G�day. I�ve just made a big change in my life � from August 14 I�ll be self employed. Under a package negotiated with Fairfax, I�m contracted to run Webdiary for three years and am free to write for whoever I like bar News Limited (as if!). I�m also independent, and can speak to groups without permission from my former employer. I�ve now done my grieving at leaving the organisation I�ve been in love with for decades, and as a child of working class parents am working through my fears of being destitute. Once my accountant�s been through all the issues and I�ve worked out how to survive as a self-employed person, I�m bound to be a better writer, as until now I�ve always had the security of permanent employment. I�ll move back to Canberra next month and maintain my press gallery pass, so it�s a case of in, out and in again. I�m trusting Webdiarists to stop me getting too insider again, a complaint that has gradually died out since I�ve been in Sydney for the last three years.

 

My book Not Happy John is selling well � the first run of 10,000 has sold out and another 9,000 have been reprinted. The book�s website nothappyjohn is going great guns, with wild new ideas to help defend our democracy. For a doozy of an example, see HOT ‘DIGGER’S OATH’ IDEA TO DEFEAT HOWARD IN BENNELONG.

If you live in Sydney and feel like some grassroots politics this Saturday, I�ll be chatting with the former federal Liberal Party President turned anti-war activist John Valder in the Blue Mountains. The event is at the Springwood Civic Centre from 2pm, when John will announce how he plans to do his pre-election activism.

In the run up to the election, I�d like to focus on what citizens are doing rather than on the maneuvres of the pollies, and am looking for reader profiles of the seats they live in and what citizens are doing to make a difference.

Before your direct actions, there�s some great stuff going on to make the media accountable for their errors in the lead up to the Iraq war, and the false claims of some mainstream media that they�re working for you, the reader, rather than for their owner�s corporate agendas. Harry Heidelberg recommends Petition for initiation of complaint against Fox News Network for deceptive practices, where moveon has petitioned the Federal Trade Commission to take legal action against Murdoch�s Fox Network for deceptive advertising by promoting itself as the �fair and balanced� network. And see details of the moveon-inspired Outfoxed movie, which �provides an in-depth look at Fox News and the dangers of ever-enlarging corporations taking control of the public’s right to know�. The Not Happy John Website is pulling together a mailing list of readers who we hope will help the site morph into an Australian version of moveon to help defend our democracy.

Antony Loewenstein recommends the media matters announcement of how it’s going activist.

John Bennett recommends The lies of the press, where George Monbiot argues that newspapers too must also be held to account for the invasion of Iraq. The New York Times, after apologising for its false �reporting� of deeply compromised claims of Iraq�s WMDs by journalist Judith Miller (see Sleeping lies dogging the media over Iraq) has issued another mea culpa at ‘NY Times’ Admits ‘Mistakes’ in Iraq War Editorials.

The New York Times has proved itself a great newspaper with these actions: don�t expect to see anything like them, or anything at all in the way of accountability to readers from Murdoch�s war machine papers here.

Ian McPherson recommends “Be it resolved that…What has been accomplished? by Col. Dan Smith on the state of world democracy, which Ian reckons �sort of sums it up�.

Tony Kevin has written a great piece on his website arguing that “Labor’s decisions over the next 17 days will decide the election”, particularly on whether to pas the Free Trade Agreement with the US. The Yanks love it,which means we’ve been dudded, as usual. Tony writes:

“Mark Latham will win or lose the Prime Ministership of Australia on the basis of two decisions Labor will have to take � if it has not taken them already � between now and 6 August. This will be the end of what will probably be the first and last federal parliamentary sitting week, before Howard calls the election for – I will punt – Saturday 18 September, six weeks later.

The key decisions now confronting Latham and his Caucus are:

1. Whether the Australian Senate should pass laws agreeing to the US FTA as passed by John Howard and now the US Congress, or should call for a different policy: a break for consultations and rethinking, and then resuming talks with US after both countries have got their elections out of the way?.

2. Whether to use the release of the forthcoming Senate Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee Report into the Bali bombings (FADC reference: Security Threats to Australians in South-east Asia) to put the responsibility for serious government negligence of our citizens� safety of life overseas where it properly belongs � with the Australian Foreign Minister and, in terms of command responsibility, with this Prime Minister…”

I’m launching Tony’s book A certain maritime incident – the sinking of SIEV-X at Gleebooks in Sydney at 6pm on August 6.

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YOUR MOVES

Tim and Anna-Maria Stephens in Haberfield, Sydney

Hi Margo. Please see below our e-mail to Minister Downer today concerning Australia�s vote in the UN General Assembly on the West Bank wall. This one has really slipped under the radar. Why, we can all ask, was there no public debate about this? (July 27, Margo: I have removed my response to this question after extreme sloppiness in my use of language caused offence to many readers.)

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Dear Minister,

AUSTRALIA�S VOTE IN THE UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY ON THE WEST BANK SECURITY BARRIER

We were shocked to hear that Australia voted against the UN General Assembly Resolution passed today calling upon Israel to comply with the Advisory Opinion issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on 9 July 2004 which declared the construction of a separation barrier in and around the West Bank to be illegal. Australia was one of only six nations to vote against the resolution (along with Israel, Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, Palau and the United States). The resolution was adopted with an overwhelming vote in favour (150 to six, with only ten abstentions).

