Fantasque Time Line

[patrikev]

Les Français (ceux qui suivent l'actualité) ont beaucoup ri quand le Premier ministre australien a appelé ses compatriotes à prier pour la pluie. Il aurait aussi bien pu leur demander de danser pieds nus et de taper sur des casseroles, ç'aurait été aussi efficace. Ou de réduire leurs émissions de CO2 qui sont les plus élevées du monde, mais c'est peut-être trop demander. Léger décalage culturel. Cela dit, je reconnais que le Rainbow Warrior n'est pas l'épisode le plus glorieux de notre histoire républicaine.
_________________
- Votre plan comporte un inconvénient majeur.
- Commençons par le plus facile: capturer la bête.
- Le voilà, l'inconvénient majeur.

[marklbailey]

[loic]

Okay, I understand better now. To be very honest, a country needs all political components but above all honest politicians. And that's what is missing today.
_________________
On ne trébuche pas deux fois sur la même pierre (proverbe oriental)
En principe (moi) ...

[sting01]

[marklbailey]

Honesty in politicians is a good trait and yes, there should be more of it.

Loic, in Australia, no centre-left politician will describe themselves as 'socialist'. It's a very perjorative term and will drive voters away. This is mostly due to the attempted 'socialist' (actually Australian Communist party - a Stalinist party directly controlled by the KGB) takeover of the Australian Labor Party in the 1950s. The result was a catastrophe for the Australian centre-left. The ALP actually split into two political parties and was unelectable for 20 years.

This meant a conservative monopoly on power for that time. There's nothing wrong with that if the reasons are domestic, but they were not, and our 'Wash-Minster' hybrid political system is simply not designed for extended periods of control by one party. The Prime Minister for most of that period was Sir Robert Menzies, a brilliant politician and (IMHO) a truly dreadful Prime Minsiter.

When the ALP was eventually re-elected in the early 1970s, that government was a disaster, due to their utter inexperience in governing, and led to the worst constitutional crisis in our history.

It nearly fractured the Federation.

It took another 20 years for the political system to fully recover.

So there is a very good reason why the term 'socialist' tends to be confined, in Australia, to the far-left fringe of politics. But you'd have to understand a lot about Australian political history to realise why, and to be frank, if you don't have to because you are not Australian, why would anyone else bother?

One of my neighbours here, an elderly man who grows the hottest red chilis I have ever tasted, is a genuine 'pure theoretical' Marxist (his description). The red chilis are a standing joke between us, we exchange his chilis for my figs. We have some interesting discussions from radically different political positions. Even he loathes 'soclialists' in the Australian context I use the term. He has informed me that the Stalinists, Socialist Alliance types, and others even crazier are currently infiltrating the Greens out here. This will destroy the Greens by linking them to the extreme far left.

He lived through the near-destruction of the ALP in the 1950s (he's a lifelong ALP and union member) and is very worried by their actions.

Regards: Mark

[marklbailey]

I have been in discussions with Geoff Mowbray today. I believe that he may start writing an end for his Singapore work soon, with continued and positive encouragement.

This work exists unaltered within both APOD and FTL.

If people have positive opinions of Geoff's work, may I ask that these be fowarded to me via email at jalans12@tpg.com.au. I will forward them on to Geoff.

His health has not been good for an extended period (it is improving), and I believe that a few encouraging emails would be helpful.

Regards: Mark

[Merlock]

Is this Mr. Geoff Mowbray the author of what is available about Singapour on the current FTL's story so far (that is: this site) ?
_________________
"Le journalisme moderne... justifie son existence grâce au grand principe darwinien de la survivance du plus vulgaire." (Oscar Wilde).

[Casus Frankie]