Mall casts pall over city
I had to go into the mall last week; it was the most depressing place on the planet. Shops closed, empty windows, not many people around, grey and miserable.
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I would love to see the tops knocked off those atrocious cement blocks. Some cement pavings taken up, trees planted and cover overhead. More cafes and outside furniture, make it inviting.
I know the parking fees are a deterrent when we can go to the Marketplace for nothing for a few hours. What a waste of good space.
Audrey Jackson, Kennington
Beware radical ideologies
Ideologies can be very idealistic and noble. But if they have become radical, they can become realistic and nasty.
Ambitious individual are making use of them, to raise to power. They are promising their followers a better life. But usually they finish in a greater misery, or lose their lives.
It is important to keep radical ideologies in check and prevent them from seizing total power.
Racial, national, social, religious and gender differences have been with us for thousands of years.
They keep on smouldering and bursting into open conflicts now and again.
Jiri Kolenaty, Rushworth
Nationals escape scrutiny
As the right wingers’ tea party rolls on, rumour has it that the internal workings of the Liberal Party are thinking of ways to shunt Tony Abbott back to the old country.
Boy, will the Poms get a shock after the mild-mannered Alexander Downer. Can’t wait until Tony takes up residence and holds one of his bonding sessions and puts the security guard in a headlock, mistakenly thinking it is Vladimir Putin.
But Tony and his mild mannered followers are not totally to blame for the chaos that has erupted because of decisions made by the government.
There is another player just as guilty as the Liberals: the National Party, who are swanning around as if they are squeaky clean.
This Coalition partner received just 4.6 per cent of the vote nationally, but has the second highest officeholder in the land.
Their vote was fifth in line, behind the Liberals, Labor, Greens and One Nation, but has multiple seats.
Just as an example to highlight this lop-sided result, the Greens received 10 per cent of the national vote, but managed to obtain one seat only in the House of Representatives.
Just who is dead, buried, and cremated?
That aside, Barnaby Joyce by his own admission has said that he has the Prime Minister’s back, whoever that may.
So whatever happens, the Nationals agree with the Liberals, so why are the Nationals not seen as much at fault as the Liberals by media commentators regarding policy decisions made, and why has Abbott and his right wing ranters not given Barnaby and his hat brigade a good old Australian tongue lashing?
The only reason I can think of is, probably by the time Barnaby finishes talking, Tony wouldn't know what the hell he was talking about.
Other questions that can be legitimately asked of the National Party include just who do they represent in the country?
It is not the ordinary working person, illustrated by the decision to reduce penalty rates, or their support for the unfair 2014 budget.
The National Party's low vote suggests that they represent only one section of country people, which is fine, but why try to convince otherwise?
The next election is going to cut a swathe through the Coalition, but even they would have to concede they have had an extraordinary run.
But as with most things in life, all good things come to an end sometimes – even for political parties.