Heffernan's apology not good enough.....

So, Senator Heffernan has made a half-arsed attempt to apologise to Ms Gillard for remarks made in the most recent issue of The Bulletin magazine.

Not good enough I say.

If you watch the footage of his apology you can see the man is reluctantly reading a speech which was probably hastily thrown together at the last minute by one of his advisors, or worse, pre-emptively written to mitigate the fallout from the Senators obvious boneheaded remarks.

Many would have bought into this so-called 'sincere apology' up until the point he said 'so there ya go'.

So there ya go?

What the fuck is that?

He might as well have said 'jeez I'm glad I got that out of the way' or perhaps 'there you go guys, I said I'm sorry, can you get off my case now?'.

The fact that he said it in the first place and then refused to apologise despite being well aware of just how wrong his statements were, indicates that he is used to dragging people's names through the mud and getting away with it. He should be forced to resign immediately.

Of course, let us not forget that this isn't the first time the Senator has deliberately attempted to damage someone's credibility in the media. I am reminded of the accusations made by former ALP leader Mark Latham during a speech to the Melbourne University in which he quoted John Hewson as saying:

'Howard has used Heffernan to distribute dirt and to run his agenda against individuals for almost as long as I have known him'

I am growing increasingly suspicious that this situation might be more accurate than any of us care to mention. Let's take a look at this wack-jobs previous offences:

Offence #1 - March 2002: The Senator comes under fire for abusing parliamentary privilege and making damaging remarks against Justice Michael Kirby. The Senator used fabricated documents to accuse the judge of using Commonwealth cars to trawl for male prostitutes. He withdrew his claims 7 days later and was censured from the senate. He was later forced to resign from his post as Parliamentary Secretary, but refused to resign from his Senate position. For some strange reason, he was re-elected to his post in 2004.

Offence #2 - February 2006: The Senator is forced to apologise to National Party Senator Fiona Nash, after a public argument at the Canberra airport in which he told Ms Nash to 'blow it our her ass'.

Offence #3 - July 2006: The Senator is accused of being involved in the downfall of John Brogden, a fellow Liberal Party member who resigned from party politics after a reported suicide attempt. Alex Taggert (Independent member for Pittwater and Mr Brogden's political rival at the time) claims that Mr Heffernan contacted his campaign team stating that he was the Prime Minister's right hand man, and did his 'dirty work'. Heffernan had apparently told Mr Taggert's campaign team that he had a 'dirt file' on Mr Brogden and reportedly encouraged Mr Taggert to use this file in order to damage Mr Brogden's credibility. Mr Heffernan of course denies these claims, but interestingly enough never attempted to sue Mr Taggert for defamation.

Offence #4 - March 2007: During the most recent New South Wales state election, Heffernan was accused of stealing Green's how-to-vote cards and mis-representing their policies to voters as they arrived. The Senator was reported to Police for yelling "If you want to decriminalise drugs for your children, vote Green" but never arrested.

Offence #5 - May 2007: And then of course we have the Bulletin article in which he accuses Julia Gillard of being out of touch with the community and therefore unfit for leadership because of her decision not to have children. The Senator also stated that he felt Priests should have the right to marry because "like the rest of us, they wake up with a horn at four in the morning".

I don't know about you, but something doesn't sit right with me about this picture. When you break it down like this it starts to make sense why John Howard was so reluctant to tell Mr Heffernan to apologise. Could it be the case that he ordered the hit in the first place?

And seriously, conspiracy theories aside, how many times does a person have to fuck up before people start saying 'enough is enough'? I'm quite sure one of the basic principals that underpins a western democracy is Ministerial Accountability - which quite simply implies 'if you fuck up, then you resign'. Although many would argue that it appears to have died a horrible death right around the time Alexander Downer got away with the scandal that was AWB.

It is my firm belief that Mr Heffernan should immediately resign from Politics altogether, and if the bastard refuses, then the Prime Minister should force him to. It's as simple as that. Anything less would be an insult to Democracy and an insult to the people of this country.

