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AusPoliGAF |OT| Boats? What Boats?
- Thread starter Bernbaum
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This is great, thanks for sharing. Aside from Jamie McIntyer (of the 21st Century Australia Party), there's been very little silliness around the New England.
My friends ex is a migrant, came accross in a boat, spent a year or two in a dentention centre or what not.
his view is stop the boats. Leaches on society etc. his view being that he's seen most of them and know most of them are useless and wont contribute like he and his family did.
Australian politics is in a goddamn shameful hole right now, in large part due to Murdoch's manipulation of the talking points of political concerns in this country.
Fuckin' boat people? An issue with no real substantial affect on the nation, as the lynchpin of the last few months of bullshit talking points?
Things are so ridiculously obfuscated by the right wing that people here have apathetically throne up their hands over the false sense of equivocation generated by the media.
Look people. This is important. The side that is providing us with better broadband infrastructure is the one engaging in long term strategic thinking. This is an important national infrastructure project that will come to affect the future of all Australians in the long term. To think about it as a 'bribe for nerds' or something similarly short sighted is equivalent to been dismissive of other critical infrastructure elements - power, electricity, roads.
Fuckin' boat people? An issue with no real substantial affect on the nation, as the lynchpin of the last few months of bullshit talking points?
Things are so ridiculously obfuscated by the right wing that people here have apathetically throne up their hands over the false sense of equivocation generated by the media.
Look people. This is important. The side that is providing us with better broadband infrastructure is the one engaging in long term strategic thinking. This is an important national infrastructure project that will come to affect the future of all Australians in the long term. To think about it as a 'bribe for nerds' or something similarly short sighted is equivalent to been dismissive of other critical infrastructure elements - power, electricity, roads.
Antiwhippy
the holder of the trombone
Seriously though, how did "boat people" blow up to such a huge issue?
It was always simmering.
The poltical parties had a sort of deal before not to politicise the issue, back in the vietnamese boat people days.
But Howard knew it was a pure goldmine. He was always racist, and knew there was a strong racist undercurrent ripe for the mining.
Its inbuilt to our DNA to fear the 'other' coming into our small country and changing/taking it over. From our colonial days and fears of the yellow hoard...
Some say "lol racists" but I reckon this is a better theory: http://www.themonthly.com.au/blog/richard-cooke/2013/07/25/1374721635/bogans-and-boat-people-pt1
Unless you mean how it all started, in which case have a bit of a read about the Tampa Affair http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tampa_affair which happened right before September 11.
Antiwhippy
the holder of the trombone
You would think that those days are over though. Or at least hope so anyway.
the national memory of a bunch of guys who came in and fucked everything up for the natives is still hanging around
yellow peril has been the MO for a while. White Australia policy is a huge part of the early political landscape and a fuckload of the late one, too, until Whitlam got the boot in for a bit.
AdventureRacing
Member
The worst part is this isn't the first election that will be decided in large part due to this one issue.
viciouskillersquirrel
Member
The article's thesis and "lol racists" are not mutually incompatible hypotheses.
If the arguments for stopping the boats were purely economic, the average man on the street's answers for why the boats' coming is bad wouldn't be so confused and inarticulate. You wouldn't have the fear of "invasion" or "being taken over".
The author mischaracterises One Nation, for instance. Remember her "We are in danger of being swamped by Asians" speech? The anxiety may be economic at its very root, but its expression is undoubtedly racist, at the same level as American working class fears of Mexicans coming into their country and taking their jobs.
bobnowhere
Member
I've made peace with the fact that Abbott will be the Next PM. At least with Ruddles back in the frame, Abbott is unlikely to have a landslide victory and take the senate. I hope both the Greens and Labor feel they did well enough in the election to fuck Abbott over in the senate for the entirety of his hopefully short and ineffectual Prime Ministership.
Possibly the best news out of the election so far is that there is a chance that Sophie Mirabella may lose her seat to an independant.
Linky
There isn't a single person in the whole of Australian politics who deserves to get dumped more than her. She may legitimately be a sociopath.
Possibly the best news out of the election so far is that there is a chance that Sophie Mirabella may lose her seat to an independant.
