Monday, May 30

We're sitting around waiting for the 'phone to ring with news of Madi.  She's in hospital and is expected to deliver her baby, probably tomorrow.  Melanie is at the hospital with her and we get hourly updates with news of what is happening.  The last message talked about the doctors using a balloon.  Maybe it was one of the Clown Doctors.  If not, I don't want to know.

To fill in time, I was browsing back over my blog and came across a post from August 2014 which is as relevant today's as it was then.  Here it is again:

I made a throw-away comment the other day about how interesting it might be for our politicians to look to Europe for inspiration, rather than the US.  It occurred to me that we rarely hear about Europe except in derogatory terms: welfare society, the old man of the world, and so on, so I got on-line and downloaded a book, Europe's Promise by Steven Hill, subtitled Why the European Way is the Best Hope in an Insecure Age.  Mr Hill is an American writer, and advocate for electoral reform in the US.

He has written a very clear and compelling account of the development of Europe following the wholesale destruction of World War 2.  European leaders at the end of the war realised that Europe needed to be re-invented, following centuries of warfare.  All the old institutions had been destroyed, leaving a clean slate on which to draw up a new vision.

It's important to realise that these were Conservative leaders like Winston Churchill, Konrad Adenauer, and Jean Monnet.  It wasn't a socialist revolution although many Americans sneer at what they have tagged 'creeping socialism'.

Churchill and the others were not interested in soviet-style communism but they were also determined not to adopt the Wall Street capitalism of USA.  They were prescient enough to realise the problems that were developing under that model.  Instead, they planned a new beast: social capitalism, where the undoubted benefits of the capitalist model provided the energy and resources for the development of a fairer society with benefits across the spectrum.  His book is 519 pages and, while it doesn't avoid talking about the inevitable problems, it demonstrates the extraordinary success in the 27 countries of the European Union and countries like Switzerland and Norway which haven't chosen to join yet.

Some of the elements which underpin the successes are:  birth to grave support from government to supplement the relatively high wages; fewer working hours and more holidays to achieve a better work/life balance; development of advanced technologies; investment in alternative energies, superior public transport; free education at all levels, a fair sharing of the nation's resources. Sure, their taxes are a little higher but the benefits are obvious.  From time to time, the ups and downs of the economy put pressure on the largesse but the benefits to the people are a much higher priority than military spending, for example and, if cuts need to be made, they are made in lower priority areas.

As I read the book, I couldn't help but be impressed by the different attitudes between Australia and Europe.  European economies work for the benefit of society; Australia seems to expect our society to work for the benefit of the economy.

I've avoided talking about the US in this post but, clearly, that is a failed society and we should be avoiding adopting any ideas in Australia which are based on that corrupt model.

We seem to be obsessed in Australia with the idea of lower taxes yet we expect first-world services.  We need to wake up and realise that good welfare policies are expensive.  Politicians should be touting the benefits which will come from a little more tax rather than pushing same old tired barrow of tax cuts.

Sunday, May 29 (2)

We were invited to a Trivia Night to raise funds for the Deloraine Folk Museum - a good cause so we organised a team from our Probus Club to take part. There was a last-minute cancellation so Jamie and Nera came along to make up the numbers.  It was a typically Tasmanian affair - to accommodate those who didn't know the answers, you could buy an answer for a dollar.  After all, it was all about raising money not to allow big heads to show off their superior knowledge.

There were ten rounds of ten questions each and we were doing alright and not buying answers until it looked like we might, in fact, win.  Out came the wallets and we started to look good.  I'm embarrassed to say that we won, but we had to buy the answers to 8 questions in the last round to secure the prize.  All for a box of chocolates!