As you will be aware, you have today authored a radical shift in Australian foreign policy. Although in the past Australia has supported Assembly and Security Council resolutions calling upon Israel to comply with international law, the Australian Government now appears to take the view that our vote in the political organs of the United Nations must always follow that of the United States regardless of the merits of the Resolution under consideration. In addition, when coupled with the unprecedented submission by Australia to the ICJ in relation to its Advisory Opinion on the Legal Consequences of the Construction of a Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, it appears that Australia no longer recognises the authority or legitimacy of the ICJ as the principal judicial organ of the United Nations.

In its Advisory Opinion, the ICJ called upon all states �not to recognise the illegal situation resulting from the construction of the wall in the occupied Palestinian territory, including in and around East Jerusalem� and �not to render aid or assistance in maintaining the situation created by such construction.� (Advisory Opinion, Paragraph 159). Australia has now acted clearly and deliberately in contravention of this duty. It has recognised the illegal situation resulting from the construction of the wall, and has assisted Israel in its continued breach of the laws and customs of war.

Like the ICJ, we support Israel�s right to security, but this right must be pursued in accordance with international law. As the ICJ Advisory Opinion made clear, there is nothing stopping Israel building the barrier, so long as it does not traverse occupied territories.

Your government�s foreign policy decision today is full of profound implications for Australia, yet it is one which has occurred without the benefit of any public or Parliamentary debate in Australia. We are writing to you to seek an explanation as to why Australia decided to exercise its vote in the Assembly today in this way and why it was done, in effect, secretly. We are tremendously disturbed that the Howard Government could make such a momentous, and potentially dangerous, foreign policy decision in this fashion.

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James Graham in Canberra

Hi Margo. Here’s an email I just sent to my local federal member, Bob McMullan, Labor. I�m 30, a 6th generation Aussie of Anglo-Celtic descent and a tertiary educated IT worker.

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Hi Bob

I�m one of your constituents in Belconnen and I�ve voted Liberal federally 3 times in a row. I will probably vote Labor at the next federal election. Why? Because I disagree with �our� association with the �pre-emptive� invasion of Iraq. I believe much harm has been caused it (both the act itself and the actions taken beforehand).

In my opinion the morality of an action depends on the motivation behind it. The reasons behind the invasion of Iraq were not moral in my opinion. I have been absorbing information and opinions on it for many, many months and believe I have arrived at my final stance.

Bob, I believe the Labor party has not done well in countering the Howard government�s line on this matter. I believe you could make very damaging arguments to counter theirs and yet I don�t see them. They are unquestionably defending an invasion on weak premises in my opinion. I believe extremism breeds extremism and invading Iraq has arguably made the moderate Muslim more likely to be a fanatic – and where there’s a will there’s a way.

At the end of the day I appreciate this is only one issue out of a myriad of them (taxes, welfare, health, etc) well it�s the one that�s probably turned my vote. There�s a vox pop for ya Bob, make of it what you will.

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Greg Neill in Brisbane

Margo, a small sentence by Michael Riggall in Liars for Howard in relation to a lack of communication from his local ALP member Wayne Swan made me realise I am not alone. I have written about three times to my local ALP member, Kevin Rudd seeking information on contacts for the Brisbane Airport Consultative Committee and Mr Rudd�s submission on our behalf on the master plan, due December 2003. I advised him that his web site had not been updated in relation to matters on the airport since June 2002. I have not received a reply.

I wrote more recently complaining about the quality of service from his electoral office and asking that I receive a personally signed letter from Mr Rudd so that I could ensure that he was aware of my complaint. No reply or acknowledgment after 3 months. I recently sent an email to Mr Rudd at his Parliament House address with a copy to his leader, Mr Latham, expressing my concern at his lack of service to his constituents (his employers) hoping that the new leader might pull him into line. After 3 or more weeks not a word from either office.

This is not a democracy if the electors cannot communicate with their elected representatives.

I am hoping that we will have a choice of more than two candidates in Griffith electorate. Just about any candidate would better than our current options, a shame because I think that Mr Rudd would be a good Foreign Affairs Minister, but I need a representative that will respond to my concerns.

As Michael says in his closing sentence we need to keep the bastards on their toes. If that means voting completely out of the square of the current duopoly so be it.

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Alice Booker

Thank you for providing such a forum as Webdiary. The quality content has left me feeling mentally stimulated and with heartfelt hope. Although once in my youth I handed out how to vote cards for the Liberals (oh the shame now) and I have voted for the Democrats and Greens in the past (I sound a political tart) I now desperately hope Mark Latham will win the coming election, because I feel so much disquiet at John Howard’s erosion of our values.

My kids, young tertiary educated adults, were until recent years, mostly apolitical. They and most of their friends returned from abroad loathing the John Howard government. Explanation: as young backpacking Australians, the warm welcome they were accustomed to as ‘Aussies’ had turned to having defend their nationality through John Howard’s alignment with the Bush government.