"Five men and a dog attended a protest gathering this afternoon in Sydney..."
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| A tiny corner of the 'few' hundrood who turned out |
Sky News and Nine (mates of the right) allus on to it like, said hoondreds turned out to make a pip squeak protest at the Baird New South Wales government. Well fook me, if it were hoondreds, they musta only counted front row! Tens of thousands more like and across the spectrum. If I were Turnbull I'd be thinking' his neo liberal mate has just created the biggest cock up leading' into Federal election - he has angered a big block of the community and alienated them by undermining basic democratic principles. The sacking' of elected councils and the hiding of the true cost of West Connex (a big bloody motorway garlanded in tolls about to carve up Sydney's inner west). Then there were those there because of the recent chopping down of trees, the putting up of a bridge near Moore Park, the lock-out laws, the airport out west, the public service, the wrecking of Tafe, fracking, fucking (the sex party), corruption, the change to laws around association, freedom to protest, marriage equality, and then the usual suspects Greens, Socialist Alliance, knitting nanas, anarchists and a five year old boy who told me this were his first protest-he wanted to save native animals, fauna and foliage from being destroyed in pursuit of greed. Can't argue with that. He said he had noted a sudden drop in funnel web spiders in his back lawn since fracking began and his worm collection tended to glow green when he turned his bedroom light off at night. Gerald Durrell said he hopes to be a zoologist when he grows up.
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| The organiser Alex McKinnon-with beard holding' oop pillar |
While waiting for it things to start I joined in, ok, interrupted a conversation between a women (forty something) and an oldie (at least three years older than me) about there being no place for extremism in politics. I noted that had it not been for extremists (abolitionists and suffragettes) we would not have gotten rid of slavery or women the right to vote. Missy snorted through both nostrils at me and said "that's history! We're talking about now." So I went over and had a quick hug with Danny Lim, kissed a passing anarchist, who told me to stop being a reactionary old prick and then I felt much better.
The speakers were fantastic! A rousing welcome to country with an added burst of reminding oos ta woork togetha an' not fragment inta bits. Alex McKinnon said it all. He listed the diverse groups that had fronted and reminded us - democracy has been stolen, undermined, eroded. Cleanskin Mike is showing his true colours and telling' us (his electorate) to go take a flyin' fook. He and his mates can carve up our resources. An lets be real. No matter that private providers in education have been shown recently to be the pond bottom dwellers they are boot Tafe has to give over a chunk of their percentage. Take what is effective, smash it oop an' give money to clowns to fook oop our kids futures. A grand plan that only a spiffing neo liberal could coom oop with. And what were in Fairfax this morning, and that Tafe had sacked its disability support person out in the regions. Turns out the person sacked has a disability but meanwhile Tafe has employed more managers who have all made great big efficiencies. Like the sacking' of someun with disability! Brilliant! After all the private sector is just waiting to rush in and provide students with disability support.
And I think this was the point-except I don't think Mr Baird likes to listen to anything that does not fit in with his plans. But this afternoon's gathering may assist to focus his attention that his actions are starting to piss off a broad section of the NSW punters and this may not be a good thing for him or his cronies.
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| Its bad Mike when Dr Death has got your number... |
Then there were the wee lass Pauline Lockie talking about West Connx and all who make gravy out of great big roads (More Cars!) as the rest of us go down the car gurguler. She had done her sums and said bloody heaps were being wasted in making roads for cars and there were nowt evidence that what is intended will work...take Los Angeles where car is king...a disaster. Then there is the secret squirrel Baird government hiding the costs and who in private sector land can amass profit until 2060 on tolls, bigger tolls and then tolls on the tolls and by then. Fantastic! Build more roads. Of course cars may be obsolete by then and we might all travel about on wishful thinking. Or in the car of Mike Baird. One speaker suggested he might like to stuff West Connex up his arse. Not sure if that would improve his congestion and would we have to privatise him and charge tolls? Difficult!
