Happy New Year!
Atrocities are committed by all sides in war but Imperial japan did do more then it's fair share thought. And then some.
edited 13th Jul '14 11:01:46 PM by joeyjojo
hashtagsarestupid
Handy-Dandy Chord Finder
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
Yeah, I think that the idea of holding national grudges about old war crimes is pretty dumb, but it was still a highly insensitive comment from Abbott.
Happy New Year!
It just boggles my mind why he would try to white wash Japan's past warcrimes... It's exactly the sort of thing you would think a coalition government wouldn't stand for.
hashtagsarestupid
wak
I think it's funny that he's said that, when Australia was actually attacked by Japan during World War II.
Like yeah, judging today's nation on atrocities that happened half a century ago is kind of dumb (although Japan has a habit of covering its own horrific past up in the first place...), but you'd think Tony would know enough about Australian history to know that Darwin was attacked by Japan in WWII, and that we fought them in the Pacific. We're bros now, and that's okay, but calling a country's wartime activity "honorable" when we have fought them in the past, over them attacking us, is a pretty big gaffe.
Come sail your ships around me, and burn your bridges down.
Sierra 117
We now know what Abbott will be saying for the next two years after he abolishes the Carbon Tax.
Yesterday Shorten said in Parliament that Labor would campaign for an effective climate change policy.
Abbott immediately seized on this and said Labor would reintroduce the Carbon Tax if elected.
So all he will say from now until the next election is, "all you, uh, need to know is, uh, we, uh, got rid of the Carbon Tax, and uh, Labor, uh, will, ah, bring it back. A voter for, er, Labor, is a vote for, ah, the Carbon Tax." Ad infinitim.
It's not over. Not yet.
Sierra 117
Twitter page of James McGrath, newest LNP Senator from Queensland.
An example of Poe's Law in action.
It's not over. Not yet.
I get it - the terrors of Tsarist Russia and the misbehaviours of colonial forces are not important, nor the fact that Austra-Hungary or Germany weren't that much worse than the Western Powers to that guy.
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
Sierra 117
Problem Child
Dead, buried, cremated.
Exactly how that particular order is accomplished makes sense only to Abbott.
What if there’s no better word than just not saying anything?
You set graves on fire? 
If the carbon tax repeal is the one most likely to make it through, I cannot imagine what's going to happen for everything else.
Problem Child
How much face would you say Australia has lost internationally under Abbott's government, realistically speaking?
Like, compared to past leaders, with the debacle with Indonesia, our backward steps in climate change, welfare and other social policies, our UN condemnation on our asylum seeker policy and every dumb thing Abbott says to other leaders, is this really worse than it has been with other PMs?
I'm wondering whether or not I've been blowing the international impact of Abbott out of proportion, considering Australia barely registers a blip in most matters.
What if there’s no better word than just not saying anything?
Sierra 117
I'd say we're getting close to White Australia Policy levels.
Considering Australia was once an economic and sporting powerhouse, known to be inclusive and multicultural, slowly reconciling its past with its present, and one of the first countries to introduce a nation-wide price on carbon emissions.
Now we've made history as the first country to repeal a price on carbon.
wak
I think it's a bit much to say that we're at White Australia levels.
Are we going backwards? Yes, at an astonishing rate. We repealed the Carbon Tax - which honestly wasn't that big a deal to begin with, with like $15 per ton of carbon released into the atmosphere? That's a tiny amount of money, not even worth repealing. And we're still being scumbags about our asylum seekers, rendering the "boundless plains to share" segment of our national anthem an outright lie at most.
But, if an Asian family or a Lebanese family flew into Australia to immigrate in the exact manner the Australian government wants, it's not likely that they'll be turned away given they know English and have serviceable skills. The White Australia policy used to take any nationality which wasn't white and quiz them on as many different languages and things as they could until the person or family couldn't answer anything else - for those who immigrated the accepted way. When we start turning people who immigrate with passports and forms, going through the legal channels to come to Australia, and who meet the requirements of becoming an Australian citizen - then we'll be as bad as the White Australia policy.
