Well may we say it’s not PC
I AM not surprised to see Geoff
Dillons rise to the bait on political correctness on February 9.
He has missed the point of the letter completely and his letter is the example I was trying to illustrate about people who use the term.
They use it on those they term “perpetual whingers” another euphemism for “shut up your opinion does not count”.
It is politically correct to care for a sustainable environmental legacy for our grandkids.
Grazing land is mainly Crown Land owned by the State on behalf of all Queenslanders.
Everyone’s opinion counts here and science is the road map. Everyone over 18 can vote.
We are taught science at school for this very reason. Hence the reference to grazing in my letter.
Governments are supposed to govern for the people not just the vested interests of the wealthy or powerful or those that own or lease land.
Now, about the sidetrack into Whitlam.
The Whitlam Government may have cared more about reform than economic management but the 100 acts of Parliament it introduced in its first few months in office created the open tolerant society we have today.
White Australia, the cultural cringe, education only for the wealthiest, tariffs, women’s unequal workplace treatment and health care were all changed irreversibly by this government.
The Whitlam government did not send Australia broke.
It was a responsible government that ran surpluses, apart from a modest deficit in 1975-76 – all this during the worst oil crisis in history.
When Fraser took over, net government debt was negative.
This government was undone (as we are finding out today) (apologies for the grammar) after Governorgeneral Kerr colluded with a High Court judge and in dealings with Fraser and perhaps with the full knowledge of the Queen.
Whitlam was extracting us from the mire of the Vietnam War.
Who knows what strings were pulled.
I had just started my first university work experience job at this time and witnessed conversations between businessmen that amounted to a strike of capital once he was elected.
Business vested interest hated Gough with a passion.
To the more ignorant of these men (they are predominantly men) he was a “Commie”. If you voted Labor you were a “Commie”. If you were against the Vietnam War you were a “Communist Sympathiser”.
The right of politics has always been into denigration of other people’s opinions in this country.
I agree that HECS is a better system.
The drop out rates of my generation with no fees was wasteful.
HECS was another Labor reform. By the way, my sister has pointed out to me that Commonwealth Scholarships for less wealthy students were a Menzies initiative.
Menzies wanted everyone to own a home too.
There seems to be a change of emphasis there, given the inaction on today’s now exploding housing bubble by negative-gearing cheerleaders with five houses each. Parliamentarians.
The term political correctness is used primarily by Conservatives to denigrate and intimidate progressive minority and sometimes majority opinion.
Witness gay marriage. It was too PC to even put to parliament according to the man who uses the term most
(Tony Abbott).
Next time someone uses it in front of you please laugh inside.
Laughing aloud would be offensive and not PC. QED. GLENN WHITE, Kelso.