My mother: the OG.
Yesterday my mother insisted my Ginger-haired beau and I meet her in the city for a mysterious date. No matter how hard I pressed her, she wouldn't tell me what it was about or what she had planned for us.
Me: Is it something to do with group singing? It is, isn't it?
Her: I'm not saying anything.
Me: Are we having a dance jam?
Her: Shhhh.
Me: If there's audience participation involved, I'm not sure I'm interested.
Her: God you're a pain in the arse.
Me: I just like to be prepared, that's all.
Her: Hush up and meet me at the State Library at 5:15.
******************************
It's not so far fetched of me to imagine a singing or dancing activity of some description, since my mama tends to get herself involved with all kinds of creative 'outlets' and likes others members of the family to join in at random. I love her to bits and am an only child so for the most part grudgingly wrap myself in grass skirts or bang on log drums or whatever it is she wants me to do.
I couldn't, however, have foreseen what she had in store for yesterday evening.
My mother's gospel choir - plus other songstrel folk - participated in guerilla group singing in the middle of Melbourne. They took their message from the steps of the State Library, to the GPO, to Federation Square, and Flinders Street Station. Uninvited.
Everywhere they went, they stood as one and sang with one voice: Vote the bastards out. Vote them out. Vote the bastards out.
People stopped and stared. Some joined in. Others hollered support. There was electricity in the air.
Electricity and change.
I cried at one point. Proud of my revolutionary mama, overwhelmed by the possibility of change and movement, and terrified by the prospect that it may all fall over within the next twenty-four hours.
Vote well, comrades. See you on the other side.
Twenty-four hours til the next election.
Comments
Please let it be Gough Time (motherfuckers).
Fits Snr, I salute thee!
fuckwits of the world unite........
ooh, i can't wait 'til tomorrow .... especially as i have the opportunity to vote for a milat (ivan's sister-in-law) before a liberal .....
yep, she'll be second last ... cause it's always a thrill to put the libs last on every voting form i ever have the pleasure to fill out.
Sob - J (please?)
But I'm praying for a Coalition-decimating landslide. Please be 1972, not 1969!
Wanted: Flash mob to sing Vote the Bastards out....
Stephen Taberner, spookmeister and several time millenniumchorusmeister, has a special springtime musical/anarchic bon-bon for you to consider:
imagine the scene....
5.30pm, thursday night, two days before the election. the well dressed, well manicured crowd are walking through the bourke st mall in a kind of tight, purposeful scrum. they attract attention merely because there are so many of them, but also because of their seriouslooking intent....what could it be,....a conference of some kind, perhaps?. suddenly, they stop, form up in neat rows. a man sets up a music stand in front of them, taps it with his baton. there is a mass, unexpected, clearing of throats from the choir. they look deadly serious. the choirmaster raises the baton. a pregnant pause. then, in stunning 4 part harmony:
"VOTE THE BASTARDS OUT!!!"
we need a vast crowd of flash mob wanabees to make this daring feat work, and to summon the musical brew-ha-ha, to make it look good on the TVnews (another avowed intention of this piece of radical musical action). are you are your choir interested? if not, please submit reasons in triplicate. if so, there will be a rehearsal on sunday nov 18th afternoon to help make the song sound great, and you'll also be able to download mp3s of the song for part learning. we are particularly looking for whole choirs who would be tittilated by including this in their extracurricular activities.
check out the song if you like at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1LLsw1lcuA
Citizen's Electoral Council are much more deserving of 65 and 66, anti-semitic conspiracy theorist nutbags
do what I did, vote backwards from 66 to 1, parties you hate the most to least, I found it much easier!
Well them or Lyn Allison, it’s a toss of the coin thing really.
sorry about the caps, but I'm nervous. and excited
I hope Leunig is right
http://www.theage.com.au/photogallery/2005/10/04/1128191706446.html
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/11/23/2099795.htm
FUCK
Substitute "anything" for Indigenous affairs.
Sing about it, pray to $deity, threaten to leave the country... Not one bit of it will make Rudd into a vertebrate.
I heard about this event I wish I was there. I cheered hearing about it!
I'm a first time voter (and commenter), and so happy that I wasn't born in December.
Happy voting everyone, let's vote the bastards out...please.
This was shot at various locations in Melbourne at lunchtime yesterday.
http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=vziDROl_ MJo
This version was shot with a much larger group early yesterday evening
http://www.engageme dia.org/Members/ pc/videos/ 22nov-ziggy- and-friends. avi/view
Enjoy and do your bit tomorrow,
cheers Julie
Go Greens!
Now tell me, how should I deal with the liberal how to vote people at the booth? - a) be polite/aloof, b) a gentle but superior 'are you kidding?, or c) firmly tell them they're the living end and we're about to put those fascists back in the dark age they came from.
Begone with them. And the moment it's over, let us never speak of that small minded evil again.
Thankyou, Fits. I have spent most of today feeling overwhelmed by the prospects of tomorrow - first election I've been eligible to vote in. Your mum is a courageous inspiration. Truth be told, it was following the lead up to the LAST election on this blog that first opened my eyes to Australian politics, which in turn has changed my view of the world.
Like mama, like daughter. You both rock.
Viva la revolution !!!!
Probably genetic.
The disconnect between civilian and military is huge.
Australian military personnel consider themselves lucky to get an overseas deployment, with many believing the more dangerous the better. They do not understand and do not appreciate political movements that are ‘saving’ them from the ‘hell’ of operational service. Spoil sports.
The pragmatic political view of military personnel is that the Coalition equals better funding and focus (from pay to equipment), and Labour equals less funding and strange restructures from a position of little understanding.