Sunday, May 29

I love gadgets and eBay knows this so they keep sending me teasing little messages prompting me to buy stuff that I can't live without.  This morning I received information about something described as:

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• EDC Multi-functional Climbing Carabiner Paracord Buckle Screwdriver Flashlight Wrench Tool
• 
  
• 
• 
  
• I was immediately intrigued and I went straight to the reviews to see what previous buyers think.  Yes, there are people who have such sad lives they write reviews of junk they buy on eBay!  Here's an example:
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• After receiving this, I have been carrying it around 24/7 i two weeks now! Wherever I go, it comes handy. Anytime I need a screwdriver or a wrench, it's always in my belt clip. Not to mention that I always have a beer-opener available at all time! This is something that every human beeing should be equipped with!!

Friday, May 27

Imagine the suspense as we awaited the return of Kitchen Cabinet and imagine our delight as we discovered that Jacqui Lambie would be the first guest.  We knew we would be in for a treat and it didn't take long before she came out with the headline quote.

Revealing why she'd never resorted to the biff in the Senate, she singled out one senator she had been tempted to take on. 

"Bernardi. He's just an a. . . . . . e.  Typical 'I'm born with a silver spoon up my rear end'," she said.

There's always a certain amount of pleasure in sneering at people like Jacqui, who missed out on the early advantages we had but, to give her credit, on the program she was self-deprecating and refreshingly honest.  She did herself no harm by appearing with Annabel and I just hope people watched it.  If they did, they might have changed their opinion of whether she deserves a place in the Senate.  If we can find a place for some of the no-hopers who get a place there because of their political connections, we can find a place for Jacqui who, at least, is trying to make a difference.

The same thing can't be said of Barnaby Joyce.  The more he appears on TV, the more he worries me.  His latest faux pas, linking the cancellation of live cattle exports with the increase in refugee boat arrivals in Australia is extraordinary.  Does he really believe it?  Everybody understands there is a whole complex set of factors which drives people to take the dangerous step of setting out in a leaky boat in the hope of a new start.  It's not controlled by the Indonesian Government in a fit of pique at a decision by Tony Bourke, no matter how ill-advised.  And this man is our Deputy Prime Minister.

Thursday, May 26

I stumbled across a reference this morning to the suggestion that, when Malcolm Turnbull was thinking of entering politics, his wife said he should join the ALP.  He eventually joined the Liberal Party but in 1999 he became 'p . . . . d off with John Howard  and approached people like Bob Hawke and Graham Richardson to switch to the ALP, but Kim Beazley said he was clearly a Lib and should stay with them.

The issue rose again in 2009 when the Daily Telegraph and Herald Sun published articles saying that Malcolm was a dead duck and must be regretting he joined the wrong party (and maybe regretting he didn't listen to his wife!).  His chances of becoming Prime Minister, they wrote, are gone.  Now, of course, he is Prime Minister but handicapped by the fact that his party hates him and he is unable to promote the policies he believes in. 

A whole string of polls underlines the fact that Malcolm is the more popular leader but that the ALP has the more attractive policies.  Wouldn't it be good if we could have two elections - one for the Prime Minister and one for the policies.  With a raft of sensible and fair policies to promote, I'm sure Malcolm could become the statesman he yearns to be.  Maybe that's too much to expect and, perhaps the best solution we can hope for is that the Libs win the election and that Malcolm seizes the chance to ditch all the right-wing reactionaries who have hijacked the party, and install younger, forward-thinking ministers who can lead Australia intelligently.  I could help him with identifying who needs to go, starting with Abbott, Dutton, Abetz, Brandis and Morrison.  Thank goodness we've already lost Bronwyn.  As the Lord High Executioner said, she never will be missed.

Wednesday, May 25

We're being honorary grandparents at the moment, looking after Madeleine's half brothers who are having a sleepover with us.  Madi's baby is almost upon us and the doctor has tipped that this weekend will see it happen.  Everything is chaos at Madi's so the boys have been farmed out to take off a little pressure.  I'm quite happy to have them stay but someone has put the idea in their heads that I would like to be called Grampa.  Grampa!!  Do I need to start chewing tobacco and mangling my words?

This afternoon, we watched TinTin in 3D.  We've had the right equipment for a while but never got around to trying it out.  I have to say it is quite impressive.  So good, in fact, that we called in to Video City to hire another Bluray in 3D.  This one is called Tron and seems to be a waste of time. The kids like it.

