Wake in Fright

Anguished Shane

G'day Possums,

The 1961 novel by Kenneth Cook, made into a film in 1971 and soon to be released as a TV series, "Wake in Fright," I think is a perfectly apt metaphor for the present state of the nation.

Reviewing the shambles of the ruling rabble's cobbled policy agenda it appears like outback paintings of Drysdale, Nolan or Pugh or as Cook writes: "The three buildings made up the township of Tiboonda. All were timber and iron, all built in the monotonous, low box form that characterizes western architecture; all were riddled with white ants and dry rot. They stood in the plain abjectly, as though they no longer made any serious claim to constitute a township."

Much like the "Two-Up" game where  John Grant, Wake in Fright's main character foolishly tries to win enough money to repay his outback teaching bond by betting all his 6 weeks holiday pay; a parliamentary attack on Labor by Foreign Minister Julie Bishop over foreign donations from Chinese supporters backfired badly when the opposition riposted with questions about an entity called the "Julie Bishop Glorious Foundation", set up by a wealthy Chinese supporter...."He turned, staring, and walked out of the building, out into the night, walking rigidly, transfixed by the magnitude of his loss."

Health Minister Greg Hunt, Assistant Treasurer Michael Sukkar and Human Services Minister Alan Tudge were all ordered to appear in the Victorian Supreme court "to make any submissions as to why they should not be referred for prosecution for contempt." After comments published in The Ugly American's rag "The Oz" claiming that the Vic. judiciary were handing down lighter sentences for terrorists as part of "ideological experiments" and that their leftist bias was calling the law into disrepute.

"The kangaroo had split open and trailed entrails for a dozen yards. Its body was so shattered that bones stood out from the skins every few inches white and glistening."

The brutality of the novels blood-lusted kangaroo hunt  bears real comparison to the open warfare this ruling rabble are waging incessantly on all sections of the judiciary in their rabid attempts to deflect any criticism of their born-to-rule actions. 

$90,000,000.00 compensation has just been paid out to refugees in concentration camps on Manus and Nauru rather than have class actions go to court; an admission of guilt that Dodo Dutton promptly but erroneously, blamed on Labor!

"Joe and Dick started off to look at the damage to the car, but Tyldon lingered, took out his own knife and neatly castrated the carcass."

The Vic Supreme court has yet to announce whether it will proceed with the contempt charges but if it doesn't, and accepts the stupid trio's "regretful words" then the rabble have won again in pushing back democracy and the rule of law.

Shades of Germany 1933.

"Three of the kangaroos were dead. One had its leg broken and looked at them with undisturbed eyes.

Joe smashed its head in with a branch he broke off a dead tree.

Grant was surprised that he did not feel particularly upset at the mass carnage. They were, after all, only kangaroos."

This excuse for a government, day by day, further loses the plot of what real governance means. And by adhering to their IPA masters free market script, clearly demonstrate not only their irrelevance as custodians of a "national interest" but also the fact that they are just a continuation of the historically self-centred ruling rabbles who have made lives miserable for millions in past centuries!

"Then he thought, almost aloud:

I can see quite clearly the ingenuity whereby a man may be made mean or great exactly by the same circumstances."

Hoo-roo Petals,

Shane

Wake in Fright: Kenneth Cook  (1929-1987) 1961, Published Penguin 1967-1973

..to the Fringe and other Border Farces

Shane on the Fringe

G’day Possums,

“The Fringe” 2015

This year there are 81 venues showing some 120 photographers works in this “Fringe” section of the Ballarat International Foto Biennale.

Whilst intending to see most of the shows on offer that may not be possible but I hope I’ll be able to provide a flavour of this years Biennale Fringe.

Julian Burnside AO, QC opening BIFB '15

A well attended first night of the Ballarat International Foto Biennale was opened by Julian Burnside AO QC who spoke elouently of the importance of the arts in a civilized society.
A refreshing aesthetic attitude in this Age of the Aspirational Bogan of “Bookshelves” Brandis.

So, on the first stroll through the Fringe we noted ….

Oli, Ahmad, John and Morganna- Unicorn Hotel

Some nice work in this venue, particularly the Still-Lives pictured.

