Ah, well, thanks for the explanation, and, given that politics is always a crude
practice, I wasn't aware that it was "cruder there," though it seems a bit of an
insult to 'toads' as it always does to the animals when they are compared to
such human propensities.
Best,
Rebecca
---- Original message ----
>Date: Sat, 20 Nov 2004 19:20:15 +1100
>From: Alison Croggon <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Re: UC Berkeley Research Team Sounds "Smoke Alarm" for Florida E-
Vote Count
>To: [log in to unmask]
>
>I guess the proper word is "toadies": those who abase themselves towards the
>powerful, in order to share some of that power. "Values" are a word pulled
>up when it's useful: Howard has been around for a long time - he was
>Treasurer to the Fraser Government in the 70s - and what he's interested in
>is power. And he's very good at it. A friend who was a lobbyist in
>Canberra told me once that it's very dangerous to underestimate Howard, even
>if he looks like a fool.
>
>The cynicism of Australian politics is bottomless, and it operates in that
>way in both major parties - at the moment the ALP is dropping all its
>principled stands (refugees, old growth forests, &c) because they don't
>appeal to the mortgage belt. Reminds me of the thing about being anchored
>to your principles: when the situation changes, you just pull up your
>anchor... Politics is cruder here, and so such things are more obvious: and
>it seems to make no difference at all. The fact is, it's not a new thing;
>it's been that way a long time.
>
>Best
>
>A
>
>On 20/11/04 6:35 PM, "REBECCA SEIFERLE" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
>> However, I don't get this about Australia? I would guess that it's the 'yes'
>> that
>> occurs among the like thinking who are able to continue in their own
thoughts
>> while conveniently reaping the economic benefits of so doing? I'm not sure I
>> agree that Australia is a group of 'yes men' , i.e., merely complicit in the
>> 'active
>> evil' of the US; isn't that how Howard and company actually think? You
suggest
>> that they're being bought out by the dollar, that plunging millstone, but I
>> think
>> there's a genuine agreement between the 'values' of the Howard government
>> and the Bush administration, which is more perplexing, admittedly.
>
>
>
>Alison Croggon
>
>Blog: http://theatrenotes.blogspot.com
>Editor, Masthead: http://masthead.net.au
>Home page: ht
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