The idealistic political view of (the largely apolitical) military personnel is, by no surprise, right wing. Many are comfortable with oil being a motivation for conflict and show open distain to the person or media article that thinks they are blowing a whistle by opening our eyes to the fact that “it is all about the oil”, and then go on to complain about petrol prices. He who controls the spice, I mean oil, controls the world, and by heck we are going to be on the winning team. No confusion there what’s the problem?
Importantly, Australian military personnel are painfully aware of the perception change that international militaries, especially the US and UK would have, should Australia state political opposition to specific operations and conduct troop withdrawals. Whether this transference of guilt/responsibility is justified or not, it would still be a source of great shame for Australian military personnel, having gone ‘the way of the disrespected cowardly French’, and this would be regardless of pursing any options for intermediate support for some operations and not others.
Military personnel tend to be better informed than the left would like to think. These are the people who are the actual participants in the media events that civilians often pass ill-informed judgement and conjecture over.
The general consensus of the media’s level of understanding of military affairs is woeful to the point of amusing. Stories like “Australian ammunition and equipment faulty”, or “Weeks to fly pregnant soldier out of Afghanistan”, do not help, especially when the reality is “World class kit the envy of other nations’ soldiers” and “under two weeks? you were lucky”. The examples are endless, and boring. This state of affairs is a shame because the media completely discredit themselves with military personnel and more importantly miss the real stories.
Journalism that is informative and insightful is appreciated. Strangely, or not, ABC and SBS journalism that does not strive for controversy is generally well received. Four Corners regularly stands out screening balanced, understanding, and thought provoking military related stories. To get the military audience, if you care to, you can not insult them or they will treat you to the greatest form of hate, apathy.
The Australian soldier can not relate to civilians that can not understand the terrible necessity of killing when they are placed in certain circumstances. Child stops convoy. Convoy is ambushed. You and all your mates are dead. Fool civilians. Fools for not only failing to understanding a simple thing, but especially for morally judging and detracting from the true terrible nature of the situation. This is one of many examples of this type of circumstance. Once again the ill-informed left detract from any hope the informed left have.
Generalisations and inflammatory opinions that I do not necessarily share aside, many members of our military have left wing and other views although they are an extreme minority.
It is also beneficial to understand that the ability of a member of the Australian Military to personally relate to UK, US, or almost any other nation’s military personnel, often exceeds their ability to relate to Australian civilians.
Through all of this it needs to be remembered that, Australian soldiers are of the most apolitical in the world and generally pride themselves on their detachment from political affairs. This is a practical strength of our military, who have been voted “Lest likely to stage a coup” and “Most appropriate to use in sensitive international political situations” (Where the hell is Australia anyway?) by Military Moron Magazine. Understand our military or don’t, but do not (not that I think anyone is) blame them. If you don’t like certain conflicts, vote correctly. Our military may think “awwwww, but I wanted to invade Iran too!?” and all vote Liberal, but they will continue to serve as the obedient servant of the publicly elected government. An excellent state of affairs I do think.
That got out of hand, and was only commentary, not my personal stance. Yawn.
I've decided to wear my Vic Fire Brigade Union t-shirt to the polling booths......just to trick everyone. Hahahaha
and should be called 'reasons you will love me'
Your mother is my hero.
Let's vote that fucker to oblivion and beyond!
love and stuff,
Sheree
Yippee!
Time to Sack the Rat!
Leaving nothing behind but the daily dwindling odour of a totally Ratshit Rodent...
Go team!!
ooops
Why, it's a revolution every time Pop Idol comes on the telly and people dial in!
Luckily socialism/marxism/communism/trotskyism/etc. are merely textbook examples of past failure and never again shall we slide down that slippery slope to totalitarianism.
I can't vote, being that I'm a citizen of a different nation, but go Howard!
That Kevin's a bit of a creepy lech...
Please pick another tag, Simon 8:56. I've been pissing and moaning for a while under this one.
I spoke sharply to the local Green candidate for distracting people from teh main issues
...
Now I'm part of the problem.
i need my info hit, and the net is holding out this time.
*happy dancing*
STEVE HOLT!
STEVE HOLT!
STEVE HOLT!
STEVE HOLT!
STEVE HOLT!
STEVE HOLT!
STEVE HOLT!
STEVE HOLT!
STEVE HOLT!
Credit where it's due, I thought Howard's concession speech was actually one of his better speeches.
PS: For those of you in Bennelong who have added JH to Stanley Bruce...if we ever meet I promise to buy you a round of whatever you're drinking.
*EXHALES*
- Enjoy Ms. Fits. Your blog has always been an excellent reminder of the lefties when I got scared and would start hyperventilating into a paper bag.
Everyone- enjoy your drinks- the hangovers shall be HUGH tomorrow!!!!
Fucken yeah.
I realised I would be! Have a Tanqueray 10 in celebration for Kevin07, I say! Then have another. BTW, I've been in Bass, Braddon & Lyons today & drove past the Mersey hospital; I'm so polItically 'now!'
Maxine has Bennelong, I've had my champagne and I'm happy. All I need now is for Kevin to die of terminal smugness so Julia can take over and get some real change happening.
I fucken TOLD YOU SO
I fucken TOLD YOU SO
*falls ova*
wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!
Something different has happened? Perhaps? Is this the start of something brilliant? Or just a SLIGHTLY less conservative government?
Alls I know be = climate change has a chance of being recognised now.
bet you're happy Ms Fits!
Glenn Gorick
A1 Fuckwit of the World
Comments are closed.