Nice stuff too here from the Karden Disability Support Foundation in its “Snap-Flash” exhibition.

Arthur Creative Photo- Little Bird Café

Moorfoot in Police Lane

The BIFB director beneath some very under whelming work flapping in the breeze.

Leigh Lambert, Silver Light- Sebasstians

Melbourne Silver Mine Inc is always worth a look and I very much like the minimalism of Leigh lambert’s work.

Sandhya Porritt- The Ansonia

James Niven- The Ansonia

Spare and well seen.

Jan Wissfeld - Europa Café

Cool minimalism becoming painterly, and I suspect geared to the “tone” of the venue…successfully worked.

Eric Algra - Gallery on Sturt

Humanist observations of time working at the fabric of structure… fascinating

Tony Kearney Adelaide Photo Artists - The Lost Ones Gallery

Sandra Elms Adelaide Photo Artists - The Lost Ones Gallery

Always quality from the South Australians…downstairs…

Michelle Williams, Backspace Gallery

Lastly, work from these two, which I think more than rivals the quality of the “Core” program exhibits with some utterly brilliant printing quality and sensitivity to subject, medium and technique. Certainly the best of the first days veiwing.

Silvi Glattaeur, Backspace Gallery

Silvi Glattaeur, Backspace Gallery

A brave, dedicated recorder of work in a harsh climate and an ebullient guest in the "Core" program appropriately housed in Trades Hall.

Pang Xiangliang Trades Hall.

One interesting event to note is the Fringe Artist talks to the public… not quite what or why I made a very similar suggestion to the committee some four years ago but something in the right direction, none-the-less.

The criticisms again levelled at the program booklet design are depressingly similar to those made in the past; and to paraphrase Mr Burnside’s opening remarks……..it is a Winterhalter, not  a Monet!

1/ Having to “learn” how to navigate it.

2/ Odd hierarchy of fonts and sizes making reading difficult.

3/ Illogical venue numbering placements on map

4/ Constant back and forth referencing to find full info.

5/ Unhelpful to visitors when some venues do not even appear or are indicated on the map.

Wombat Droppings

Or Australia’s inexorable slide into Fascism

They must be good!  Greg “Sycophant” Sheridan from the Ugly American's rag said that both Bernie Sanders  and Jeremy Corbyn were "fruit cakes!"

But as they are both more popular with the young than other representatives from mainstream parties the prissy mincing criticism of them by “Sycophant” suggests the tide may be turning.

When a group like the CPA’s of the country, a mob not noted for their leftist leanings, accuse Anti-Treasurer, Joe “Eleventy” Hockey of “Rhetoric …and not providing solutions… only pre-election fiscal give-aways.” You sort of have proof that this ruling rabble is on the nose with more than just Bolshie Wombats. The same spokesman also added for emphasis, "...that  .It would be funny (not having any policy ideas ) only if it wasn't so tragic.”

It seems that with forecasting tax cuts in the time honoured Liarbril manner of bribing the electorate we can safely assume that the “Budget Emergency “ is over….

Dessicated Cadaver, Dyson Heydon is earning around $12,400.00 per day deciding whether or not he is biased.  It has, so far, taken him two weeks to not come to a decision on this matter which might suggest that there are some in the legal fraternity who value their integrity and good name enough not to be sullied by association with Rabid-the-Hun’s political witch-hunt.

One way to stop the RC is for the targeted "accused" not to turn up, claiming bias!

Rabid-the-Hun has used these RC's like the Popes used the threat and or the implementation of interdict. 

They have become so abused as to have has lost all meaning.

I think that Rabid-the-Hun in his vindictive and bullying soul has admitted unwittingly that he wants to destroy the Labor Party but with the admission  he has cruelled his own pitch of his vicious and unreflectively anal  political pugilism.

Then in Melbourne we had the Border Farce Follies.  A show so ineptly managed in showing off their $10,000,000.00 worth of black uniforms that the fascist thugs called it off because they were made to look foolish on “twitter.”

Right-Wing pundits like Brendan “Tosser” O’Neil instead railed against the social media rather  than discussing the real threat to democracy implied by this sort of police action. 

