As Mr Donovan (MUA) said there were summat grand aboot a march with seven thousand girls and women and aboot thousand* of their support team oonder instruction not ta get in way and interfere with owt. It were the Womens March in Sydney, in part to show opposition to yon Trump but more to remind folk of the need fer social activism. As me mate Wiremu said, if we all just did summat like close our bank account at the big end of town and give our business to a more ethical money lender (if there is sooch a thing); or stopped buying Apple oontill they pay their proper (and not monopoly money) taxes. That is social activism. Boot the message of this afternoon was if oonly we cared for one another and stopped picking the scabs of our small differences and instead concentrated our energies on change to what could be a decent society. Stand oop for justice.
Be counted on the issues our previous generations fought for. Yer know, all those unrealistic lefty things that get in the way of men making themselves rich. Sooch as a living wage, sick leave, holiday pay, maternity leave, penalty rates, subsidised childcare, reasonable access to education, healthcare, being looked after when yer awld, pensions, equality, the right not to live in fear or be owned by a man. I know red to the rims them blurry things. What were those oldies thinking when they threw themselves in front of horses or chained themselves to fences and marched from Tyneside down to London. Boot what were great today were the young uns out in force. An although tilting at Trumpalism was visible there was plenty local flavour, in particular the fiery speech from Wiradjuri Aunty Jenny Munro who brought the park down with her statement that know she was the matriarch of her mob, they would have to listen and we had better listen because until we understand the struggle in this red land starts with addressing the injustices to our indigenous folk we will not be progressive or able to make a decent, more equal society.
 |
| The artist as protestor |
Aye, it were a softer, more colourful march than many Mr Donovan and I had been on as of recent times. Its what cooms with hanging oot with old hairy bellied unionists with an intricate knowledge of Mr Marx (the beardy one). I saw very few polis than say at the average oppositional front oop from the likes of Reclaim Australia. (The 'fascists are oos' group that pretends to be joost decent average white racist Australians. Who have an allergy to Islam, anyone of colour (and on one confrontation long ago in Martin (Big Bank) Place I heard one of them tell one of the first people that if they did not like Australia they should go back to where ever it were they come from. Sigh.) Then in light of today, their general view of women, is to know their place, being subservient or punch bags and lastly to scorn owt they think is not in their dictionary definition of common sense.) And not ta forget their dislike of the likes of oos (trade unions, anarchos, communists, Greens (well most)-they'd have us off ta yon Gulag one an all). An after today's march the news media ABC or New Matilda or the like reported some supremacists mounted their own tiny fingered 'God Bless You Mr Trump!' Counter demonstration at bottom of Martin Place; of no more than forty people with their faces hid and great big Australian flag thingeys to wrap themselves in in case they needed the Johnny Howard comfort stop with all those wild women hormones zinging around being busy multi skilling issues. Boot it were the women and girls that this show of togetherness was all about and it were a privilege to be part of summat with so much positive energy. As for yon tosser in social media said "it were no place for a straight white male to be on a summer's afternoon". You might want to invest in a dummy, coat it with honey, sit on a mat and have a little quiet time to reflect on what a twat you are. Women, like our first people are far more forgiving than we deserve and just blurry good company.
 |
| Fight like girls |
This march were the best of women as community in action. Teaching bairns that you have to be visible. Be brave to take a stand and the first step is to get out to summat like this. Second is to start those conversations with those amongst that truly believe Trump or Hanson are for the people-well people as the disenfranchised, disabled, young, migrants. Because folk are feeling disenfranchised. Boot nationalism, being self righteous in ignorance is not a solution. And the posters and banners and t-shirts reflected joost that, multiple issues to set you thinking. Like Desmond Tutu's message below. The words bandying about were like bees on a mission to stock hive with enough ale to get through winter. Because make no mistake, as speaker after speaker reminded all there-it's coomin'. Progressives, resistants - knitting nanas, the first people, The CEO of Food Harvest (who as a South African reminded oos of segregation an' what they were like but telling' its already set root in Australia), socialist alliance, and the MUA again out in force providing support-but no sign of the Labor Party or Greens. It were a grand march to set the year off but one of many to come. Invasion Day soon. Boot for those already rushing to say these were joost middle class folk and all man haters. Think again. These were folk with a passion to stand oop and be counted and bringing a creativity of slogans, diverse opinions and views out onto the streets of Sydney. Aye I think Sydney heard yer roar. Long may it rage!
 |
| Clever bastard sign** |
*Media Sunday morning downgraded numbers on this march to between 4-5 thousand-boot there were two demonstrations going on at both ends of Hyde Park, Sydney. Soom great pictures coomin' in from around the world and some predictable Trump democratically elected get over it and womens voices don't count because these marches are ineffective blogs and posts. Grow up lads! Use yer testicles fer summat useful instead of them making' yer strain with disbelief to think that women might be yer equal and teach you summat about making a decent society and better world and you a better person.
 |
| Desmond Tutu's quote |
 |
| Has to be trade unionist and on a bicycle |
 |
| Keep the red flag flying |
 |
| MUA here to stay and support |
 |
| The good son, boy and man to be |
 |
| And she made an appearance |
 |
| MUA and there is only one Jimmy Donovan |
 |
| And first they came for my person... |
**It means respect my existence or expect my resistance-or summat like that
After this march I had the privilege of sitting down with a 94 year old who was too old to attend the march but was there in spirit. We went through the snaps I'd taken and she told me she had worked too hard to make sure her daughters and granddaughters had access to education, health care- life they were in control of- for this to go into reverse. Already Trump is rolling back on the rights of women and civil society and not joost denying climate change but ordering govt agencies to remove any evidence of climate change from official sites...in less than a week. From this march you want to bottle hope for the days ahead!
As Mr Donovan (MUA) said there were summat grand aboot a march with seven thousand girls and women and aboot thousand* of their support team oonder instruction not ta get in way and interfere with owt. It were the Womens March in Sydney, in part to show opposition to yon Trump but more to remind folk of the need fer social activism. As me mate Wiremu said, if we all just did summat like close our bank account at the big end of town and give our business to a more ethical money lender (if there is sooch a thing); or stopped buying Apple oontill they pay their proper (and not monopoly money) taxes. That is social activism. Boot the message of this afternoon was if oonly we cared for one another and stopped picking the scabs of our small differences and instead concentrated our energies on change to what could be a decent society. Stand oop for justice. 
Be counted on the issues our previous generations fought for. Yer know, all those unrealistic lefty things that get in the way of men making themselves rich. Sooch as a living wage, sick leave, holiday pay, maternity leave, penalty rates, subsidised childcare, reasonable access to education, healthcare, being looked after when yer awld, pensions, equality, the right not to live in fear or be owned by a man. I know red to the rims them blurry things. What were those oldies thinking when they threw themselves in front of horses or chained themselves to fences and marched from Tyneside down to London. Boot what were great today were the young uns out in force. An although tilting at Trumpalism was visible there was plenty local flavour, in particular the fiery speech from Wiradjuri Aunty Jenny Munro who brought the park down with her statement that know she was the matriarch of her mob, they would have to listen and we had better listen because until we understand the struggle in this red land starts with addressing the injustices to our indigenous folk we will not be progressive or able to make a decent, more equal society.
No comments:
Post a Comment