There are many things in the world that are far, far much better than they ever were, for sure, especially the way China has driven down human poverty by 20 million people each and every hard year for 20 years now......that means, in real terms, 400 more million people more who are actually doing quite well now...that's astounding! Christianity and Capitalism and Democracy have never ever ever done anything like that in the history of the world...have never improved the common lot of us, but China has done that exactly in 20 simple years. The world is actually getting better, poverty is being eradicated at a faster rate than ever. Is this why we see China as our enemy?

Census Night, Australia, 2016

The Census....Well, I tried eagerly to do it at 8pm, and to do it online as requested...because its much cheaper to have it on line than have actual humans (who you have to pay) having to sort through papers...and couldn't get through. 

That's that for me. Once is enough. I'm happy to do it next time...if they ever work out how to work it out with 'modern technology'.

In Australia we have heard of modern technology...but we just can't have it.

Until then, you don't know me. That's hardly a crime. Australia doesn't know me, I don't know Australia. Same as any day.

I'm sorry but I don't really give a rat's arse that I'm an Australian, nor would I if I was a Syrian. It doesn't matter.

This Australian Census has nothing to do with me or with us.

Olympics: The problem with the young Horton (?) swimmer of Australia's complaints about Sun Yang...I note that China Media (and thats a lot of media) within China is describing Australia as "Great Britain's Continuing Off Shore Prison & Detention Centre so what can you expect from them? These are still not fully evolved people, Australians are their own Nauru. They don't know who they are, as a people, they don't know what they are talking about. They are not professional. They aren't very evolved. We understand this. They sell coal...that's all they know. They are bad sportsmen. They don't know how to be or to do things with other people in the real world. They are happiest with only themselves, alone and isolated...white and weak and scared. They are very poor sportsman and have no notion of respect for themselves or anyone else." Well said, China. We shouldn't fuck with China out of blunt youthful arrogance and ignorance. They fuck back.

Close the gap | James Fitzpatrick | TEDxPerth This is my nephew.

I've done my national duty today in voting in a secret ballot for the Australian Government...I voted for all Greens Party but not to make the country greener...it is too fucking green here in the Far North, it is just too fucking green, and far too fucking natural and the weather is really appalling most of the year...but I voted Greens because they have a policy of treating refugees as actual human beings...a real innovation in the Australian Psychology of Self. I don't think human beings are the brightest or best fruit on the tree of life at all... never have been and never will be... but at least we could treat each other, whilst we are here for a short time, as equals of some temporal worth and at least relative meaning. It is good for us.

BREXIT: The UK Conservative Party, from 'Born to Rule', to 'Born to Ridicule'.... a dick fight that went wrong.

1: In the run up to the elections in the UK last year, following the Scottish decision to remain in the UK (based on the fact that the UK was staying in the EU so it was smart for Scotland to thus stay in the UK), 

2: David Cameron said he would arrange for a UK referendum regarding staying in the EU, although he had no obligation to, but simply as there was grumbling about immigrants and the lowering standards of social infrastructure for the English...

3: It was a shoe-in...he would rise as a Man who kept his Word to the People, and most people would vote to remain in the EU...he knew Scotland and Northern Ireland would, for sure. He would thus Unite the Conservative Party and become more powerful in the UK and in the EU, and consolidate his Prime Ministership and make it Boris-proof. 

4: Boris Johnson was on side and was going along with it...

then 

5: Boris had an idea...this is the only opportunity I will ever get to be PM...if I lead the LEAVE campaign, have a good showing, and thus become a spokesman for a goodly minority of the UK who wanted to leave...thus making it necessary for Cameron to give me a more powerful post...perhaps Deputy PM...and then, from there, I would succeed Cameron one way or another, by hook or by crook...because he is a dickhead and I am not. 

6: He didn't think it was possible for the LEAVE folk to win...it was  all about his own political leverage in the Conservative Party and probably the only chance he would get in the next 5 years to claim a higher position basically because Cameron didn't like him, and saw him as a threat, and saw Boris as a dickhead.

7: So, Boris changed sides and led the LEAVE campaign...

and he won...when he didn't want to. Sure, he wanted a good showing of support for himself, but he never considered he could win and never wanted to...it was all about leverage.