Linky
There isn't a single person in the whole of Australian politics who deserves to get dumped more than her. She may legitimately be a sociopath.
Antiwhippy
the holder of the trombone
I don't really think it's just down to "lol racist", though I don't doubt that there's at least a portion where it is a racial issue, and that article does show why "bogans" are against them. I guess I can see why politicians would use the issue as a bargaining chip, but I find it kind of disgusting that they would use such a fundamental human rights issue as one.
If this happened it would be fantastic.
roosters93
Member
I'm not really surprised a complex and eternal issue like refugees and asylum seekers has been whittled down to something politicians say they can emphatically stop. The public often seek simple narratives rather than confronting the complexity of issues and politicians get to appear like they've solved a problem. Everybody wins!
bobnowhere
Member
I hate the boatpeople discussion. It's a dumb debate that has been hijacked by reactionaries looking to score points off the misery of other people through fearmongering and racism and feigned compassion.
If you want to stop the boats, stop the fucking wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Stop the silence of the international community towards human rights abuses in countries like Sri Lanka, Iran and Syria. Stop famines precipitated by corruption, poor infrastructure, endless ethnic violence and poor education, health and hygiene in countries like Sudan, Somalia and Ethiopia.
I do admit though, there has to date been only one party that has made one remotely sensible comment on it, and that is the Greens (though I suspect a party like the Sex Party might also do something similar). Take about 10,000 of the refugees waiting in transit in Indonesia/Malaysia right now. Take the pressure off people who need to get on a boat right now. If you want to "break the people smugglers' business model" - steal their goddamn customers. They are going to try and come anyway, don't let it be by a shitty boat.
Next: get NZ, Canada, other developed economy countries and regional smaller nations (where capable) to offer the same. Since most of these refugees are going to be coming via Indonesia and Malaysia - get some regional centres set up there. Don't criminalise the refugees - work out a way to settle them evenly across dozens of countries in the region, help them get a local education and jobs fast so they can be self sufficient for once in their lives.
The only thing that is going to happen under the current models is more people dying at sea, more severe mental health problems, more unmanageable riots at detention centres in small, under-resourced blackmailed Pacific island nations, more suicides, and more uneducated fuckwit racist self congratulating dog whistle knobs writing letters to The Australian and news.com.au whinging about how these imm'grants are stealin' fuckin' dole money meant for Strayans.
When Malcolm Fraser is all but forgotten by the Liberal Party, we have a fucking problem.
Here's a three word slogan for those people who love to demonise refugees: Fuck off, bogans.
If you want to stop the boats, stop the fucking wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Stop the silence of the international community towards human rights abuses in countries like Sri Lanka, Iran and Syria. Stop famines precipitated by corruption, poor infrastructure, endless ethnic violence and poor education, health and hygiene in countries like Sudan, Somalia and Ethiopia.
I do admit though, there has to date been only one party that has made one remotely sensible comment on it, and that is the Greens (though I suspect a party like the Sex Party might also do something similar). Take about 10,000 of the refugees waiting in transit in Indonesia/Malaysia right now. Take the pressure off people who need to get on a boat right now. If you want to "break the people smugglers' business model" - steal their goddamn customers. They are going to try and come anyway, don't let it be by a shitty boat.
Next: get NZ, Canada, other developed economy countries and regional smaller nations (where capable) to offer the same. Since most of these refugees are going to be coming via Indonesia and Malaysia - get some regional centres set up there. Don't criminalise the refugees - work out a way to settle them evenly across dozens of countries in the region, help them get a local education and jobs fast so they can be self sufficient for once in their lives.
The only thing that is going to happen under the current models is more people dying at sea, more severe mental health problems, more unmanageable riots at detention centres in small, under-resourced blackmailed Pacific island nations, more suicides, and more uneducated fuckwit racist self congratulating dog whistle knobs writing letters to The Australian and news.com.au whinging about how these imm'grants are stealin' fuckin' dole money meant for Strayans.
When Malcolm Fraser is all but forgotten by the Liberal Party, we have a fucking problem.
Here's a three word slogan for those people who love to demonise refugees: Fuck off, bogans.
