grodscorp@grods.comUn-fair dinkum
 | Posted by The Editor on Friday 15 September 2006, 12:42 pm Categories: Politics, Society Tags: Australia, citizenship, immigration, JohnHoward, KimBeazley, Labor, language, Liberal, values |
I realise I’ve been spending a lot of time laying into Kim Beazley recently and some readers may mistakenly believe I hold more positive feelings towards the Man Of Steel.
Wrong.
The jingoistic, xenophobic, tickbox race to the bottom continues. Prime Minister John Howard says that the Government plans to toughen up migration requirements, but they will not be difficult for “fair dinkum” migrants. Along with having to wait four years instead of three to apply (just in the nick of time, Billybob), citizenship applicants will have to pass an English test to be an Aussie.
Says Howard:
“I mean the great unifying thing about this country is language, I mean our culture, the culture of any country is heavily defined by its language.
“Because along with the language comes the literature and the cultural history bound up with it.”
“It won’t become more difficult if you’re fair dinkum and most people who come to this country are fair dinkum about becoming part of the community,”
But as the recent history-in-schools debate has shown, only the Liberal-approved literature and culture will come in the bundle. It’s not fair dinkum to question the official version of the past. It’s definitely not fair dinkum to have any sort of “black armband” view of history.
So, there’s another useless and loaded term to add to our list of citizenship requirements. You must respect hard work, have mateship and be fair dinkum. Basically, don’t be different to us, even though there’s no single description of “us” and many Australians don’t possess those qualities anyway (whatever they are).
GrodsThink Ep.31 (16/9/08)
Friday 15 September 2006, 1:45 pm #billybob
¿Cuatro años?
Friday 15 September 2006, 1:48 pm #billybob
¿barbeque, Mrs Takahashi?
Friday 15 September 2006, 1:51 pm #Goobertronic
I don’t know how to say fair dinkum in Japanese… sorry.
Friday 15 September 2006, 1:53 pm #billybob
公平なdinkum
Sorry, the best I could do.
Friday 15 September 2006, 2:52 pm #J,The
Did you see the Four Corners piece on Five years on from 9/11 on Monday night? The interview with JH was priceless.
“Mr Prime Minister, do you think that the attack on 9/11 was linked to Iraq?”
“Let me just say that…[insert meaningless diatribe here from the random politician word generator] 9/11 shaped the world we now live in.”
“Yes but Prime Minister, was the attack linked to Iraq?”
“[More nothing words...]Terrorism has shaped the world we now live in.”
“But Mr Prime Minister, can I ask the question again - was the attack linked to Ira–”
“You’ve had my answer.”
What? If anyone needs a lesson in understanding and responding to questions in English, it’s John Howard.
Friday 15 September 2006, 3:14 pm #The Editor
Tim at Road To Surfdom addressed that interview very well.