Embrace Reality - Letter for Letter

When 'change' isn't really 'change'

Like most of you, I have seen a lot of ad campaigns for the various Australian political parties of late. Well, to be fair, I have seen a lot of Labour ads at the moment and a handful of Liberal and Greens ads (interesting considering one of Labour's ads criticise the Liberal party for the amount of money they're supposedly spending on their campaign) ...

I've listened to Julia's cry of change and to be honest with you all, I'm not too sure what is actually going to change. What I think most of you have forgotten and what Julia has likewise turned from her mind, is the fact that she was, when Kevin Rudd was in power, the Deputy PM! She stood with him, by his side (until she was standing behind his back with something sharp in her hands) when he announced all his policies. Wayne Swan was the Treasurer and therefore responsible for the budget, and the mining tax etc. So why are Julia and Wayne removed from any responsibility for the terrible economic situation this Country now finds itself. 

Julia was Minister for Education - what about the Education portfolio has gone to plan? Do all children have laptops (as promised in the election), is the education web-site satisfying the Board of Education, are we all okay with the money wasted on the school building 'reforms'? If Julia can't handle her portfolios as Deputy PM - how is she going to handle running this Country?

Review the actual status of the economy since Labour has been in power - water has gone up dramatically, power and gas have gone up dramatically, rates, body corporates, petrol - do I have to go on?! Why are we letting them get away with this? Why aren't we listening to what has 'actually' happened, what have they done since the last election other then spend all our money and return us to an even worse financial position than the last time Labour were in power.

Don't let them scare you with 'WorkChoices' either - break it down into facts and don't let the notion itself turn you away. All I know, is that with WorkChoices I had a job, without WorkChoices, I am unemployed.

Julia isn't change - she was here the whole time Kevin Rudd was - she hasn't fixed anything, and she isn't changing anything. Their ads do not indicate what will change, they merely use scare tactics to trick us into not voting for the Liberal Party.

At least the Liberal Party have listed exactly what they will do if voted in - now that's change.

News Stories - word for word - it's liberating!

I listen to a lot of radio (one of my favourite ways to 'escape'), and watch a lot of television (another favourite), and have realised something - people hear what they want to hear, not what is actually being said!

I listen to people call up radio stations to enter competitions, comment on a segment, or even complain about a perceived injustice, and more often than not, I'm bemused by the error of their interpretations.

How does this happen, time and time again? Is it a conscious misdirection, or are we really confused by everyday conversations, news stories, celebrity gossip and radio jocks? Surely not!

It seems more likely that in the everyday white noise which has become our lives, only a handful of words are absorbed and the blanks are filled in with our own imaginings. This would explain the differing responses to the same news story, or the same radio competition, or even political debates.

So here I am - the newly self-appointed 'Literatim' of the BLOG world. Here I will set-out, word for word, the real intent/meaning behind the days' main news stories. I will try to make clear what others seem unable to do (oops, poor grammar moment). Now don't get me wrong, I do not hold myself out to be particularly knowledgeable on a current affairs. I do not know my lift wing from my right wing or the difference between the Greens and National Party (wait, is there a 'National Party'?). I could spend the rest of my days trying to understand the rules of Aussie Football, and how can football and soccer mean the same thing ...

No, my particular skill lies in the ability to hear a story or read an article and not tarnish it with my own views, but to read it word for word to discover what is really being reported. You'll see, it's liberating, and so so easy, once you block out all the chatter and focus on the 'black and white'.

If you have a story you'd like me to 'translate', feel free to email me with your suggestions at literatim@y7mail.com. Otherwise, leave it to me and we'll see where we end up ...