Christopher Pyne,
Whoever wins, we lose
Party like it's 2004
roosters93
Member
Public was the wrong word. I really mean human beings in general, so that includes the media. (At least I think it does)
Seriously, this! People act like refugees are only coming over to get a handful of the economic success Australia has recently had like some kind of modern day gold rush. It's like everybody has simultaneously unlearned the meaning of "refugee".
Dr. Karl perhaps puts it in the simplest terms: http://www.smh.com.au/national/past-arrivals-want-to-see-a-visionary-20130720-2qb2i.html
Though worse are people like my parents who have been convinced by idiotic chain mails that boat people from Indonesia are slowly annexing Australia via immigration.
Antiwhippy
the holder of the trombone
His premise is flawed because no one would argue that we have good TV.
Hey! That's a bit harsh....SBS is pretty good!
General Patton
Banned
Sadly, I think Abbott will win comfortably. You don't see much support for them on the street, but when it comes time to vote, the majority will vote for him and keep quiet about it.
I think it's an anti-Labor thing more than anything.
I think it's an anti-Labor thing more than anything.
Oh and fuck anyone who tries to slander them as "economic refugees/migrants".
Guess what? Irish economic migrants came to Australia in the 19th century and early parts of the 20th. Same with Chinese in the 18th and 19th. Italians, Greeks and Germans in the 20th.
Why the sudden problem with economic migrants now? Is it because they are different groups or is it just the result of news/political cycle bullshit looking for new bogeymen?
Guess what? Irish economic migrants came to Australia in the 19th century and early parts of the 20th. Same with Chinese in the 18th and 19th. Italians, Greeks and Germans in the 20th.
Why the sudden problem with economic migrants now? Is it because they are different groups or is it just the result of news/political cycle bullshit looking for new bogeymen?
TriangleOfCorruption
Member
Surprised that the Liberals haven't been trotting out Howard more, enough time has passed that he's increasingly grossly romanticized. There's still time I guess. So, so much time.
This is a ripper post.
OttomanScribe
Member
So many scummy pollies at Eid prayers in Sydney. Brother in law asked the Labor candidate if he was going to celebrate with them in Manus, the idiot replied that he would wait until they came to Sydney, didn't even know his parties policy.
Bro replied, 'hard to celebrate in a concentration camp'... then got separated off by security.
Bro replied, 'hard to celebrate in a concentration camp'... then got separated off by security.
So proud of Ausgaf, if only we were more representative of the wider community.
The thing is, the issue is only big because it resonates with the ~10% of people that are likely to charge their vote because of it. For better or worse, each party has about 30% of rusted on voters who are never going to change. The coverage is greatly amplified by politicians and the media aiming at this small percentage of people.
Ruthless_Barbarian
Member
The thing is, the issue is only big because it resonates with the ~10% of people that are likely to charge their vote because of it. For better or worse, each party has about 30% of rusted on voters who are never going to change. The coverage is greatly amplified by politicians and the media aiming at this small percentage of people.
That is a face of pure terror.
Please don't let Abbott win, for FUCKS SAKE AUSTRALIA.
I'm kind of surprised we're 5 glorious 50ppp pages in and we're still pretty much a progressive echo chamber. I guess this is going to be awkward_tony_abbott.jpg the thread until after the coalition win, at which point I expect some gloaters.
Oh well, back to business.
Ventron had a post, the One Nation thread seems to have a few reactionaries.
He didn't really express an opinion, and I don't want to assume he still has the same opinions I knew he had years ago. A man can change. I know I did.
I didn't know about a One Nation thread.
Yeah, good point, sorry if I have misrepresented you Ventron.
One nation covering themselves in glory again: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=647715
roosters93
Member
This guy's running for the senate!
"Heeee's got a familyyyyy"
Although I'm a bit disheartened to learn Family First is still around. Thought they would've died with Steve Fielding.
"Heeee's got a familyyyyy"
Although I'm a bit disheartened to learn Family First is still around. Thought they would've died with Steve Fielding.
Jables Swan
Member
lol great video.
A Family First member works at my work. Yep, I don't agree with anything he says.
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