Australian Head of State

William Church has just started a series outlining the respective positions of the Queen of Australia and the Governor-General. Worth taking a look, especially when he updates it.

Why Constitutions Matter to Women: notes on speech by Helen Irving

This evening I attended Gerard Henderson’s Sydney Institute to hear Helen Irving speak on “Why Constitutions Matter to Women”, which articulated concerns raised in her book (publication pending in Australia) Gender and the Constitution: Equity and Agency in Comparative Constitutional Law (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2008.)

In her speech (which seemed to this observer bereft of argumentation), Dr Irving posited that constitutional enactment of measures designed to enshrine substantive (rather than merely formal) gender equality is imperative to those who favour such substantive gender equality. Dr Irving alluded to certain clauses [1] in the Australian Constitution which she posited were framed either with the interest of certain women in mind, or in which some measure of feminine influence was crucial, before briefly surveying certain aspects of the interaction between customary law and gender equality in South Africa.

I asked for her criteria whereby postulated ideals of substantive gender equality were to be assigned to a position within a constitutive (as distinct from subordinate) legal instrument, to which I was told that the scope of my question was too broad to be answered succinctly, whereupon I was entreated to purchase her book.

Gerard Henderson asked for an exposition of her views on the interaction between certain militant variants of Islamist thought and her project to constitutionally enshrine gender equality, and I’m afraid I can’t quite recall what her answer to his question was (or, for that matter, what other questions and answers were raised this evening in public discussion.)

All in all, I enjoyed the evening (especially the quiches.) It’s a pity time was so constrained, though.

——-
[1] Namely §§ 41 and 113 thereof.

Without fear or favour

Today’s report that a certain MP failed in his application for membership in a branch within his Federal Electoral Conference has predictably been greeted with howls of outrage from interested parties.

Without reference to the specifics of Mr Morrison’s case, I’ll note that it is crucial for effective functioning of branches that their respective ethos is acknowledged by prospective members. In particular, perceptions of petty ambition need to be addressed by applicants; also, one regrets to note that questions of external stature are (or at any rate ought) be irrelevant to assessing an applicant’s fitness for membership. In my capacity as Treasurer of Haberfield Branch in the Liberal Party, I may note that (ceteris paribus) I’d consider (say) a former High Court Justice equally eligible for membership of my branch to a dustman. Indeed, considerations of appearance would, if anything, require me to do my utmost in order to avoid perceptions of favouritism arising to those who would, by virtue of their status, be seen as potentially in a position to pull strings.

Tomlinson

For some reason, Mr Tomlinson in the following poem of Kipling’s happens to seem reminiscent of me.

1891

Rudyard Kipling

---

NOW Tomlinson gave up the ghost in his house in Berkeley Square,
And a Spirit came to his bedside and gripped him by the hair—
A Spirit gripped him by the hair and carried him far away,
Till he heard as the roar of a rain-fed ford the roar of the Milky Way:
Till he heard the roar of the Milky Way die down and drone and cease,
And they came to the Gate within the Wall where Peter holds the keys.
“Stand up, stand up now, Tomlinson, and answer loud and high
“The good that ye did for the sake of men or ever ye came to die—
“The good that ye did for the sake of men in little earth so lone!”
And the naked soul of Tomlinson grew white as a rain-washed bone.
“O I have a friend on earth,” he said, “that was my priest and guide,
“And well would he answer all for me if he were by my side.”
—“For that ye strove in neighbour-love it shall be written fair,
“But now ye wait at Heaven’s Gate and not in Berkeley Square:
“Though we called your friend from his bed this night, he could not speak for you,
“For the race is run by one and one and never by two and two.”
Then Tomlinson looked up and down, and little gain was there,
For the naked stars grinned overhead, and he saw that his soul was bare:
The Wind that blows between the worlds, it cut him like a knife,
And Tomlinson took up his tale and spoke of his good in life.
“This I have read in a book,” he said, “and that was told to me,
“And this I have thought that another man thought of a Prince in Muscovy.”
The good souls flocked like homing doves and bade him clear the path,
And Peter twirled the jangling keys in weariness and wrath.
“Ye have read, ye have heard, ye have thought,” he said, “and the tale is yet to run:
“By the worth of the body that once ye had, give answer—what ha’ ye done?”
Then Tomlinson looked back and forth, and little good it bore,
For the Darkness stayed at his shoulder-blade and Heaven’s Gate before:—
“O this I have felt, and this I have guessed, and this I have heard men say,
“And this they wrote that another man wrote of a carl in Norroway.”
—“Ye have read, ye have felt, ye have guessed, good lack! Ye have hampered Heaven’s Gate;
“There’s little room between the stars in idleness to prate!
“O none may reach by hired speech of neighbour, priest, and kin
“Through borrowed deed to God’s good meed that lies so fair within;
“Get hence, get hence to the Lord of Wrong, for doom has yet to run,
“And . . .the faith that ye share with Berkeley Square uphold you, Tomlinson!”

