WE have got this the wrong way around.
In American terms what we do in celebrating January 26 as a day of nationhood would be like excising July 4 from the calendar and rendering United States’ history to little more than a chronological trudge from October 12, 1492, the date known as Columbus Day. Incidentally, Columbus Day is not observed as a public holiday in all 50 States. In Vermont, South Dakota, Alaska, Hawaii and Oregon October 12 is a normal working day.
Ask yourself, why is Arthur Phillip (a good and decent fellow but an Englishman sent to establish a British penal colony) so well known but if you asked Australians to name our own founding fathers, you’d be hard pressed to get one name?
Commemorate European settlement by all means but my view is a genuine celebration of nationhood should take place.
It’s not as if we are stumbling around in the dark with no precedents from elsewhere to follow. Every nation that was once a European colony celebrates a day of nationhood and that date will fall on a significant point in the calendar where the nation became self-governing and independent. In Australia we are blind to it.
Full column here.
By the time they sat down to start drafting a Commonwealth Constitution we already had the basic building blocks of a relatively successful nation.
the rule of law, some kind of representative government, property rights, a more or less free press, separation of powers,
our Founders added a few bits and pieces to make that even better.
Credit to the Brits, for all their mistakes as colonialists they generally left those basics behind, which is why former British colonies have most often gone so well.
it’s just a pity about the cooking.
Here they are, Mr Insider and Bloggers, Australia Day 2018 Honours List hope you got a mention but alas not my good self.
https://www.gg.gov.au/australia-day-2018-honours-list
A master stroke from The Leader, to banish any thought of a new flag to the uttermost corner of his imagination.
This parliamentary caper, it’s all a lark, Jack. Far better to have The Leader make appropriate appointments, instead of relying on Ministers from the elected pool of mediocrity, and get on with the job.
Harmony, then economic progress will flow like a river. (‘Thought of Xi’)
Here’s a very quick 5 Question Quiz about Federation Mr Insider and from how I went I had better stick to following Australia Day on 26th January. I do wonder is “Federation” taught in Schools these days as am sure it wasn’t when I went to School? We were given half or full days off when the Governor General or Governor came to our School and we had to be oh so polite and spick n span.
https://www.nine.com.au/quizzical/150123-federation
Good to see the pommie batsmen following the script to a T. As in OUT!
Ok I thought Pakistan was bad against NZ the other day.
Congratulations Denis Ryan. Thoroughly deserved.
A thoroughly sensible suggestion but even if Turnbull called one of his signature postal vote’s I doubt there would be a majority vote for change, and if there was, a clear consensus on a date. Hence the status quo will remain.
I feel change will only occur when and if we become a republic. Then that day will be the new Australia day and we’ll most likely get a new flag and anthem as well.
I think we can do both. There is no prospect of changing Jan 26 as Australia Day. It would need the ful agreement from the feds, states and territories. So what’s another public holiday? Get rid of Queen’s Birthday if you like and replace with May 9.
Good idea JTI, get rid of Queens Birthday and replace with Federation Day on May 9 (we’re always back in Australia by then, so could celebrate in style). Unfortunately a few people posted examples of young Australians celebrating in not so stylish ways on social media today thinking their behaviour was a hoot……umm no, if getting legless and waving your d.ck around or throwing up in the fish pond is the way Australia Day should be celebrated, then I’m glad I’m not there to see it.
Back to preparing the leg of lamb for tonight and hanging the Australian flag from our balcony.
Jack (previous blog) we’re only going to Hanoi for five days this time, but next time hopefully will get to go to other places. Looking forward to it though, because we’re catching up with friends we haven’t seen in a while. Looking forward to the food as well.
And what exactly is the proper way to celebrate Australia day? You have just mentioned a couple of authentic Australianisms and I say jolly good on ’em.
Keep it real kids.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfR9iY5y94s
Vote here for the new anthem.
Maybe I’m just jealous JB, that I don’t have a d.ck to wave around….
Would that be a muscovy, a mallard or a white-faced whistler?
Great video. My fave Aussie number – but what happened with the plagiarism case and its reperussion makes me sad.