8: And David Cameron, who put the wheels in motion for the referendum based upon it being good for him politically, and provided him with good consolidated power...and not because he had to....lost.

9: Pride goeth before the fall. Two Born to Rule Eton kids having a battle about who had the biggest dick and who was more important.

10: Meanwhile, the canny Jeremy Corbyn went along with the Labour Party policy of REMAIN...but approached his angry constituents thus: 'Well, I think it's a good idea to remain, 7 point out of 10, but, it is up to you.It's my job to advise you and it's your job to advise me without any fear mongering involved at all'...As Jeremy went about the place he noticed that most Labour Party supporters wanted to LEAVE...and he took notice, but forgot to mention this to David or Boris. Corbyn remains, basically untainted and even very well supported at the grass roots local level membership and supporters of the Labour Party, and just today sacked his Deputy and a few other folk he didn't like...to clear the air.

So the UK is leaving the EU...absolutely...unless the Government calls for an election in 3 months time to negate the referendum result...which they could do...meanwhile the EU is unhappy with this delay...if you want to go, and you want to go, then go. Who would lead the Conservative Party? David's gone already...would Boris the traitor to the Conservatives be the one to turn 180 degrees and lead the Conservatives based on the REMAIN agenda after leading the LEAVE to success? 

If the UK wanted to buy their way back in to the EU, say in 3-4 years time...they would need to apply, and a lot of the EU don't like them now, and it would only take one country to veto their re-admission... and they would have to accept the Euro as their currency. The EU is very serious about that aspect.

In the meantime, the Scots have approached the EU already saying they wish to stay in the EU and will launch a referendum to this affect, and the Irish are just astonished that the dick-fight between 2 Eton boys has led to a situation where they have their best shot at Independence ever...by keeping all of Ireland in the EU...either that or put up an international border, basically on the Falls Rd, Belfast, and require Irish families on either side go through formal  checks with passports every time young Liam wanted to go see Grandma... & If not 'one Ireland, all in the EU', then the 'border' between Northern Ireland and Eire would be the perfect conduit for EU refugees to go through into the UK...no passports, no controls...

If one part of Ireland is EU and the other isn't ...this is simply unworkable.

As for the sun never setting on the British Empire, I can imagine the citizens of the Falkland Islands, and those of Gibraltar will be wondering why the Spanishy type lower class folk are walking around their English homes with tape measures right now.

now, that's it for me...it is just astonishing. 

pip pip

John

Astonishing.

I find it so interesting that Trump is a contender at all; but I think this says a lot about the restive nature of the American population in the ongoing 2008 cyclical GFC. These big economic 'corrections' historically take at least 25 years to adjust...and the difference between the rhetoric of 'everything is getting better' doesn't gel so well with the reality...and Americans, by recent culture, are not particularly the patient people as they once were. An easy answer is, at least, an answer. Whilst his domestic policies are rhetoric and remarkable bluster, (mind you, building a wall along the border for Mexico is exactly how Israel has organised its set up with Palestinians...and not many in the world complain about that...it works...it is nasty...it maintains quite an evil status quo...and it works)but parts of his foreign policies do ring true. To have these matters even discussed...the relationship with Israel, a withdrawal from Asia, a de-funding of NATO etc...thus removing the enormous cost burden on middle Americans, one could imagine that, in simplicity, this would allow a lot more money to be available for the US economy...then how this would be distributed and used would be the big and worrying issue. The price of policing the world certainly is a lot of money and I don't believe the USA can actually afford to do this any more. He certainly has thought about and analysed the amount the US spends overseas and how that never gets back so much to them any more. He certainly has studied the effectiveness of the Chinese non-interventionist 'Walled World' model as a competitor for the flawed 'paralysis' of European 'Globalism'. I don't think he could possibly become the President of the USA...but it might happen. Whilst we can have very differing views on whether or not this would be good for 'the world' should his stated foreign policies be actually set in place...the only thing for Americans to really focus on...is to vote for something/someone that they believe would be good for Americans in America...the same as Australians vote for, usually, what they believe is good for Australians in Australia. It's the simplicity of the message that many find positive. It's the self-ism of the message...our country is ours..that rings true for many.

This land is your land, this land is my land.