We had our first sub-zero temperature overnight so the winter is upon us.  It seems to be only a few days since I was complaining about the endless summer and now I'm having to deal with frost in the morning.

It's just over 4 months until our big trip to the Philippines and I've started to look at getting an extended visa to cover the 65 days we'll be away.  Nera suggested that it might be just as economic to have a quick trip out of the country instead of buying the visa.  That's what the ex-pats do:  make a quick trip to Singapore every couple of months instead of going through the hassle of applying for a visa.

We've had a look and have decided we will fly to Bangkok where we can get accommodation through our timeshare.  The airfares are cheap and it's only a short flight.  I'm keen to see the bridge over the River Kwai but there is a lot to see in Thailand.  The highlight will be the last few days when we will take a long-distance train trip from Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur including a night trip in a sleeping compartment.  Trains have always been a passion and if will be good to see what they are like in Asia.

Saturday, May 22

One of questions on a TV quiz we were watching this week was, ' What was the hometown of the giant, Goliath?'  The answer is Gath, and my memory went straight back to an old rugby song which I haven't thought of for years.  To make sure I remembered it correctly, I looked it up, and here is a sanitised version:

Goliath of Gath, with hith helmet of brath,
Wath theated one day, upon the gween gwath,
When up jumped young David, a thervant of Thaul,
And thaid 'I will thmite thee, although I'm tho thmall.'

Young David then took thmooth thtoneth from the bwook
And fathioned a thing with pietheth of thtring.
He thkilfully thlung one and let the thtone fly
And caught old Goliath a thmack in the eye.

Goliath then thwore with might and with main,
'Blank blank blank blank blank' and 'blank blank' again.
He thwore till awound him the thky wath quite blue.
He thwore all the old oneth and made up thome new.

Then David thtepped up and dwew out hith thord
As Goliath gathped upon the gween thward.
He thtood on hith thoracth and cut off hith head,
And all Ithrael thouted 'Goliath ith dead.'

Sung to the tune of 'O worship the King' (Hanover).

Wednesday, May 18

Another thought-provoking Q & A the other night.  It was a breath of fresh air - broadcast from the Perth Writers Festival and politician-free.  There was a Muslim woman from the Netherlands who is calling for a Muslim reformation which would challenge the mediaeval beliefs of today's jihadists, but the real hero was Kate Tempest, a young woman from the UK, an articulate street poet who 'showed us old farts that we need to maintain the rage', as one tweeter commented.  In a discussion about diabolical regimes like Saudi Arabia she said that the real problem in the world today is the greed which is driving western society and called capitalist economies equally diabolical.  She commented,

'You talk about diabolical regimes where young people can't work, well, that's Britain.'

I wish I could reproduce 'Progress', the poem she recited but it's on Youtube. Instead, here are some excerpts:

• "They used to burn women who had epileptic fits, they'd tie you to a stake and they'd proclaim you a witch. Now they'll put you on the screen if you've got nice tits but you will be torn apart if you let yourself slip, and they'll draw red rings around your saggy bits."
• "The world is your playground, go and get your kicks as long as you're not poor or ugly or sick. We never saw it coming just like all the best tricks because, yes, once we had the fear but now we have the fix."

Sunday, May 15 (2)

Duncan's question on Q & A on Monday, or rather the heavy-handed responses from some of the panelists, attracted some comment.  Michael Bradley, a corporate lawyer, posted his article on Thursday.  He made some important points.

The 'tax break' on the purchase of a $6000 toaster which theoretically will allow a coffee shop owner to employ more staff is only a timing benefit.  She, in fact, will still write the same amount off her tax, only more quickly.  There is very little net benefit over time. It's a worry that the Assistant Treasurer even thought this was relevant to the particular question.

