Ahoy....

G’day Possums,
The old truisms that travel broadens the mind and history repeats itself became apparent t’other day when reviewing photographs from the trip and was reminded how delightful the sculptures of Honore’ Daumier in the d’Orsay were and just how little things have progressed since Daumier visually excoriated these blundering pollies and legals in the magazine “La Caricature” and got himself six months jail for his efforts.

Hmmm... shades of the recent Oz legislation to incarcerate nurses, doctors and social workers who attempt to
inform the public of the reality of conditions in our refugee concentration camps.


“Our zeal works wonders, whenever it supports our inclination toward hatred, cruelty, ambition.” (Michel de Montaigne)

What surprised me most about these sculptures, apart from their delicious handling was just how much they looked like members our present ruling rabble, so it is with a little bit of malicious humour I present....

Senator Eric Abetz by Daumier

How many things served us yesterday for articles of faith, which today are fables for us?”

Jeff "Foot-in-Mouth" Kennett

“No man is exempt from saying silly things; the mischief is to say them deliberately.”

Senator Cory "Bestiality" Bernardi

“It is putting a very high price on one's conjectures to have someone roasted alive on their account.”

Senator MacDonald

“We are all blockheads.”

"Reboxetine" Robb

“We should tend our freedom wisely.”   (Michel de Montaigne)

 .......and it’s all Wombat Droppings,
the chronicle of Oz’s slide from egalitarianism into Fascism.

The rust-bucket SS Liarbril is still floating... and although there seems to have been some improvement in it not sinking as quickly, its passage is still a confusingly circuitous one.

Captain Rabid-the-Hun faced mutiny in the officers mess when he  had  his Parrot “Dodo” Dutton attempt  a promulgation that not only passengers with dual nationality status but also single state Orstryans be stripped of their nationality if they had holidayed in places the Liarbrils don't like.
This was immediately followed by a leak so monumental in detail as to make Rabid-the-Hun’s captaincy look as weak as it actually is and officer solidarity non-existent.

The innumerate Bursar on SS Liarbril, “Eleventy-Toyota/Cereal-Killer” Hockey had earlier in that week’s voyage, been slapped down by Captain Rabid for suggesting that women’s sanitary goods be freed from the GST. “I’ll have no bleeding Hearts or whatever on my ship,” he fumed and then avoiding reality, found a photo-op cuddling a child just after foreclosing another Women’s Refuge. These Bligh-like autocratic tendencies just might backfire if the growing push over his own dual citizenship gets greater publicity and as Rabid is a poor “Off-the-Cuff” performer, throwing him overboard is still an option for a crew that is looking and sounding less than chuffed at how they’re sailing.

It was interesting to note on return to Oz just how much more critical the press seems, almost as if the they are sick of reporting the repeated same old three word slogans as it becomes more obvious that this is really an incompetent rabble or .....it could still be the West to East jet lag they are suffering from, too.

Apart from stripping Orstrayans of their nationality, if you want an Arts Grant you have to apply direct to “Bookshelves” Brandis whose taste in all things looks greater than the Sun King’s derriere and for a medical prescription, Sussan “Bimbo” Ley will decide how much more you’ll pay, while Chwissie “the-Whyne-and-Perfect-Prat-of-a-Prefect” Pyne will organise a maths course for you. (Pity that he couldn’t enroll "Eleventy” Hockey for a arithmetic refresher).
We wont bang on about Officer “Hayseed” Joyce interfering in a private legal matter or “Bestiality” Bernardi making a mess of Halal products or Captain Rabid retreating from the gales presented by the mining lobby or the whole rabble’s childish retreat from a Private Members Bill on marriage equality or questions in Parliament being ruled out of order before they are uttered by the psychic (should that be psychotic?) Speaker “Pompador” Bishop ...it’s just good to be back in this still nearly lucky country...

.
Hoo-roo Petals

Shane.


PS and one of BH in a rainy  Battersea Park a couple of weeks ago....

...and the bloke with all the quotes...Michel de Montaigne