Thankfully, it appears I am not the only one calling for this knobheads resignation either.

Let's hope these calls don't fall on deaf ears yet again.

I ♥ The Chaser

This just had to be shared.....

Disgusted: An open letter to Senator Bill Heffernan

Greetings All,

Guess what.... IM ANGRY again! (woo! i hear Spoz say :P)

This morning I logged onto ninemsn in my usual manner so as to check my hotmail account. I'm always intrigued to see what the daily ninemsn newspoll is and laugh at how tragic some of the subject matter is. This morning I was particularly shocked to see today's poll is:

Is Julia Gillard compromised as a leader because she's not a mother?

Having met Ms Gillard only last night (such a classy lady) I was immediately on the defence, I was even more appalled to read the Bulletin article that had lead to this poll in the first place.

Heffernan targets 'barren' Gillard

The Senator has hit a new low by suggesting that Ms Gillard is out of touch with the Australian public because she is 'deliberately barren'.

What a fucking crock!

I was so enraged by this article I was inspired to write to Senator NFI (ie. No Fuckin Idea) and here is a copy of my correspondence:

Dear Mr Heffernan,

I am writing as both a woman and a concerned citizen of this country.

I was shocked and appalled to read the article in The Bulletin magazine today (2nd May, 2007) in which you suggested that Julia Gillard is out of touch with the Australian community because she does not have children. I find your comments in respect to Ms Gillard's ability to be a leader in this country completely unfounded and outrageous.

If anyone is out of touch with the Australian community it is you. It is a woman's prerogative whether or not she has children, and it should in no way reflect on her ability to perform a job. It is people like you who prevent women like Ms Gillard from being respected at work and in our communities and from reaching their full potential, because you and your Neanderthal brethren continue to perpetuate negative images against women for the sake of political point scoring.

Your statements were pathetic, misogynistic relics of the past, and what you have said is not only contrary to discrimination laws in every civilized country, it is deeply offensive to people with modern sensibilities and basic respect for their fellow citizens. You should hang your head in shame.

As an informed voter, your patriarchal and blatantly sexist commentary has convinced me that this country is in serious need of a change in government. Your party will not receive a vote from me or my friends and family at the next election and you only have yourself to blame.

Yours in disgust,

Erin ******

Yes, I know I was never going to vote Liberal in the first place but the point needed to be made that this kind of political point scoring will not be tolerated by the Australian public and will cause people to walk away (if they havent done so already) from a government that is growing increasingly out of touch with its constituents.

I have also sent a similar email to Little Johnnie Howard and await a response from both men in the coming weeks (although I'm not going to hold my breath).

I do want to make it clear that I do realise that my little letter will not change this pathetic little man and that there is a high probability that he wont even read it. However, I'd like to think that if enough people make an issue of it hopefully it will force an apology and a retraction of the statement if not from him, then from JH and his cronies. Further to this it would be heartening to see an outcry from the Australian public that reaffirms we as a nation do not support this sort of backward attitude towards women. Behaviour like this would not be tolerated in a workplace and it should not be tolerated in Australia Politics, any political party that allows this sort of behaviour to go unchecked is in no fit state to run our country as far as I'm concerned.

I encourage you to write to the pathetic little man and you can do so here. Feel free to post your correspondence in this blog for others to read.

Cheers.

UPDATE - 2.50pm....

This just in: an enlightened response from JH as always. Could it be that he won't tell him to apologise because he agrees with the man? Poor form if you ask me.... Weak as piss.

[source: smh.com.au]

"Bill is a very good friend of mine and he remains a very dear friend of mine, but on something like this he's not speaking for me or for the government," Mr Howard told Sky News.

"This business of should (he apologise), I mean people say funny things all the time and the question of whether they apologise for them is a matter for them.

"If she wants to take that up with him, well look, she can.

"But look, I'm not telling people whether they should apologise or not, I'm just stating my own view.

UPDATE: 5.05pm

The bastard has apologised - huzzah!

