Liberal Party Blues

Every single newspaper homepage is covered with this story today - the Liberals are having a meltdown over the ETS (and Kevin Rudd is giggling with glee like a little girl), and there will be a leadership challenge on Monday.

I had a certain appreciation of Malcolm Turnbull. The guy is so progressive on social issues he makes Kevin Rudd look more conservative than John Howard, although that's pretty damn close to the truth anyway. His economic policies are classically right-wing but hey, nobody's perfect.

How a classic liberal like Turnbull ever managed to grab the reins of the conservative Liberal party is beyond me, but the fact is that he was always going to polarize the party over social issues anyway. It just so happened that the ETS came first, and was just as divisive an issue.

What interests me is whether or not the Liberal party will remain united going forward. The factions within the party appear to be much more disparate on social policy than the corresponding factions within the ALP. It makes me wonder if the party should break up to form an true liberal wing similar to the ACT party in New Zealand.

Of course, come election time I'd love to see the centre-right collapse, but in the long run I know that it is imperative for a range of views to be represented in Parliament, and whilst the Australian political scene is more diverse than some others around the world (eg. US) there is certainly room for improvement.

Literally

This is one of my pet peeves. I was watching some police chase reality show on Channel 7 the other night, and the commentator made this remark about a drunk driver "the teenage driver of the vehicle is literally... legless".

Of course that caught my attention, because, seeing as I know how to speak English, I was expecting to see an amputee perhaps, with prosthetic legs? I don't know. Obviously, Channel 7 was, as usual, misusing the English language. The driver was just any other teenage chick with legs and I was left sorely disappointed.

Anyway, before anyone complains that the internet or sms messages are making our children illiterate, I recommend that they look at what they're letting their kids watch on TV.

Best Wishes to Rove

I actually missed the announcement on the show (and in some sort of weird twist ended up reading about this on NZ Herald's website), but Rove has wrapped up his show forever.

This, of course, is very very sad news. The three certainties in life were supposed to be death, taxes, and Rove Live on TV on Sunday nights. He's a great entertainer and I hope he will return to the public spotlight someday.

Perceptions of Reality

This is something I realised many years back, and has guided me ever since. Everyone sees the world differently - and I'm not talking about opinions. I mean that two people seeing the same event happening will interpret it differently even if they are trying to be as objective as possible.

There is no science behind this claim, just what I have experienced. A dollar given by a rich man to a poor man can be charity or pity, in kindness or with contempt. Context plays a part, but certainly each individual has their own interpretation.

I strongly believe that perceptions are guided by prior experiences, and so, some people cannot be swayed from their version of the truth. I am more than happy to attack the various religions for their flaws, but I find it difficult to criticise a religious person for their belief, because to a certain extent, their past does not allow them to see an alternative.

Consider this. A child who was raised in a religious cult, with no access to television or the internet, surrounded by abuse and neglect, would probably consider that kind of lifestyle to be normal. Without providing an alternative, there is only one possibility in their minds, and that is the life given to them by the cult. Sure, this is an extreme case, but most religions serve the same purpose but on a lesser scale.

If your parents, your friends, and your teachers taught you that God provides for everything, so you should do what God says; if you've been taught this all your life, it can't be easy to visualise an alternate life without religion. Part of our humanity is that we are sometimes creatures of habit, and something as vital as our belief system become habitualised quickly.

So no, I don't necessarily fault people for going to Church every Sunday. I will always be intolerant of those who have the oppportunity to change their lives but choose not to, and I will always stand against organised religion. But I won't judge people without considering their perceptions and their upbringing.

Marriage Equality Law in Maine stopped by referendum

It was always going to be close, but nonetheless the result is disappointing for a vote that took place in a region of the US that has been very progressive with respect to marriage equality legislation.

NY Times
TIME Magazine

Religious Freedom

The debate over a national charter of rights in Australia often involves the opponents declaring that such a charter would endanger the religious freedom that all Australians enjoy. The arguments all sound very convincing - secular views will be imposed upon those of us who wish to practice religion, thereby narrowing the scope of rights we are entitled to.

There is a fair bit of spin in this argument. "Freedom" can an emotive word, in the sense that it often generates positive feelings; but when these people talk about "religious freedom" they are not talking about anything positive. This latter definition represents the freedom to oppress minorities, discriminate based on gender and sexuality, and to deny essential services to those in need on the basis of superior morality.

The real implication of the opposing argument is that such oppression and discrimination currently exists within religious and religious-affiliated institutions. A bill of rights should not impose restrictions on ideas and on faith, but it should impose restrictions when the rights of citizens are threatened by others. Yes, it will interfere with the machinations of the churches or mosques or temples, but the problem lies in the religion, not a bill or charter of rights.

My biggest concern with this debate is that the religious majority of Australia will be swayed by the misleading statements brought forth by the religious leaders. Those who believe have a propensity to ignore the truth at the best of times.

I certainly hope that a national bill of rights be developed, because despite our claim to have strong social values of equality and fairness, there is currently no framework that reinforces these values in the eyes of the law.

Human Rights Act campaign website
News link: Bill of rights desirable but not urgent: voters
News link: Rights charter runs into religious opposition