.     .     .     .     .

The Spirit gripped him by the hair, and sun by sun they fell
Till they came to the belt of Naughty Stars that rim the mouth of Hell:
The first are red with pride and wrath, the next are white with pain,
But the third are black with clinkered sin that cannot burn again:
They may hold their path, they may leave their path, with never a soul to mark,
They may burn or freeze, but they must not cease in the Scorn of the Outer Dark.
The Wind that blows between the worlds, it nipped him to the bone,
And he yearned to the flare of Hell-Gate there as the light of his own hearth-stone.
The Devil he sat behind the bars, where the desperate legions drew,
But he caught the hasting Tomlinson and would not let him through.
“Wot ye the price of good pit-coal that I must pay?” said he,
“That ye rank yoursel’ so fit for Hell and ask no leave of me?
“I am all o’er-sib to Adam’s breed that ye should give me scorn,
“For I strove with God for your First Father the day that he was born.
“Sit down, sit down upon the slag, and answer loud and high
“The harm that ye did to the Sons of Men or ever you came to die.”
And Tomlinson looked up and up, and saw against the night
The belly of a tortured star blood-red in Hell-Mouth light;
And Tomlinson looked down and down, and saw beneath his feet
The frontlet of a tortured star milk-white in Hell-Mouth heat.
“O I had a love on earth,” said he, “that kissed me to my fall,
“And if ye would call my love to me I know she would answer all.”
—“All that ye did in love forbid it shall be written fair,
“But now ye wait at Hell-Mouth Gate and not in Berkeley Square:
“Though we whistled your love from her bed to-night, I trow she would not run,
“For the sin ye do by two and two ye must pay for one by one!”
The Wind that blows between the worlds, it cut him like a knife,
And Tomlinson took up the tale and spoke of his sin in life:—
“Once I ha’ laughed at the power of Love and twice at the grip of the Grave,
“And thrice I ha’ patted my God on the head that men might call me brave.”
The Devil he blew on a brandered soul and set it aside to cool:—
“Do ye think I would waste my good pit-coal on the hide of a brain-sick fool?
“I see no worth in the hobnailed mirth or the jolthead jest ye did
“That I should waken my gentlemen that are sleeping three on a grid.”
Then Tomlinson looked back and forth, and there was little grace,
For Hell-Gate filled the houseless Soul with the Fear of Naked Space.
“Nay, this I ha’ heard,” quo’ Tomlinson, “and this was noised abroad,
“And this I ha’ got from a Belgian book on the word of a dead French lord.”
—“Ye ha’ heard, ye ha’ read, ye ha’ got, good lack! and the tale begins afresh—
“Have ye sinned one sin for the pride o’ the eye or the sinful lust of the flesh?”
Then Tomlinson he gripped the bars and yammered, “Let me in—
For I mind that I borrowed my neighbour’s wife to sin the deadly sin.”
The Devil he grinned behind the bars, and banked the fires high:
“Did ye read of that sin in a book?” said he; and Tomlinson said, “Ay!”
The Devil he blew upon his nails, and the little devils ran,
And he said: “Go husk this whimpering thief that comes in the guise of a man:
“Winnow him out ’twixt star and star, and sieve his proper worth:
“There’s sore decline in Adam’s line if this be spawn of earth.”
Empusa’s crew, so naked-new they may not face the fire,
But weep that they bin too small to sin to the height of their desire,
Over the coal they chased the Soul, and racked it all abroad,
As children rifle a caddis-case or the raven’s foolish hoard.
And back they came with the tattered Thing, as children after play,
And they said: “The soul that he got from God he has bartered clean away.
“We have threshed a stook of print and book, and winnowed a chattering wind
“And many a soul wherefrom he stole, but his we cannot find:
“We have handled him, we have dandled him, we have seared him to the bone,
“And sure if tooth and nail show truth he has no soul of his own.”
The Devil he bowed his head on his breast and rumbled deep and low:—
“I’m all o’er-sib to Adam’s breed that I should bid him go.
“Yet close we lie, and deep we lie, and if I gave him place,
“My gentlemen that are so proud would flout me to my face;
“They’d call my house a common stews and me a careless host,
“And—I would not anger my gentlemen for the sake of a shiftless ghost.”
The Devil he looked at the mangled Soul that prayed to feel the flame,
And he thought of Holy Charity, but he thought of his own good name:—
“Now ye could haste my coal to waste, and sit ye down to fry:
Did ye think of that theft for yourself?” said he; and Tomlinson said, “Ay!”
“The Devil he blew an outward breath, for his heart was free from care:—
“Ye have scarce the soul of a louse,” he said, “but the roots of sin are there,
“And for that sin should ye come in were I the lord alone.
“But sinful pride has rule inside—and mightier than my own.
“Honour and Wit, fore-damned they sit, to each his priest and whore:
“Nay, scarce I dare myself go there, and you they’d torture sore.
“Ye are neither spirit nor spirk,” he said; “ye are neither book nor brute—
“Go, get ye back to the flesh again for the sake of Man’s repute.
“I’m all o’er-sib to Adam’s breed that I should mock your pain,
“But look that ye win to worthier sin ere ye come back again.
“Get hence, the hearse is at your door—the grim black stallions wait—
“They bear your clay to place to-day. Speed, lest ye come too late!
“Go back to Earth with a lip unsealed—go back with an open eye,
“And carry my word to the Sons of Men or ever ye come to die:
“That the sin they do by two and two they must pay for one by one—
“And . . .the God that you took from a printed book be with you, Tomlinson!”