Workchoices=Evil - angry rant pt.2

Welcome to Part 2 of 'angry rant' day. If you havent done so already, I encourage you to read Part 1 first as it was written in one stream of conscious thought and broken up to appease those readers with short attention spans.....

Greetings all,

It just wouldn't be an erinspace rant if I didn't at least touch on the subject of Workchoices now would it? As most of you know I work for a union and am quite vocal about issues affecting workers in this country. Contrary to popular belief I'm not a scary person, I don't wear cardigans and I don't believe in beating people up for not being a member. I do believe that the union movement is one of the last remaining organisations in this country that has the resources and ability to speak out against the direction this country is taking and that is why I choose to work where I do. Im not interested in running for the ALP or any other political party - I do this because I am seriously worried about the direction our country is taking and felt I would be able to make a difference working where I do.

Many people have suggested to me that the union movement needs to change its image, needs to reinvent itself, is no longer relevant blah blah blah. With all due respect I say to them you need to wake up and smell the coffee - perhaps it's not our image that is the problem, but rather your perception of what it means to be in a union. Being a union member is not about going on strike or beating the boss - it's not even about winning or losing. It's about ensuring that the working people of Australia are treated with the dignity, fairness and respect they deserve. It's about working together to ensure the workers of this country are able to achieve good pay and working conditions and are not treated like slaves by those that make the rules. It's about ensuring that those hard fought conditions such as paid maternity leave, overtime and the 8 hour working day aren't abolished for the sake of profit margins and CEO salaries. We are people not computers and employers forget that from time to time - without a union presence to remind them of their responsibilities, those of us without three degrees and a good job could find ourselves working for less sooner than we realise.

When Workchoices came into effect many of us didn't understand what the implications of the legislation meant for the 'average Australian worker', and it is my perception that many still do not understand why this legislation is so fundamentally evil. I could launch into some tailored message about rights and the history of the movement but experience tells me most don't respond to this kind of rhetoric. Allow me to use some real life examples to illustrate the mess this country is in at the moment. Again, I refer you to today paper's and if you are going to read any of the articles featured in my blogs today, make it this one......

Sacked with no notice after 26 years

Let me be clear, before workchoices, this kind of behaviour by employers was illegal. You cant make somebody redundant for no good reason and then re-hire people at a lesser wage - it is just WRONG, fundamentally wrong and as a good friend of mine pointed out the other night - 'life isn't fair, but that doesn't make this shit ok'. Some of you might say 'well the company were in financial difficulty' and sure that is fair enough, what I would like to know is whether or not any of the CEO's at Vopak copped a pay-cut to help with the corporate restructure? Whether firing these people was legitimately based on financial difficulties or just a cop-out to avoid having to negotiate a new agreement with the workers. The worst part is, we will never know as workchoices states that the commission does not have to decide if there was a "valid reason" for the sacking - only satisfy itself that an operational reason had been among the justifications. In English: We'll just have to take their word for it….

You might also point out that these workers received a redundancy package - whoopdedoo. How far does $90,000 really get you if you cant find another job? Doesn't exactly set you up for life now does it? We are looking at mature age workers who have given their lives to this company, how easy do you think it will be for them to find another job? There are always two sides to every story, but the scales have been tipped in the employers favour since these laws came into play and the more they are tested, the more we will see this sort of thing become common place in workplaces around the country.

This is something we as a country will have to get used to if we don't change this government and get rid of these god-forsaken laws. The government can attempt to side-step the issue by saying it is good for the economy and bragging about their low unemployment rates but what use is a strong economy and low unemployment to a single mother battling to feed her children and pay her rent? The government attempts to discredit the Your Rights at Work campaign by painting this picture of the evil union bosses only looking out for themselves, the general public put their heads in the sand and says 'oh well, it doesn't affect me', but the reality is the situation is spiralling out of control and it does affect you. Employee based Industrial action is at an all time low, yet employer initiated lock-outs are at an all time high – the tables have turned, unions don't have this country by the balls – big business does. Long standing employees are being sacked for no good reason and being replaced with cheap casual labour - does anyone else see what is wrong with this picture? We simply cannot rely on our government to take care of our best interests anymore - union member or not, they are taking the workers of this country for a ride for the sake of economic prosperity and if you ask me that shit stinks.

