Random thoughts and observations
Looking again at old opinion pieces I wrote for The Border Watch, I came across something I contributed to the fluoridation debate, which was raging in Mount Gambier at the time. It surprised me how conspiracy theorists actually believed the government was out to poison them. Despite more than 30 years of fluoridation in Melbourne and Adelaide, with no evidence of adverse impacts, some people feared change. These vocal people seemed to have a strong support network.
I’ve written several times about daylight saving time. I wrote how I don’t agree with it in Western Australia, but mentioned it was okay in Mount Gambier (South Australia). That’s true for the summer holidays, but now it’s March I’m sick of daylight saving and want it to end. The main problem is that mornings [...]
I’m not a big fan of writing editorials. I stopped them at Myrtleford and Kalgoorlie, except when I had something that had to be said. The Border Watch has a policy though to run them, and I accept that responsibility. Opinion pieces for daily papers can be tricky, especially somewhere like Mount Gambier where we [...]
One of the more bizarre news stories I’ve read in a long while surfaced today when it came out that tobacco smoking has been banned in Dutch cafes and restaurants, but marijuana is still okay. I’m half Dutch, but the country today is nothing like the one my mother and grandparents left in the 1950s. [...]
Political bile takes centre stage
I don’t like the hatred that’s crept into modern politics. I’m not so naive to think that hatred hasn’t always existed, not just between parties, but within them and outside them. However, there is too much anger in politics today, as the above sign from Tony Abbott’s rally this week illustrates. Can’t people criticise Julia Gillard and her policies without the vitriol? I know John Howard faced similar attacks, but I do think it’s a relatively recent phenomenon. I attribute this to the Americanisation of Australian politics and the influence of the internet.