Second, trickle-down economic theory is a con.  The only reason that business owners employ more staff is if they will produce more profit.  His final comments were:

Wealth is now concentrated at the top to a greater extent than ever. Further, the International Monetary Fund found in a study last year that, as more money is pushed towards high income earners, economic growth actually slows down. The facts unarguably demonstrate that the theory of trickle-down economics is, as Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz describes it, "absolutely wrong".

It's this simple - if you give money to the rich, it makes them richer. The small part of that wealth which they choose to apply to discretionary spending adds vastly less to the economy than what it loses from the ever-increasing concentration of wealth. To put it another way: how much jobs and growth is created by one rich person paying another rich person $30 million for their harbourside house?

It seems strange that we're being sold the benefits of an entirely discredited theory by a party and Prime Minister who claim to be the experts at this economics stuff.

Duncan asked: "Why don't I get it?" The answer, Duncan, is that you're not supposed to. It's a private joke.

Sunday, May 15

I laughed this morning at a story on the radio.  Apparently. The UK has just launched a you-beaut, brand new, bright red, polar exploration ship.  Someone had the bright idea of asking the common people to suggest an appropriate name.  Votes would be collected and the most popular would become the name.

They should have known.  Suggestions included RSS Usain Boat and RSS Big Red Boat but the most popular name was RSS Boaty McBoatface.  Second choice was RSS It's Bloody Cold Here.  The unimaginative powers that be finally decided on RSS Sir David Attenborough which only came fifth.

It was the Model United Nations Assembly this weekend.  The level of debate was very high and it always impresses me how well the delegates expound the view of their countries even if they disagree with them.  One fellow this year, representing North Korea, showed just the right level paranoia as he berated the USA and the EU for their continuing sanctions against his country.

Friday, May 13

I found myself with a couple of labourers this morning to help me with chores around the garden.  Madeleine's two half-brothers have moved here from Magnetic Ísland and they have been becoming stir-crazy with no school and no friends to play with.  We volunteered to take them off their mother's hands for a few hours.

The plan was that they would start by picking up the branches which had been blown down during the big winds of the past few weeks but, before we could get started, we found a dead wallaby.  There was nothing for it but to dig a hole and bury the poor creature.  

I suppose we spent about an hour keeping busy but we soon got bored and went inside to watch a movie.  When they were settled, I got on with the mowing to take advantage of the first dry day since we've been back.

We have a busy weekend coming up with an inspection tomorrow of new premises for the Giant Steps Adult Program.  On Sunday, it's the annual Model United Nations Assembly when I take the role of President.  

Tuesday, May 10

We've come back to rain and it seems to be set in.  The ground is saturated and mowing is off the agenda for the time being.  It was Jamie's birthday today - lunch at Hogs Breath is a good way to celebrate.  

Q&A was a revelation last night.  The star was a battler from Geelong who questioned the ethics of giving tax cuts to people who earn over $80000 while people like him on the minimum wage get nothing.  The Minister for Small Business showed her insensitive side by waffling on about balance and economic direction without even acknowledging the struggles someone like Duncan deals with on a daily basis.  She compounded her lack of empathy by crowing about a Toorak coffee shop owner who has bought a $6000 toaster and can write off the tax in just 12 months.  Apparently, this will enable her to employ more people.  And pigs might fly. 

I was delighted to hear that someone had organised a crowd-funding effort to raise $6000 to buy Duncan a gold-plated toaster too.  In fact they raised $10000 in a few hours.  

The other foot-in-the-mouth guest was someone from the Industry Council who sneered at Duncan, saying, 'Well, if you're on the minimum wage, you wouldn't pay much tax anyway.'  Duncan's reply was, ' I pay tax every time I go to the supermarket or get in my car.'

The best question of the night came from a well-spoken woman who queried why the government sticks with the totally-discredited trickle-down economic theory, and continually spouts the rubbish that giving concessions to the wealthy encourages more employment.  All the evidence is that the only outcome of pandering to the wealthy is that the gap between rich and poor is widening.  Is that the sort of world we want to live in?