So, you might be lucky. You might work in a place where the laws haven't impacted... yet. Maybe you have a good agreement - but check the expiry date, when is it up for renewal? Can you absolutely 100% guarantee that this wont happen to you? It is now perfectly legal under these laws to sack someone based on 'operational requirements' and then rehire someone at a lesser rate. Are you ok with that? And if you are secure in your job, think outside your own little world for a minute. Are you ok with the fact that it could happen to someone else and there is nothing they can do about it? Are you ok with the fact that there was no consultation with the Australian public? That it goes against internationally recognised Human rights conventions? That the government imposed these laws on the people of Australia and scoffed at the hundreds of thousands of people who turned out to protest?

You might sit back and say what is the point in doing anything; they will just do what they want anyway? I say to you, get your head out of your ass and stop making excuses for your apathy. Im tired of hearing this line, so very very tired. Do you not realise the powers that be are BANKING on people taking this stance? That this is what got us here in the first place? They know that you would rather sit back and watch Big Brother than have an opinion, the question is are you ok with being perceived by your government as an ignorant fool?

Anzac Day was on Wednesday, did you have to work? Did someone you know have to work? I know a number of people who had to work on Wednesday and they certainly didn't earn double time and a half like they did last year? Why? Because their agreement expired and they were forced onto an AWA which no longer recognises public holidays, yet the government is trying to tell us that public holidays are protected under these laws.

FUCKING LIARS!!

$25 an hour these people lost because it is now legal to force someone onto an AWA which cuts out penalty rates and overtime. Are you ok with this?

Im tired of being nice about this, John Howard can jump up and down and say that the ALP's new IR policy 'proves that it has been cooked up by the union's' as much as he like, but what the fuck else are we supposed to do! The union movement is not some evil corrupt union boss sitting in his ivory tower earning billions of dollars a year (unlike some of workchoice's biggest supporters) it is made up people like you and I, who just want a fair go at work. From where I'm sitting I would sooner support a policy that has been formulated through consultation with the PEOPLE OF AUSTRALIA, not the business council of Australia, not an employer lobby group - ordinary, everyday people like you and I. It's as though the government wants the public to perceive the unions as this evil corrupt organisation who are deliberately misleading its members - If anyone is evil and corrupt, it is our current government (can you say Weapons of Mass Destruction?)

The government clearly don't think there is a place for unions in this country, they cant really articulate why (other than paint the picture of the corrupt union boss vying for political leadership) but I can tell you exactly why they hate us. They are all about the money, the union movement are about the workers. Profit margins and massive CEO payouts are what are important to them, the rights of working people to have decent pay and conditions are what are important to us. While the unions have good levels of membership in this country, there is a risk that employers will lose money as a result of industrial action. What people fail to realise is that industrial action is not something that is cooked up over some Chinese takeaway by those so-called evil union bosses in a bid to catapult them into party politics; it is a decision that is made after months of hard campaigning by people like you and I who just want to be treated fairly. Putting restrictions on a person's right to strike is effectively taking us back to the days of slave labour – after all, the fundamental difference between a worker and slave is the ability to withdraw their labour. In John Howard's Australia you now have to ask permission to withdraw your labour, to protest in the streets - since when did we become ok with this?

It's time to pick your side - even if you are 'not affected', because the reality is YOU ARE! You are living in this country - if the citizens of this country are not going to do something about this situation then who the fuck is? God? Allah? Bollocks to that. It's our turn and the time is now. Get off your ass, turn off your TV, pick up the newspaper and get yourself informed.

