Bannerman and his squeeze have returned! The wilds of Queensland’s Granite Belt were delightful…..for the first five days. Then came Boxing Day and the clammering hordes from coastal and interstate suburbia.
And what news has occurred over the last ten days! Saddam Hussein dropped through the gallow’s floor in Baghdad; The Poms facing an almost inevitable whitewash in the Ashes series……not too dissimilar to Saddam’s fate in B-man’s opinion; Little Johnnie announcing that Australians WILL get used to the idea of nuclear power, thanks to the Ziggy Report we’ve all paid for; Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath have retired *YAWN* ; and yet again, Little Johnnie Howler wades into State politics by stating the bleeding obvious in regard to the Mulrunji review. Let the Bannerman acquaint you all with his view on each:
- Saddam Hussein – the word comeuppance comes to mind. As does the old sage “He who lives by the sword, dies by the…” …rope doesn’t quite do it, no? Still, all things come to those who wait. It’s unfortunate, to put it mildly, that George W. Bush couldn’t wait. Bannerman notes that more Americans have now been sacrificed to the neo-con self-righteous crusade commanded by some God or other, than the number of souls who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. Of course, we all know, do we not, that no connection between the illegal Iraq invasion and the so-called ‘9–11’ exists. A number of emotions flowed through the B-man upon hearing the news of Saddam’s demise. Distaste and mild disgust among them, and Bannerman is an ardent advocate of capital punishment where it is warranted. The sentiments engendered by this event are probably best put into words by this individual. Bannerman finds the waving of the Iraqi flag, created by Saddam Hussein, by Shi’ite revellers to be the heights of irony.
- Ashes Whitewash – well, is this another case of just desserts? Anyway, it’s on home ground so really, how much of a victory is this really? The Poms just didn’t have their fecal matter in one lump to begin with, and the split between coach and captain hasn’t helped their cause any either. Bannerman always finds these ebbs and flows to be par for the course in practically any sporting endeavour where stars rise, shine brightly, then fade away or go nova as Warne and McGrath are doing. Australia found the same things happening when Lilley, ChappellG and Marsh retired in the seventies. Rebuilding will become du rigour for Australian cricket, which to be perfectly honest, has sat on it’s laurels insofar as test cricket goes for far too long. One simply cannot be numero uno forever.
- Nuclear Power for Oz – in brief, let the Bannerman simply say…….it’ll never happen. This business of Little Johnnie Howler’s indulgence with nuclear energy because his best mate ‘Dubya’ wants Oz on board the global nuclear energy partnership, is little more than a furphy. A wedge he can use against Labor and the Labor states. Naturally, and politically of course, the NIMBY syndrome is going to raise it’s head. It already has if what Bannerman heard on the ABC wireless while sojourning in the wilderness is any indication. The people don’t want it. Of course, if Little Johnnie chooses to legislate for it, as he has the power to do both through the Parliament and the Corporations Powers, then, as he so succinctly states, Australians will come to accept it. We’ll not have any choice. This is an important issue from so many aspects. Bannerman hopes that people get behind their affront, and support their opinions not to accept a governmental carte blanche. Nuclear power is NOT clean and green, as LJH is now so fond of repeating. Nor is it cheap. Between 20% and 50% more costly depending on your assessment angle, than treated coal options and renewables is not acceptable to this Hyperidian. Bannerman notes that the U.S. – one of nuclear energy’s most ardent proponents – still generates two-thirds more of it’s total power requirements through coal, than through nuclear. Why is it so, as Julius Sumner-Miller once asked? The answer is quite simply, cost per kilowatt hour.
- Warne and McGrath retiring – how bloody exciting!
- LJH making waves over Mulrunji – Were this an interjection by anyone else, Bannerman would be reiterating #4. However, it’s not anyone else. It’s the master of unceremonious interjections himself. Of course, it’s a completely unnecessary interjection by a Prime Minister into a purely State affair, but isn’t it strange, reader? Have you noticed how, in 2006 more than any other year, John Howard has chosen to impose his viewpoint on an increasing number of States-only issues through the media? The man has an opinion on everything, and we, his dutiful subjects, are made to avail of them more and more often courtesy of a media enclave which panders continually after his largesse. Hopefully, in 2007, this will cease.
2006 is rapidly coming to an end, reader. Bannerman has only just returned to the fray of opinionised writing and you know what? He’s enjoying it this time around. Immensely so. The site is plain and unassuming, as is the writing. Bannerman cares only for the writing. He cares not for the opinions of others, although those are always welcome. What is writing in the ether if not an exchange of ideals?
Tomorrow is a new year. Tomorrow is an election year for we Aussies. A year so eagerly awaited since the failures and debacles of 2004. As Kevin Rudd so clearly elucidated 4th December 2006, “it’s time to restore the balance, it’s time to reclaim the centre ground.” Therein lies the resolution for all Australians this coming twelve months, in the B-man’s opinion. If you’re left of centre or right of centre politically, consider the centre view. None of us, including your Bannerman, will ever likely be true centrists, but wouldn’t it be a nice place if more of us visited it, from time to time?
Happy New Year!