August 28, 2004

Australian Spam John Howard's government has banned commercial spam. Political spam is OK, but then the idiot hires a commercial company to spam the whole of the Australian electorate. Oh yes, the commercial spammer is his son.

Also, a timeless quote from the man who is possibly the biggest arsehole currently in Australian politics:

I'm very proud of the fact that my son has started a small business. He's in his 20s and I get a real buzz out of the fact that he's prepared to have a go in a small business, that's what the future of this country is all about
Got a big business idea, sport? Forget it - small business is the future of the anitpodes.
posted by Skrik 20 years ago
  • So it isn't just the U.S. after all, you get one, too!
  • Yeah, from everything I've heard (and in the US it's never very much unless it has something to do with "US interests") Howard sounds likes Oz's answer to GWB. I was surprised when I found out just how close the election may be- at least the last I heard. Does that mean that the Aussies are as dimwitted as the US public when it comes to disastrous politicians they elect?
  • What a mendacious pus-bag he is. Although it's looking like he'll be voted out next time, I won't believe he's gone until I see the stake go through his black black heart. *crosses fingers, throws salt over left shoulder*
  • So, Wolof, is Australia's role in Iraq really a major issue, or is that just the typical U.S. take on it?
  • australian-election-filter! (anything for a break from that other one :)
  • Got a big business idea, sport? Forget it - small business is the future of the anitpodes. Not all countries have economies based around the development of multinationals, and even those countries with a number of large multinationals usually have more people employed by small and medium enterprises.
  • *previous comment disappears into the ether*
  • This seems to be a reasonable and compact summary of the issues, although definitely written from my side of the fence.
  • The most amusing aspect of the forthcoming election: at the last election, Howard used claims that a bunch of would-be refugees chucked their babies and children overboard to die as part of his anti-immgrant, anti-refugee campaing that helped him in to power (this is the Tampa incident referred to in Wolof's link). Howard is believed to have called the election on this date to prevent a Senate inquiry from finishing, which is widely believed likely to find that Howard knew those claims were complete bullshit. The Senate announced they're prolonging their normal sitting schedule to make sure it's done before the election, anyway.
  • This is a pretty fair picture of what's going on, what's at stake etc., written with an American audience in mind.
  • Click, enjoy!
  • Heh. Fine links, all, Wolof, thanks. The second one is my pick o' the bunch, I think. Though the first one was highly informative, it lacked the quotes.