The union movement has proven it's worth over the last 12 months, building up a campaign that has gained national attention and captured the hearts and minds of the majority of Australian people, it has brought IR into a national focus and rightly so. This hasn't happened magically, it has come about as a result of the hard work of our members and staff and this stuff costs money. As I say to everyone who asks me about why being a member so important, even if you never need to go to the union for an individual matter, they have still negotiated your agreement, worked hard to achieve good outcomes for you, now they have mounted a massive campaign in opposition to some of most draconian laws this country has ever seen and if you agree with this campaign, then put your money where your mouth is and join a union.

I can already feel people flinching and looking for an excuse to avoid doing their bit so I will lay off before I scare you all away, as much as I would love you all to become members of a trade union the reality is most of you wont. It's not ok, and I don't understand it but there is not a lot I can do about it. Let's be realistic, failing becoming a member of the union there are many things you can still do to make change in this country. You can make your vote count on Election Day - you might hate the fact that the union movement is telling you to vote labor, but what is the alternative? The liberal party clearly doesn't give a flying fuck about our interests and we live in a two party political system - the only other option is a labor government, who are more than willing to have a go at making a difference to this country. If you cant bring yourself to vote Labor then just promise me you will at the very least put the Libs last on your Ballot Paper.

It doesn't end there; changing the government won't change our world. This situation we find ourselves in is our fault, we (as in the young people of this country) are becoming more and more apathetic – where we bothered to vote, the majority of us voted incorrectly and now we are the one's who will have to cop that on the chin. If we don't do something about this situation then we only have ourselves to blame.

If I can do it then so can you - as I said to you earlier in the piece, I don't have a university degree, im not some socialist zealot who stays inside and does nothing but read communist manifestos - I am a 25 year old woman living in Australia who loves going out and seeing bands, having a beer and partying with my mates as much as the next person. It is not HARD to have an informed opinion about what is going on in this country – that is all I'm asking - the information is there, read it, take it in, learn to differentiate between political spin and the reality and don't be afraid to have your say....

Oh and last but by no means least….. JOIN THE FUCKING UNION!!! ;)

*end rant...... now*

Snoop Dogg and censorship: It's John Howard's Australia - angry rant pt.1

Hi Everyone

So, I know it's been a while - damn life getting in the way of things eh.
I was compelled to write this blog today which has turned out to be more like war and peace. I have decided to split it into two parts for the sake of my readers and I do hope you take the time to read them, maybe do it in shifts or something.... let's begin shall we?

As Dave Hughes would say 'Im ANGRY!'.

Those of you who know me well, know I cant go a single day without at least reading the headlines on a newspaper (even the advertiser will do if ABSOLUTELY necessary) - if I cant get to a newspaper you will see me looking up the headlines via the news channel on planet 3 (my phone) if the phone fails, well its fairly safe to say im going to be breaking out in a cold sweat sometime soon. Im a bit of a political junkie at times (is that the understatement of the century?) I'm not into footy or cricket, politics is my sport - but the truth is I don't feel I have ever been particularly good at articulating myself as well as other more astute watchers of the world. I think my style is very much get angry, rant and then wait for the fall out, I've never been good at coming to logical conclusions - I guess one thing is clear though, you can't deny that I am passionate. ;)

I don't have a university degree, I've never studied politics, I'm not a member of a political party (despite the best attempts of many people I know), I have no concept of grammar and I couldn't write an essay to save my life, but that doesn't mean I don't have an opinion about what's going on in our country at the moment. I read what I can, talk to people, watch the news and current affair programs (on the ABC and SBS), hell at least once a week I'm up watching question time (mainly because I can't sleep, but that's another point entirely). It wasn't always this way I have to admit, there was once a time when the bulk of my political education was from my Dad and his angry rants around the dinner table, but that all changed the day Karen (aka. Little Wing) recruited me to the union all those years ago. (Yes, that's right mum, you can blame Karen for creating this monster :P). Anyway, Im not here to write about my political awakening, Im here to talk about some of the shit that is REALLY pissing me off at the moment....