It is a re-run of Germany 1936

Will Rabid-the-Hun or Dodo Dutton have heads roll over the Border Farce Follies or will they just send in faithful Handy Andy to slash a few wrists?

These mongrels are so bereft of productive ideas that Keating's "Banana Republic" is being realised before our eyes.

I found another reason to dislike Peter Fitzsimon's work!  His press club address was all about the fascists setting themselves up as "real" Republican's....The republic debate is F####D before it even starts with “Eleventy” at the helm. These Xtian hypocrites are incompetent and foul everything they touch!

Hoo-roo Petals,

Shane

with Putrid Prose and Callous Thought

Once as a middling nation remember being able to hold our heads up world-wide and be heard for impartial sober advice?  Not now. The ASPIRATIONAL BOGANS are in charge.

Shane at Ballarat Showgrounds

 G'day Possums,

Mrs Wombat and I recently popped out of the burrow and up to Ballarat to the market to re-stock with some of the very good hand-made soap sold there.

I wondered what I was going to photograph and why, and vaguely entertaining the thought of looking for parallels for the Wombat Droppings’ rant.

When this presented itself ….

Ballrat Showgrounds, Australian Child crying..

And Wombat Droppings’ Chronicle of the Demise of Egalitarian Australia became apparent.

Bronwen backs down on Burqa ban in parliament but balks at being clear about why such a decision was made in the first place… wouldn’t have anything to do with Rabid-the-Hun’s meeting with new Indonesian Prez Widodo would it? Or that Rabid didn’t need to give the Indonesian any more to belt Oz about the ears with; like illegal incursions into Indon waters by Oz Navy cruelly returning refugees to their jump off point?

Then we saw these young people making a fine noise and on approaching to say what was happening was told that as all the mother's were not there to give their approval this pic couldn't be posted....  hmmm... perhaps they should have a sign saying "no photographs" or "that this is not a public space and we are not on show" or, they could all wear Burqa's or perhaps just play a record with no-one there? 

P.C. gone mad or "Helicopter Mums" in full flight?... whatever.... no wonder Rabid-the-Hun get's votes!

Healthy religious ammunition

Rabid-the-Hun will not send medical staff to fight the Ebola epidemic. Peter “Enema” Dutton (Liarbril, alleged Health Minister) says it’s not in our region yet and we’ll wait till it is.

Just like Iraq is next to South Australia and the Ukraine is only slightly North of Perth!

Perhaps they should talk to “The Drone” Morrison’s Born-Again Friends (no, not the paedophile ones) at Hillside and Catch the Fire Ministry’s to send their Faith Healers to strut their powerful stuff?

The science of Climate Change is crap, this lot say …let’s see if that works.

Medibank Private is also on the market. No longer will the profits benefit all Australians, they will now go to a limited number of shareholders and with it’s sale, the brake on rising Insurance costs will be broken and it will further the imperil the Medi-Care systems ability to contain costs.

Which is what the “Coot’s-With-Queer-Ideas-From-a-Parallel-Universe” want in their Free-Market Frolic: to destroy Australia’s social contract.
And now, the final irony.. today (21-10-14) the architect of Australia's noted free health system, free University education, recognition of China, and many other reforms has died. Vale Gough Whitlam: we'll not see your like again. 
One only hopes that Rabid-the-Hun and his venal rabble do not attend his funeral as the hypocrisy of these unimaginative destroyers being there would be too obvious and in such bad taste!
It was interesting to note one of The Ugly American's minions Greg Sheridan on radio, playing the right-wing troll even before the corpse has even cooled in the grave. 
Vicious, nasty and tasteless is what these cretins do best. What a sad place this Oz has become with these amoeba in power.

Terror Australis

Arfur “Da Spiv” Sinodinas has had a five page faux apologia in “The Age, Good Weekend” (Jane Cadzow,18-10-14)

I’m not sure it will help his cause in returning to a senior position with Joe "Cereal/Toyota Killer" Hockey and Mathius “Horse-Shite” Coormann and assisting in dismantling what’s left of Australia’s economy.

Mummy’s boy, Arfur “Da Spiv” comes across as a political dilettante  in whom a sense of self preservation and entitlement seems paramount.