Sunday, May 8

We were up early yesterday as we had been invited to watch Gavin's kids playing with their various sporting teams.  We started with Austin at U6 soccer.  What a hoot!  They play 4 a side on a tiny pitch so that everyone gets a chance to kick the ball.  Of course, the kids are just starting to get the idea and, when they start to show some skill, they are graded up to another level.  The whole idea is participation rather than racking up a huge score.  

We then moved on to Netball  with Austin's three sisters. The courts were built in the 70's in a bushy area and they are still surrounded by trees. In the past 40 years, houses have encroached closer and closer and the residents constantly whinge about the huge amount of traffic each weekend. There are 25 courts in the complex and 5 or 6 games were played on each so the number of kids and their extended families certainly added up. It's the highlight of the weekend for many and the barbecue and coffee van were doing a roaring trade.

In the evening, we all gathered at Gavin and Bridget's for a family dinner - 8 adults and 6 kids.  Quite different to our rather quiet life in Tasmania.  We finished the Sydney break with Mothers' Day breakfast with Anne and Alan in a nice restaurant in North Turramurra. Now we're on the Virgin flight back to Launceston where we'll spend the next few days recovering from our holiday.

Friday, May 6

Disembarkation from the ship yesterday was the usual slick operation.  It always amazes me how competently 2500 passengers and their luggage can be off-loaded while another section of the crew goes about their business of giving them breakfast.  We were on the dock by 9.30 and the signs were already up welcoming the new bright-eyed bunch looking forward to their cruise to New Caledonia.  The work of a cruise ship never ceases.

Our first stop in Sydney was Town Hall as Marilyn needed a new cord for her iPad.  The one that came with the machine was clearly a cheapie from China which you can buy for 99c.  The genuine article which I found in Myer was $29 so I would expect it to be a little better quality.  We weren't in a hurry so I took the chance for a haircut, then we caught the train to Turramurra where we will have a couple of days with Anne and Alan.

Marilyn is off this morning to visit her nieces' school where they are having a Mother's Day service.

Wednesday, May 4

As expected the choir performance was a triumph.  The Vista Lounge was packed. I don't know what they expected but whatever we did, they seemed to enjoy it.  There was another cocktail party in the evening, this time to say farewell.  They're very generous and there was plenty of drinks and hors d'oeuvres.  We'd just finished dinner so it was all a bit wasted.

We squeezed in a couple of shows.  The first was Danny McMaster who did impressions of famous people.  It was a last-minute arrangement because the magician who was supposed to perform was indisposed.  I wish I has been able to write that the magician had disappeared but that would not have been true.  Anyway, Danny was good.  His Sean Connery was terrific but  there was too much Dean Martin and a couple of too-rude jokes involving kiwis and sheep.

From there, we hurried to the Princess Theatre to see Mr and Mrs Smith.  We've seen them before.  Simone plays the violin and sings. and Colin plays piano and guitar and makes faces.  There's a touch of desperation about the act although lots of people loved it.  Marilyn took an instant dislike to Simone who tried too hard to play the Aussie country girl with appropriate accent.  No doubt they were talented but it was a bit too frenetic for my taste.  

We're into the last day on the ship and we'll need to think about packing.

Tuesday, May 3

Marilyn's card refused to open the cabin door so she popped down to the purser's desk to have it replaced.  No problem ... 5 minutes it was done.  Later, though, another passenger commented, 'are you sure you have the right card?  It's got Mr Gary King's name on it'.  Sure enough, she was travelling under a false name.  My worry was that Mr Gary King might have Marilyn's card and be in the casino with it.

Back to the desk where they scratched their heads and fixed it.  They also assured us that there had been no charges on the card that day.

In a quiet moment, I switched on the TV and found a movie called Unbroken.  It looked alright and was about bomber pilots in WW2.  But, within minutes, they had crashed into the sea and taken to a life-raft.  I should have known ... another survival movie!  I gave it up, but was told that it got worse when they were rescued by a Japanese ship and ended up in a POW camp, where their whole life was about survival.