It's John Howard's Australia and I don't like it.

Surprise, Surprise you say. Yes, well not entirely original I know but hey, as I said, it's been a while.

I arrived at work this morning and started to make my way through the papers and in amongst all the usual political propaganda and advertising rubbish I see an article that almost made me regurgitate my muesli.

PM had 'no say' in new national censor

Long story short, everyone's favourite hypocrite Phillip Ruddock has appointed one of little Johnnie's mates, Donald McDonald, as the national censor (you can read more about what that role entails here). The states have accused Mr Ruddock of 'playing favourites' and creating 'jobs for the boys'….

'Mr Ruddock refused to identify candidates for the position but in a letter to state attorneys-general he said: "The selection committee made a recommendation to me for the director of the classification board. However, having considered the recommendation, I believe that Mr Donald McDonald, AC, would be a better candidate." (source: the age)

What is the point of having a selection committee if the decision is going to be overturned anyway? Since when did one person have the ability to overturn the decision of a group of people? I thought we were living in a democracy.

What is also interesting is that Mr Ruddock sought approval from Cabinet before announcing the decision - was this because he knew there would be outrage over the appointment and wanted to ensure he had the backing of 'the boys' before he went any further? Of course little Johnnie denies having anything to do with the process and very admirably excused himself from the cabinet room when discussions were being held, but we all know what's really going on here. In these times of 'terrorism' we must ensure someone is keeping a lid on all those randy left wingers and stop them from spewing out the sort of stuff that will cause people to think for themselves and question authority. What better way to ensure John Howard's vision for Australia is maintained than by stacking the boards with like-minded mates?

I took a moment to check out Mr. McDonald's credentials this morning and it seems the former head of the ABC is also a well-known member of the Liberal party, a close personal friend of John Howard and a known conservative and political elitist - I wonder if my blog and those of my contemporaries would meet the classification standards under Mr McDonald? According to Ruddock, his appointment to the board would ensure the board remained 'representative of the Australian community'. A statement I find very hard to swallow as it comes from the man who wears an amnesty pin yet did nothing about the ongoing abuse and torture of one his country's citizens in Guantanamo Bay.

I then continued to read and came across this article:

Rapper Snoop Dogg is barred from Australia after failing 'character test'

According to Immigration minister Kevin Andrews (Mr 'I can't hack the IR portfolio') Snoop Dogg just isn't the sort the sort of bloke we want in this country. WHAT THE FUCK!! According to the papers, Snoop has failed a so-called 'character test' because he is known to frequent gangs, has drugs and weapons convictions and is just an all round bad dude.

Are they serious? The only thing offensive about Snoop Dogg as far as I'm concerned is his music and while I am living in a free country I have a choice as to whether or not I listen to it (for the record: I don't). Do they honestly think the guy is going to come over here and 'bust a cap' in someone's ass, cause some kind of 'free-love fracas' or sell cocaine to school children? How is it that our government can rationalise banning someone like Snoop from coming into our country, but open the doors (and practically shut down our major capital cities) to known supporters of torture and war-mongers like Donald Rumsfeldand Dick Cheney?

Am I right in feeling somewhat confused by this decision? I mean, I know the guy has been in trouble in the past – just type his name into Wiki and you will find he has anything but a perfect record, but that is beside the point. Im not advocating the things that Snoop has been arrested for (mainly being in possession of weapons and drugs) but lets be realistic here. It's not like the man lied to the country about weapons of mass destruction and perpetrated crimes against humanity by locking a person up in an illegal prison in Cuba without trial for 5 years now is it?

If you ask me, there are far worse people we could be letting into the country – or even having dealings with on an ongoing basis – Dick Cheney and the current US President are two who spring to mind. The next time Cheney or one of his war mongering henchmen comes to Australia I'm thinking I might make an application to the Immigration Department to have his access denied based on the fact that he's 'not really the sort of bloke we want in our country'. Not that it will get anywhere I imagine, I'll probably get locked up for sedition......

Who's with me?