Pedigree and Patronage: class consciousness quiz

 H/T Byron.  The idea is to highlight the elements of your own upbringing that apply in bold as an exercise in social class awareness.

1. My father went to university.
2. My father finished university.
3. My mother went to university.
4. My mother finished university.
5. Have any relative who is or was a lawyer, doctor or academic.
6. Had more than 50 books in your childhood home.
7. Had more than 500 books in your childhood home.
8. Were read children’s books by a parent.
9. Had extra-curricular lessons of any kind before you turned 18.
10. Had more than two kinds of extra-curricular lessons before you turned 18.
11. The people in the media who dress and talk like me are portrayed positively.
12. Had a credit card with your name on it before you turned 18.
13. Your parents (or a trust) paid for the majority of your university costs.
14. Your parents (or a trust) paid for all of your university costs.
15. Went to a private primary school.
16. Went to a private high school.
17. Your family regularly employed a cleaner.
18. Had a private tutor before you turned 18.
19. Family vacations involved staying at hotels.
20. Your clothing was all bought new before you turned 18.
21. Your parents bought you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them.
22. There was original art in your house when you were a child.*
23. You and your family lived in a single-family house.
24. Your parent(s) owned their own house or apartment before you left home.
25. You had your own room as a child.
26. You had a phone in your room before you turned 18.
27. Participated in an HSC preparation course or study camp outside of school.
28. Had your own TV in your room in high school.
29. Owned a mutual fund or shares in high school or university.
30. Flew anywhere on a commercial airline before you turned 16.
31. Went on a cruise with your family.
32. Went on more than one cruise with your family.
33. Your parents took you to museums and art galleries as you grew up.
34. Growing up, you were unaware of how much electricity bills cost for your family.
*From a relative who was an artist.

All up, it seems I have 22/36.

“Cooling off time”

This afternoon, my mum suggested that pubs might be allowed an extra hour or two opening time following final sales of alcoholic beverages in order to allow their patrons to sober-up.

As a further thought, during those couple of hours, said pubs might sell soft-drinks and snacks.  This way, I envisage there’d be fewer drunken patrons proceeding straight from their pub to the ‘Bottlo.’

Thoughts?

Time for gratitude

Thanks to various measures reported in this article, persons like me (I’m on the Disability Support Pension due to my apparently high-functioning Autistic-Spectrum Disorder) should find some alleviation in meeting certain expenses.

In my view, it was pretty nice of HMAG to announce that, and I also thank Kevin Rudd for his reported provisional approval reported therein.

Still, both sides should note that my vote is not for sale (on a tangential note, I suspect the “Hip Pocket Nerve” plays less in the electorate’s deliberations than many pronounce.) Besides the promotion of civic comity through supporting Australia’s Constitution and the role of the Crown within it (which at present is paramount in my political deliberations), the following considerations strike me as worthy of note in the Commonwealth sphere:-

1. Defense/Foreign Relations. In this field, it is crucial to maintain the unity of the Western Alliance. As such, we should discourage ad hominem invective concerning the leadership of allied nations (statements to the effect of “I’m not against the X’an People, I just don’t like Mr X” should, in my view, be reserved for enemies when said by statesmen)
2. Revenue. Rather than demanding ‘your’ money back (whether through tax-cuts or more spending on your favoured cause), why not spare a thought for the Consolidated Revenue Fund?
3. Infrastructure. While there’s been a few encouraging noises on various projects in Parliament in the last year or two, so far we’ve heard relatively little on it in the Campaign. While it’s granted Road and Rail is mostly a State responsibility, surely someone in the Commonwealth Government or Opposition has something up their sleeves in this respect which would get the voters churning?