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| Bloody public service folk 83% women allus summat to say that hits the spot |
Darcy Byrne, the sacked mayor of Leichhardt spoke about the undemocratic amalgamation of councils/removal of elected councillors and replacement with buzzards, sorry, administrators who just happen to have extensive histories in the kinds of big business that is going to make a lot of profit again out of tax payer money. No Baird donations to health but rather to wealth. Of course for Mr Baird these are just sound business decisions, the best man for the job etc. Of course not holding an election for eighteen months is another stream of Baird pee arcing over those who believe in voting for their local authority, because it is their local, their community they live in, why should they have a say when the bigger amalgamations are just so much more anonymous and business modelled and well no more dedicating walkways to the likes of Tom Uren!
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| Still five men and a dog, some of the men might not be men though |
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| Blue Sunday for you Mike |
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| Who let those anarchists in? |
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| Still five men and a dog... |
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| Hope you are laughing out loud Mike |
Why aye, I was sooprised ta hear all sorts of folk could be in prison for joost protestin'
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| For question time Fred Nile? |
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| Mathematically three checkered shirts at the front is a probability to the power of...should have stayed awake during equation classes |
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| Shit Mike, yer in big trouble when you get the poets mad |
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| Bloody oath...it aint broke don't amalgamate it! |
David Shoebridge, NSW parliamentarian was in good form, listing all the legislative changes pushed through by the Baird autocracy. It is all looking like a blueprint to ream us an additional arsehole while removing our rights to shit. Scary numbers on people not allowed to associate soon to be not allowed to protest, not allowed to gather and on it went. The nanas for knitting could soon be doing serious can time for well, knitting while associating in the wrong place-like Mike Baird's office. Because that is only open for business to the serious business folk. Be afraid of the man/woman in blue uniform and braid approaching you with a glint in their eye and a piece of typed paper and drawing pin.
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| A knitting Nana? |
Then Dayne Pratzky, from regional NSW gave an impassioned speech about what was happening up in his neck of the woods (Gloucester way). They have staved off fracking only to be shafted by the amalgamation. Which like at Inner West-they have taken over the council chambers and made their intent clear-they are not being dictated to by state government with dollar signs in their eyeballs. I think civil disobedience was mentioned a number of times by different speakers and as they identified, in this crowd there was awhile mess of anger a brewin' in Sydney Town. I also note the speaker on the lockout made some good points but some dumb ones. Kings Cross might have closed down but Newtown has not and if you want credibility, listen to the docs at St Vincents and address excess in your message as well as access. Pub bands are paid from beer monies. If they don't sell obscene amounts of alcohol then the bands and work staff don't get work and don't get paid. Copious amounts of drinking don't do a lot of good and if we need to get that loaded to have a good time-it kind of defeats the purpose. So its not about dancing nicely, it is about the lack of self regulating of bad behaviour and throwing shite (fags, fag packets, bottles, breaking glass, take away wrapping, half digested curries, crap and spew) around the city as part of having a fun night out. Joost think on it.
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| Five men and their dog set off for a walk to NSW Parliament |
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| Yon anarchist climin gets of NSW Parliament |
Actually, cum to think of it. Its the first demo I've been on that I can remember...where I have not seen a dog. Not one mutt? And remember do not vote National Liberal in the Federal election ...it only encourages them to behave like wart hogs in the mud hole.
*Stop press: Mike Baird made a mea culpa that perhaps he was a bitty wrong about the way he stole houses of folk in the way of progress (West Connx). But he has to have big balls and make big ball unpopular decisions for moving NSW on. Like selling off Millers Point. Like letting Packers casino take up more public space. Like forcing amalgamations. Like gutting Taffe. Like supporting fracking and mining and removing the right to protest. Like building more roads and an extra airport and not putting the same or more resources into a public transport. His is a blueprint to destroy community. He is investing in the wealth of the top 2% at the expense of the rest of us. Progress? Hell no, old fashioned robber barony. That Mike, is why so many people were out on street on a fine Sunday and you are still not listening and they won't be going away.
