / Unstable Government

Independent MP, Andrew Wilkie, wants a stable and competent govt. So he sides with the incumbent Labor govt. He did this after a successful negotiation with opposition leader, Tony Abbott, as if to throw his offer back in his face. Like school in January, No class. Still, I’d be interested in his justification given these well-known facts on Labor’s stability and competence.

On Stability:

• Knifed the popularly elected PM, Kevin Rudd, in a faction war prior to completing his first term in govt
• Went into the election without an assigned treasurer and finance minister
• Lost many sitting MP’s after a huge swing against them in the election
• Lost majority in the House of Representatives

On Competence:

• Gross waste with the BER
• Gross waste in the insulation scheme, resulting in house fires and loss of young lives
• Failed grocery watch website
• Failed fuel watch website
• Failed green loans scheme
• The announcement of the “super profits tax” without negotiation with affected parties

It’s no surprise that Mr Wilkie sided with Labor given his Greens links. But whom is he trying to kid with this sort of justification? Perhaps himself. Say the buzz word “stable govt” enough and you will start to believe it.

A Short Life

“Jesus: A Short Life” by John Dickson

While I was in the mood for reading Dickson I moved on from his books for teens to one of his more adult efforts. “Jesus: A Short Life” is Dickson’s attempt to make scholarly history accessible to the mainstream. The purpose being that the majority of historians studying biblical history are often overshadowed by the sensationalised claims from the lunatic fringe who dominate the headlines.

One example is Bishop John Shelby Sponge who, despite his title, seems to undermine the core tenets of Christianity at every opportunity. Needless to say he gets a lot of attention with his books and other outlets, even though what he says and writes has nothing to do with historical fact.

I enjoy reading Dickson’s work. Sometimes though I feel I need to extend myself in regards to content. As a friend likes to say, “He’s too mainstream”. This is true, but he’s still good. There are not many of us that could stand reading through tomes of scholarly writing. But Dickson does all that so I don’t have to.

Another Oldie

“Don’t Stand Too Close To A Naked Man” by Tim Allen

Written in 1995 at the height of his ‘Home Improvement’ fame is Allen’s take on life in general using personal examples.

Another book that somehow made it onto my shelves, it began as one to read during breaks at work. Unfortunately breaks were increasingly less forthcoming. If it hadn’t come into my possession I don’t think I would have missed much. I presume my sentimentality to a TV show I enjoyed made me pick up this book from a garage sale or something like that.

There must have been something good about as adorning its cover is a star with “New York Times #1 Bestseller”.

I’ll admit, it was funny. But there was little to be gained from reading it.