Yes, it’s been a rather depressing week for some of us Down Under.
I have the pleasure of living the last 30 years in “beautiful Queensland” – yes, the state (aka “The Deep North”) that holds the record for the highest “NO” vote = just a whisker under 69% as at Friday 20th Oct.
Even worse than West Aussie where I grew up – and I know my late Mum (born in Perth in 1923) would have been absolutely gutted by this “result”.
Aboriginal people have asked for precious little from we Incomers over the last 235+ years (and some folks have made the observation that that is exactly what they have gotten).

I’m not gonna post the rant I wrote during the week (not much point really), but I did find this news article very interesting, pointing to the infamous Noalition Backflip, where they realised it was critical that the Referendum should FAIL,
if the Libs&Nats were to have any chance of getting back up at the next election :
https://theconversation.com/the-political-subjugation-of-first-nations-peoples-is-no-longer-historical-legacy-213752

and also this observation on the pretty damn awful role of much of the Media :
How the media failed Australia in the Referendum 'campaign' (independentaustralia.net)

But the general public played a pretty awful role too.
Aussies, in general, like many simple pleasures in Life – see Donuel’s link posted above on the 17th Oct, to the adsong “…. We love football, meat pies, kangaroos, and Holden cars ….”
I recall reading somewhere that Aussie’s love of Novelty songs is second to none in the Western world, FFS!!!

We also love a good slogan. Anything to encapsulate the Bottom Line, without all that superfluous wording. Like “IF YOU DON’T KNOW – VOTE NO”.   Says it all. Cuts right through. None of this bloody elitist rubbish of “If you don’t know, educate yourself”!!!
Nup, No Further Thought necessary.

Now, where were we? Ah yes, “we love football, meat pies, kangaroos, and Holden cars …….”

And as for the not uncommon concept that The Australian Constitution is sacrosanct and shouldn’t be changed – Hell’s Bells!! (as my old dad would exclaim!!)   
Being written by a bunch of old white men living in a time when racism was the norm (no, not like today ??) and where The British Empire was still everything to people, and it was expected (hoped?) that “The Aborigines” would die out soon,
and that God’s in His Heaven and all’s right with the world – and Australia would, of course, be White.    A Sacred Cow indeed.

….. sigh …..


Enuff.


Bcoz as the Sydney Morning Herald's Peter Hartcher observed : “Many Indigenous Australians will take it personally. They shouldn’t. It’s just politics. ”

Jayzuz.


It’s enough to drive a woman to drink! as me old Mum often used to cry – though she never did imbibe :)

But I might go and partake right now ……..
R-J