On the departure of John Howard, and why I'm glad he's gone.

No, it's not because I'm a “Howard-hater”. Well, not just. I do, in fact, despise Howard and what he stands (stood) for, but it is not some blind irrational Stalinist groupthink, despite what the very term ‘Howard-hater’ implies. No, I hate him for very definite and concrete reasons, based on his actions and inactions. The various reasons why I hate Howard, however, are so varied that it's not possible to summarise them in one pithy “because he's X”. It needs an essay.


( Here is that essay. )

And there's more, but I grow weary. And I think you get the point.

I'm glad that Howard has gone. I'm glad he lost the election, I'm glad he lost his seat. On the night, as he conceded, I felt a little sorry for the old man, so thoroughly and universally rejected.

Then I remembered everything above. And I remembered why I hate John Howard, and why I'm glad he's gone.


Now it's up to Kevin, and Julia, and me, and you, and everyone in this goddamned country, to pick up the pieces and put back a decent, caring, civil society.
To do something about Climate Change, before it gets worse.
To do something about helping the Aboriginals feel like part of this country, rather than subjects of it.
To return a crime to being a crime, and not some symptom of how those {Sudanese/Muslims/Lebanese/Asians/Dagos/Catholics/Unionists} are all violent alien monsters, just waiting to rape our women and impose horrible laws upon us decent WASPs.
To tell George that he is wrong, and stop enabling the sad stupid fuck and his gang of psychopaths.
To finally build all those things which have been put off and left to rot for eleven years.
To fix all the holes where the government has attacked its own people for not wanting what Howard wanted.

To be able, once again, to walk the streets of any country with an Australian flag, and be proud of it.