That's not to say seeking asylum is illegal. It's just not seen as legal by the government, when getting away from a violent country and asking for shelter is a valid thing. We're still assholes, but we're not at White Australia levels yet.
Come sail your ships around me, and burn your bridges down.
And I don't think we can ever go back to such levels anyway. Even as right-winged as US politics get such a notion of "white people only" will get piled on like meat in the waters full of piranhas.
But if they're African, it's a different story.
...
The director of the international office of Perth's Canning College, Tony de Gruchy, said the attitude of the Department of Immigration and Citizenship towards African students was reminiscent of "the White Australia policy".
Australia has learned nothing whatsoever from the White Australia policy. The Asian Australian community is huge and relatively influential now, so we focus more on smaller, newer, poorly organised groups.
It's like the schoolyard bully who finds his favourite punching-bag has had a growth spurt, and finds that a new kid with dwarfism has just transfered into his class. The old attitude is back with full force. The circumstances have changed.
Yes, so now the issue is packaged in a different way. Now it's "Only people who can mesh with our culture" (and what does multiculturalism mean again?) or "I'm not racist but Africans are all "high-risk" so better keep them out, eh?".
Nope, we were doing okay for awhile, but our politicians found it easier to pander to racists, so now we've got racist govt, racist policies, and we're flushing the progress we made as a 'tolerant' country down the toilet.
edited 17th Jul '14 9:10:38 PM by editerguy
Sierra 117
It's like the schoolyard bully who finds his favourite punching-bag has had a growth spurt, and finds that a new kid with dwarfism has just transfered into his class. The old attitude is back with full force. The circumstances have changed.
edited 17th Jul '14 8:45:53 PM by medicus
It's not over. Not yet.
& Wow. did not know that.
Speaking of the carbon tax, our conservatives are just getting stupider and stupider by the second.
edited 17th Jul '14 9:19:04 PM by IraTheSquire
Sierra 117
There's no words. The corruption is so blatant and the complete failure of the MSM to pick any of it up leaves me with no hope it will ever be addressed. Murdoch will continue to manipulate the public through his rags (seriously, check up today's front pages for the Herald Sun and Telegraph) and one day people will wake up to realise the entire country's been sold out from under them.
edited 17th Jul '14 10:29:13 PM by medicus
It's not over. Not yet.
Handy-Dandy Chord Finder
You're being quite optimistic there. Advertising an the media certainly seems to be working pretty well at the moment, and the conservatives will always have more money to buy ads than lefties.
edited 18th Jul '14 12:36:59 AM by CardsOfWar
"I thought Djent was just a band" -Physical Stamina
Happy New Year!
Aussies are very apathetic people. Sorry but I think we lack the belly fire.
edited 18th Jul '14 3:50:10 AM by joeyjojo
hashtagsarestupid
Sierra 117
It's that "she'll be right, mate" attitude.
People would be rioting in the streets elsewhere if Abbott's mob was in charge in their countries.
It's not over. Not yet.
I think barely any Australians know about stuff like a govt policy blocking African students. I can't even think of an electoral purpose for it. I expect that the high value Lib/Lab put on concocting policies which appease the angry racist voters in swinging electorates has left them with a lot of very racist people at the top.
That's one reason that newer parties like the Greens and even PUP are looking better every day to me. Lib/Lab is best off shrinking to make room for less introspective parties with different ideas.
edited 19th Jul '14 4:19:22 AM by editerguy
V
I suspect not in one or two other "Westminster-style" Parliaments.
In reference to Abbott's tribute to Japan, RSL president notes that many WWII veterans did not always see 'honour' in the way Japanese soldiers fought in WWII.
Mr Abbott's speech has provoked the ire of China's state-run newsagency Xinhau, which said it was "insensible" (sic) to countries that suffered at the hands of the Japanese during the conflict.
Adml Doolan said the Chinese were entitled to their view because atrocities committed in Nanjing was "one of the blacker parts of the war".
"There were atrocities in many places during the Second World War committed by a lot of people," he said.