To Howard on the 'S' word

After saying sorry about Wednesday's interest rate rise, Howard extricated himself from the gaff thus: "I said I was sorry they'd occured. I don't think I actually used the word 'apology.'" Are there no limits to this man's ridiculously tortuous, quibbling, pettifogging, equivocating impenitence?

To English

Hee hee hee. Alexander Downer said "consumerables."

Oh dear. Barnaby Joyce said "irregardless." (16/11)

And John Howard said "disentitles." (22/11)

I seem to have misunderestimated our politicians.

To Telstra's Brave New World

Telstra's latest ad, in which the camera follows a large family through their large house, showing us that each of them has a computer with internet access and none of them have to share, is to my mind a hideous vision of our probable future as affluent, dis-connected, self-absorbed egotists inhabiting a virtual reality that excludes other humans, perhaps especially those closest. What happened to sitting around the table? What happened to conversation?

To the Economy

In fact, a big fat "pish tush" to the Economy and all its hellish instruments. The last election was dominated by talk about the economy, and Howard arguably won on the strength of his economic agenda. This time around, the mood has shifted, but the Prime Minister knows that if he goes off message, he doesn't have a leg to stand on. The louder he talks about his economic credentials, the less (he thinks) we'll remember about what else he has done, or failed to do, during his years in office. And if, as he claims, we're enjoying unprecedented prosperity, surely that provides us with an opportunity to tend some of the areas of our collective life that we've neglected: environment, community, education, aid, art. What on earth do we seek prosperity for if not to provide a platform from which to engage in the world and change it for the better?

To Activism

The latest Coalition ad accuses Peter Garrett of being an environmental extremist. Surely, surely if the last two years have been anything to go by, the time has now come for extreme approaches to environmental problems; for extreme changes in our lifestyle. Surely now, if ever, the environmental extremist is the man of the hour.

To Howard's Unwonted Generosity

Tripping about the country dispersing great bucketloads of cash, John Howard looks less like an economic manager than like a penitent Zaccheus. In the absence of any policies that guarantee financial longevity for the groups he now endows, his generosity looks a lot more like reparation for years of dearth than preparation for years of plenty.

To Scare Campaigns

Predictably, the Government's first move in the election campaign has been to release an ad - which looks like something Today Tonight might have thrown together - branding Labor's front bench as Terror - sorry, Trade Unionists. The ad makes us aware, or at least frightened, of the grave dangers of electing a bunch of ex-Trade Union leaders to govern. Since when are trade unions the scourge of our society? They got us minimum wage, eight-hour days and decent labour laws didn't they? Frankly, I'd rather be governed by people with experience in defending human rights and labour communities than by people whose prerogative has been to resist, counter and demonise those defences at every stage.