Before lunch today we had a Cooking demonstration by the Executive Chef and Maitre de, both Italian.  Each of them first sailed on the Pacific Princess, the original Love Boat. The food was exquisite and was followed by a wander through the galley.  I think half the complement of passengers took part.

We're waiting for the last rehearsal of the Pop Choir to start and in two hours time we have the Grand Performance.  There are 50 of us and I intend to hide in the background and not be noticed.  

The ship is a few hundred kilometres south of Willis Island so we'll be passing Brisbane soon; one more day at sea then disembarkation in Sydney on Thursday morning.

Monday, May 2nd (2)

At lunch today our waiter was Clive from India.  I wonder if he is named after Robert Clive who became famous for killing any Indians who objected to British rule.  At the next table is Mark from Mindanao in the Philippines who is looking forward to voting for   Duterte in the forthcoming Philippines election.  Duterte is like a Filipino Donald Trump but voting is very tribal there so he will pick up the votes from Mindanao.  Our waiter in the dining room is Seri from Thailand who wears horn-rimmed glasses and reminds me of my friend Brian from Cambridge.

Our Choir Director is Victoria from Canada who is an absolute delight.  The Cruise Director is Billy London, one of the old-time variety performers which England churns out in the thousands.  Others on the entertainment staff include Robbie from Brazil and Oskar from Serbia.  Jase is another Englishmam who spends 6 months of the year on cruise ships and 6 months leading expeditions to every corner of the earth.  He loves to talk about his exploits and had the cheek to put a baby photo of himself in a trivia quiz as a Who Am I? The assistant cruise director is Andrew from Canada but very forgettable.

We were talking to one of the wine waiters the other day.  It was his son's birthday and Dad is proud of the fact that he will be going on to University, the first member of the family ever to do so.  All paid for by Dad's earnings and tips on cruise ships.

Monday, May 2

I woke up during the night with a vivid dream in my mind.  I dreamt I had been reading an article in The Australian and the words of the article are imprinted on my brain.

The camera pans slowly across two boxes.  One box says to the other, 'We're both white.' He was right, they are in fact, white, against a background of Stygian black ....

Clearly, my subconscious leads a much more interesting life than my conscious mind.  I suspect the reason for my weird dream is that  my meal last night included French Onion Soup, Hungarian Goulash, Duck a L'Orange and Apple Strudel and Custard.  Not my usual diet.

The ship is moving a little this morning, just enough to encourage me to stay in bed and be rocked back to sleep.  I was up early to get us both cup of morning and a muffin.  Now Marilyn has put on a load of washing and gone up the gym to use the treadmill.  There's nothing on the program until Trivia at 10.15 so there's time for a leisurely breakfast.

Sunday, May 1st

I've always thought of the Solomon Islands as a hotbed of crime and tribal violence.  I remember how Australia was asked to provide a police presence years ago and I think that was wound up only recently.  To look at it from the ship, it looks like just another peaceful tropical paradise and the people who have gone ashore say that they felt very comfortable and the natives are very friendly.  

We stayed on the ship again and have avoided the silly games arranged to entertain us: Crazy Golf, etc.  we also avoided the movie, Everest. Whoever chooses the movies just loves survival films.  Starting with 33 miners buried underground in Chile, to Leonardo de Caprio in the Oregon Wilderness, and Matt Damon marooned on Mars, the idea of fighting through an avalanche on Everest was just too much.  Survival to us includes the 24-hour buffet and the two-for-one drinks in the Wheelhouse  Bar.

We went to the captain's cocktail party last night and watched the passengers who have travelled the most receive their accolades from the company.  The most was about 750 nights, but there were others who have spent well over 500 on Princess ships.  We're up to 175 in ten years so we have a long way to go.

Last night we saw a huge group photo being taken in the atrium and were told they were members of the 8th Field Ambulance Brigade.  By their age, they looked like Vietnam vets.  This morning, Trivia was moved to another venue so the Vista Lounge could be used for a rehearsal space for a large group of musicians travelling together.  They've promised to do a concert before the cruise is over.  Maybe, they'll be the support group for our choir performance.