Jumping ship when “Little Johnnie” Howard was going “On-the-Nose” to feather his own nest in a Corporate World, Arfur, who is “…resourceful and savvy..”  get’s mixed up with Eddie Obied.

Now, I would have thought that if I, in my Wombat Burrow down here in Vic knew “interesting” stories about Eddie “O” then a New South Welshman like Arfur (who, sort of running in the same circles though on the opposite side) would, too.  Accepting 5% share in “Sydney Water Holdings” and a director’s fee of $200,000.00 for 25-45 hours work a year with a possible pay-off of $20,000,000.00 from the Sydney taxpayer might make you think all is not quite kosher!

Council assisting the Royal Commissioner seems to have Arfur neatly summed up when responding to Arfur’s defense of his onerous hours and spruiking at social functions, he said, ”What, should we add on 90 seconds over a Gin and Tonic to the other 45 hours a year?”

Arfur’s capacity of ”…absorbing a mass of detail” seems, sadly to have disappeared with his 60,  “I don’t remember / recollect” during the Royal Commission as did his credibility for re-entering parliament (for a Senators paltry $141,000.00) “I want to work on something big and important.. larger than myself” and “Always doing the right thing.” Particularly when attending a meeting as State Treasurer of the Liarbril Party and Finance Committee Chairman and didn’t hear that developer monies as donations were not allowed under state law was being discussed.

Arfur… you stink!

Oohh, what going on there in that dark place or Where's Arfur? 

...and this lady had a very deft hand in cutting out stencils... much practice,me'thinks...

Dylan at Espresso Mobile Cafe

I was really impressed with this set-up.. functional, neat, a compact mobile great idea and design...   www.cafemobile.com.au

Man with hats Ballarat Showgrounds
who looked uncannily like the "interesting" Liarbril Mayor of Geelong but probably wasn't as his hair was almost normal.

And then a shock on leaving to find this ....

site....

Ronaldson's Wall, Ballarat.

which used to be this....

and this in detail


While it may have seemed an eye-sore to many its visual appeal is obvious... I'm glad I have a reasonable record of the old wall...

on way home : Silky Terrier in Mustang:

Incongourous combination....as are most things these days..

Liarbrils and Fair Play, Labor and Pokies....Arfur"Da-Spiv" Sinodinas and entitlement..it's all a muddle where we're all besmirched . Then there was another nail in the Liarbril coffin, Professor Spurr selected to review changes to the English curriculum gets himself "outed" with racist and misogynist emails to colleauges...

The other heads of the curriculum review, fellow right-wingers, Kevin Donnelly and Ken Wiltshire, did not comment on the Spurr emails…… they no doubt probably agree with their sentiments.

The faux-education minister, Christopher Pyne, (the Whyne-and-Perfect-Poodle-Prat-of-a-Prefect) has dismissed the attacks, saying Spurr was independently selected to be a “special consultant” on the English curriculum. Spurr was hired by Sydney University as chair in poetry in 2010 (Guardian Australia on Friday).

Typical, Pyne-the Whyne and Perfect-Poodle-Prat-of-a-Prefect.”

“Not me .. I didn’t do it. “ And another Liarbril thought–bubble, silly idea goes pear-shaped.

Then one  Peter Grace c/o Face-book added this little ode dedicated to the Professor of Putrid Pensiveness….

a professor of pomes was asked  what he thought 

of the English and History our children are taught

so he said what they wanted to hear him say, 

kissed the right arses and picked  up his pay

now it would seem he’s an old racist prick 

trying to pull the old “No, not me!” trick

with a pathetic excuse where he calls it whimsy 

the rest of us reckon that’s a little bit flimsy

and then in the end when the uni suspends him

not even Christopher Pyne defends him

“We didn’t hire him so don’t look at us! 

It’s the people who hacked him who caused all this fuss.

He was hired by the people we hired 

and his opinion still stands and he won’t be fired

from the role of advising us on education 

that nothing much happened before Federation”

he should pack up his stuff and they should send him home

that’s my “F**k You Pome Bloke" pome.

Peter Grace (Facebook)

Hoo-roo Petals,

Shane.