The first thing Rudd did once he was sworn into office was ratify the Kyoto Protocol, changing Australia’s international reputation almost immediately. A few days later, an ann
ouncement was made that Australia’s immigration detention centre in Nauru was to be closed down, ending Howard’s infamous ‘Pacific Solution’. The deplorable reputation that these Howard policies brought our country was wiped away within days of the new government. Then there was the highly symbolic and important Apology to our nation’s indigenous population. With the installment of a new Senate in July, Labor will also dash Work Choices against the policy rocks.
ouncement was made that Australia’s immigration detention centre in Nauru was to be closed down, ending Howard’s infamous ‘Pacific Solution’. The deplorable reputation that these Howard policies brought our country was wiped away within days of the new government. Then there was the highly symbolic and important Apology to our nation’s indigenous population. With the installment of a new Senate in July, Labor will also dash Work Choices against the policy rocks.Another noticeable change is the absence of the ‘War on Terror’; both the war itself, and the phrase. The Coalition’s period in power was probably consolidated by the ‘War on Terror’. In a world full of fear, where danger was lurking around every corner(or so we were told), the Liberal and National parties were our closest and most trusted ally. Since they have been out of office, the phrase seems to have disappeared. Granted, the Labor party haven’t said that much. I would still say that the phrase has been conspicuously absent since the election.
This, perhaps, shows the contrasting approach that Kevin Rudd and Steven Smith(Labor Minister for Foreign Affairs) will take to the foreign policy table, when compared with Howard and Downer. We can only hope that the reactionary politics of fear, that were dealt up by Howard after 9/11, are behind us. Rudd and Smith have the chance to usher in a more balanced, less aggressive, foreign policy style. Fear, and a horribly disorganised Labor party, won the 2001 and 2004 elections for the Coalition. An Australian public, which was tired of this aggressiveness and fear-mongering, decided that 2007 was time to end the trend.
Rudd, and his team, have provided a fresh beginning for Australia in 2008. They have taken positive action, made some big decisions and have already ushered in some changes; all of this without making too much noise. May the positivity and freshness continue.
I’m not sure why this has gone to single spacing. Ah well.
Hm, I see that we are on completely different sides of the fence.
Hehe, yep we are on different sides of the political fence. Ah well, not to worry.
This is cross-posted from TMS:
I confess that I don’t understand the ‘Christian Left’ SPK. I don’t understand how you can support a government whose 2IC is a member of EMILYs list and a Fabian Socialist. Perhaps you don’t know what that means. Try googling Julia Gillard and Fabian Socialist. Kevin Rudd must be kept whitewashed of course in order to gain the conservative/Christian vote. This man is subtle as a snake and a liar. If you’ve been reading other blogs besides leftist ones, you should be aware of the specific examples of lies he’s told and he’s worshipped by the decrepit media. Jesus said that the world would hate us if we were truly His followers. Beware SPK. There is a strong deception coming through the media and political climate and even the elect will be deceived. It’s backed up in the universities and schools. And you are part of it if you call yourself ‘Christian Left’. Beware that you do not sell your salvation for something that sounds right. You on the ‘Christian Left’ scorn the focus of the rest of us on issues such as abortion. What could be as urgent an issue as the institutionalized murder of millions of humans? If you can’t see that, you’re already hardened. And before you start crying ‘what about the poor?’, I already support a family in Africa and have given several months of my life living in a third world country. Our socialist nanny state has overstepped the mark here in Australia supporting those who refuse to work (which goes against the Bible’s teachings as well).
Aurora,
I’m not going to start crying ‘what about the poor?’, and am very aware that this is a typical catch-cry from the Christian Left; if you read my post http://www.greyleads.com/current-affairs/social-justice-is-becoming-a-fad/, you can see my concerns about what I would deem populist and sometimes irrational social justice. I am very concerned about the plight of the world’s poor, as any Christian should be, and you clearly are too. However, I am concerned, too, by the ever more common abortion problem. I agree that it is unbiblical. These things considered, I don’t think my soul is in danger because of my political views. I do, however, accept and respect your warnings, and I see that you are very genuine in your concerns. I take it on board, and am considering what you have said.
Cheers.
Hi Aurora,
Hmmm… don’t all politicians lie to some extent? I think John Howard or George Bush Jr are still way ahead on the lie tally-board. I don’t get your point of ’selling your soul for something that sounds right’. We’re supposed to use our minds. ‘Be wise as serpants’, ‘love God with all your mind’, and all the other references to testing things all advocate ‘thinking’. Universities, schools, media etc usually present multiple points of view and are generally very rational. Deception, whilst it can be found in the fore-mentioned, is also fairly prevalent in many institutions - including parts of the church. Condemning Australia as being a ‘nanny state’ (which is some sort of sin I’m guessing) is rather exaggereated. At the end of the day, Australia provides a safety net for people who cannot or do not work, whilst providing as many opportunities as it can for employment. It is the individual’s decision on how much effort they exert relative to their capabilities in finding employment. What is the greater wrong: the individual not making the most of employment opportunities, or society totally neglecting the few who slip through the cracks and who face poverty?