The Ballad[e] Of Imitation / Austin Dobson

The Ballad[e] Of Imitation

 

If they hint, O Musician, the piece that you played
Is nought but a copy of Chopin or Spohr;
That the ballad you sing is but merely “conveyed”
From the stock of the Arnes and the Purcells of yore;
That there’s nothing, in short, in the words or the score
That is not as out-worn as the “Wandering Jew,”
Make answer—Beethoven could scarcely do more—
That the man who plants cabbages imitates, too!

If they tell you, Sir Artist, your light and your shade
Are simply “adapted” from other men’s lore;
That—plainly to speak of a “spade” as a “spade”—
You’ve “stolen” your grouping from three or from four;
That (however the writer the truth may deplore),
‘Twas Gainsborough painted your “Little Boy Blue”;
Smile only serenely—though cut to the core—
For the man who plants cabbages imitates, too!

And you too, my Poet, be never dismayed
If they whisper your Epic—”Sir Eperon d’Or”—
Is nothing but Tennyson thinly arrayed
In a tissue that’s taken from Morris’s store;
That no one, in fact, but a child could ignore
That you “lift” or “accommodate” all that you do;
Take heart—though your Pegasus’ withers be sore—
For the man who plants cabbages imitates, too!

POSTSCRIPTUM—And you, whom we all so adore,
Dear Critics, whose verdicts are always so new!—
One word in your ear. There were Critics before . . .
And the man who plants cabbages imitates, too!

Foolish move

Post edited to note that trusted sources have assured me that the linked article in the next paragraph misrepresented the Hon. Joe Hockey MP, who apparently is not quite as anti-union as was reported.

---

I view with intense regret these reported comments by Australian Minister for Workplace Relations Joe Hockey.

Apart from anything else, there’s little more guaranteed to goad trade-unions into a clamour than to pronounce them effectively dead.

With that said, my membership and support of the Liberal Party is safe for as long as it allows me greater freedom to advocate the retention of our Constitutional Monarchy than does the ALP (which foolishly insists on promoting republicanism to the point of requiring it of their MPs.)

Meeting notification re. Heiner Affair

Concerned Citizens

invite you to join us to hear

PIERS AKERMAN and KEVIN LINDEBERG

HOST: Greg Smith SC, Shadow Attorney-General, N.S.W. Parliament

WHEN: Tuesday October 9: 10 am - 12 am

WHERE: N.S.W. Parliament House Theatrette (Macquarie Street). Free Admission.

WHAT: The alleged 1990 Goss Queensland government ‘cover up’ of the Heiner Inquiry into the John Oxley Centre including rape of an aboriginal girl.

WHY: The 1990 Queensland Cabinet ordered the documents shredded.

PIERS AKERMAN, one of Australia’s most brilliant and respected feature writers, has been detailing the extraordinary story of events in Queensland surrounding the late 1989 inquiry by retired magistrate Noel Heiner into complaints by staff against the manager of the state-run John Oxley Youth Centre in a series of major articles in the Sunday Telegraph and Daily Telegraph. He asks why the ALP Goss government Cabinet closed that inquiry as soon as it took office in early 1989, and ordered all documents shredded.

KEVIN LINDEBERG, a union official, dismissed for claiming the shredding of the Heiner Inquiry documents was an illegal act, has fought relentlessly and tirelessly for 17 years to prove the Heiner Affair involved unprecedented abuse of office and justice. This reached from the unresolved May 1988 sexual assault of a 14 year old indigenous girl at the John Oxley Youth Detention Centre and other abuses, to Executive Government being placed above the law by the Goss government of the day.

_________________________________________________________________

The Australian of Tuesday September 25 writes:

“David Rofe QC has examined the destruction of documents by shredding in a 3600 page 9 volume report, and identified 67 possible breaches of the criminal code by Queensland cabinet ministers and public servants. He believes there should be a full investigation… Kevin Rudd is one of many people who should answer questions about their role in a Queensland government decision to destroy documents in the Heiner affair, says the senior lawyer who has examined the evidence.”