This is a new diary in the
That Was the Month That Was series. It comprises those political items that didn’t fit it into the
[month] With the Candidates sub series and includes snippets from Oz politics which are unusually entertaining this year.
Normally the Australian federal government gets on with the job quietly in the background of our lives but not this current bunch of whacked-out conservative nutcases. They seem to be on a mission to match the crazy in the tea party but got lost on the way and are now bumbling about in the dark.
To begin, allow me to introduce you to the then-PM Tony Abbott
known to us all on Twitter as the #WorstPMever of the #WorstGOVever.
#WorstPMever is also known to Aussies as:
Amid the myriad sports he attempted in his youth was boxing, the essence of which he later adapted to his political style. He developed an unusual technique...
Less than two years into the job, he'd made himself unpopular with almost everyone. Yet all the while he believed faithfully (faith being the operative word here) in his personal popularity, in spite of public evidence to the contrary.
Easy action plans were produced to encourage Aussies
to channel their anger and frustration constructively.
A particular sore point was Abbott's politicized attack on the
strong union movement in Australia which has massive majority support.
Abbott-sympathizers in the media (ie: the Murdoch press) accused the ACTU (The Australian Council of Trade Unions is the peak organisation representing all unions in Australia) of having a secret army in training. Various unions pushed back by promoting their "secret tactical campaigns" as widely as possible!
They didn't just take to the streets in parade fashion either, they took to knocking on doors to chat to fellow Aussies in person. The response was spontaneous and overwhelming as social media was flooded with photos of people holding home-made "I stand with Aussie Unions" banners.
Popular Aussie icons joined in.
Australian comedian, Corinne Grant.
Even international notables stood in solidarity!
Pithy union support memes popped up on Twitter and FaceBook
Even Dwight Eisenhower, a Republican President, understood the need for unions. He'd be horrified by the factions that have taken over his party.
Destructive fossil fuels versus recyclable power sources is a worldwide issue.
In some European countries, the fight has been won by recyclables and
they inspire the growing army still fighting in Australia and the US.
Abbott's government announced they'd granted permission to
Chinese company Shenhua to site a coal mine in country NSW
- in the middle of the Liverpool Plains food bowl country!
The farmers in the area responded by organizing.
This impressive tractor parade to the proposed
site was the first of their well-planned protests.
Big oil and coal billionaires are all amoral control freaks and wealth addicts. They're horrified that they are not in control of recyclable energy sources.
(They do produce a lot of hot air but it's a useless gas.)
But recyclables have answers to all their opposition’s contrived arguments.
In spite of the big money spent in an attempt to discredit them,
the truth is out there and recyclables are growing in popularity.
Recyclables are winning the battle everywhere.
The plight of refugees remained very much in the news. No anecdote, media report or argument explains the real situation better than this cartoon:
John Fugelsang took a well-aimed swipe at the xenophobes:
Refugee flight as mass migration was viewed from an unusual perspective
by The New Yorker cartoonist Hafeez:
The Republican war on women continued unabated.
In Missouri, the all-too familiar trope of blaming the victims of sexual
harassment was being baked into dress codes for female interns.
Next they plan to insist all interns be over the age of 70 so as not to
over-stimulate the male libido by being enticingly young.
If only people from different religious backgrounds would talk to each other
more, they'd be bound to find similarities in their sacred writings...
Sometimes the most effective responses and solutions are
extreme actions. We need to push our thinking way outside the square.
We of the female persuasion must model ourselves on inspirational
leaders who stand up to sexist putdowns and fight back!
If we stretch ourselves beyond our comfort zones,
it's amazing what we can achieve.
Tayla Harris kicks a goal in women's Aussie Rules Footie.
The talented and passionate activist, Deray McKesson, was instrumental in launching Campaign Zero, a commonsense approach to curbing police violence
that results in hundreds of black and Hispanic deaths and permanent disabilities.
Johann Hari launched his world tour to educate lawmakers and citizens about effective and economic alternatives to the failed war on drugs.
When a picture's worth a thousand words...
A meeting of warped minds...
This protester is a lo-info voter. How can I tell? Just a hunch...
Deep, deep down and mired in stupidity, you'll find the tea party.
They are dedicated to a particular strategy which they swear by...
Cartoon by Aussie comedian, Peter Berner, who cheerfully admits he's not known for his drawing ability.
...which makes it almost impossible to converse with them at all.
This Zazzle tee-shirt speaks for itself:
Only self-deluded Republican voters think that breaking
government and the economy is the way to govern.
"Obama's on vacation again?"
These whinging Republicans should check out the figures:
When Republicans break environmental and social protections...
The fundamental, democratic right to vote continues to take major hits.
Republicans couldn't understand why they were losing the Iran deal debate.
At last, a commonsense explanation of the Middle East situation.
There's no way a faith-based belief can be mistaken for fact-based reality.
Finally! The Christian Right has their own Bible with all their favorite verses and none of that socialist agitprop about giving to the poor and caring for the sick.
Of course, religion does have its good points...
A real world survey of comparative religious charity in the US:
Daily Kos Elections used a simple colored image to
illustrate the inequality of representation in Congress.
Innovative arguments were used to support LGBTQ rights.
I'm giving the last word to one of my all-time favorite social commentators, Dame Edna Everage, known affectionately by Australians as Aunty Edna.
Also in the August series:
That Was the Month That Was – August On the Internet
That Was the Month That Was – August With the Candidates
That Was the Month That Was – August Furbutts and Cute Critters