I remember back in New Zealand the Kirk labor government 1792 -1795 made Waitangi day (the anniversary of the treaty of Waitangi 1840) a public holiday, and changed the name to New Zealand day. When Muldoon came in in 1975 it was changed back to Waitangi day.
The protests over here about Australia day are so tame compared to what we put up with and still do over February 2.
Congratulations to Professor Michelle Simmons a scientist who has been named Australian of the Year butI find the nomination by the Turnbull government somewhat hypocritical. Turnbull has overseen massive sackings and cuts to the CSIRO, the Bureau of Meteorology, the Australian Research Council, the Climate Council, the Sustainable Research Excellence and Geoscience Australia. The scientific community was dismayed when Turnbull dropped the science position from Cabinet and made it a junior ministerial portfolio for only the second since the 1930’s.
As the government trundles on its merry way ignoring the science of global warming and renewable energy, the award makes a nonsense of his comment: “If we are to be a successful nation of innovation we have to have a stronger commitment to science and technology and it has to start right across the board”.
You betcha Bassy. What did Abbott say when he failed to appoint a science minister? “Don’t judge us by what we call ourselves, judge us by what we do”. We have. They are an anti-science party, Luddites and spivs. Scientific progress will come despite them, not because of them.
Cricket going nicely at 5/6. I’d like to see them get less than 60.
Re the cricket, yeah we won, but lost a great chance to humiliate them. You need that once in a while (Trent Bridge anyone?)
Turncoat now irrefutably the most determined hypocrite PM Australia has ever had the misfortune to call a leader.
The Fibs have consistently chewed up & spat out anything related to true scientific facts & always get their preferred ‘answers’ from their own conservative-led research groups who just, by the bye, happen to be linked to fossil-fuel industries. What!
I reckon if MT even once allowed his mouth to use the words his brain is screaming at him to say, his head may implode. Seriously, the guy has aged 10 years & looks miserably more worn-down each week. Why would he destroy himself both mentally and physically, now he’s at the age of retirement with tonnes of money to boot.
Power isn’t the answer Bassy cos in his party he’s got none.
As for Australia Day, May 9 is as good as any date but after the marches today, I’d actually ask why we need a public celebration at all.
Most of us love our country but if we really value our country & it’s real history, that should never exclude the true first Australian settlers.
Their existence mattered & very much still matters today so we have a solemn duty to include their story in our story.
I’m hoping there’s no explosives tonight. Anywhere.
Totally wasteful. 🐬
I see you’re back on board BASSY. How’d you do it?
Jack fixed it all up Bald….indeedy a clever man!
B’man, the people with the money are moving theirs so with any luck mankind despite backwards right whinge and cons ideology and politics may continue a little longer.
http://www.theage.com.au/business/at-davos-bosses-paint-climate-change-as-7-trillion-opportunity-20180126-h0owt1.html
But, splutter dammit boy! Coal is good, coal is beautiful, coal is clean and glorious, coal will save the world and cure cancer. God made coal because he loves us.
Look boy, don’t get me wrong, theres a place for this new fangled stuff but not until we use up all of God’s coal, lessen he might get angry, which seems like he is and all, what with the planet getting hotter because of them damn solar panels trapping the heat and them windmills slowing the rotation of the Earth.
You take a look at that Indian fella? Do he look like a Christian to you boy? No he don’t, all he’s interested in is making money which aint no Christian way of conducting ones self.
I’m hoping Mr Donald Trump will sort these damn fools out and save the world with trade barriers agin these huckster nations and a salutary lesson in the application of deadly force if necessary.
Don’t you fall for this nonsense young feller, plenty experienced old hands around these parts can put you right on this climate change malarkey.
Aha………… now I get it! Its the trillions stupid.
Yes, the glee in the eyes of the trillionairs a the WEF says it all. Climate change is not real, it’s simply next century’s biggest financial and business opportunity.
I think most Aussies like Australia Day 26th January each year because we deep down like the link it gives us way back to our Convict past Mr Insider. Sure Federation was celebrated on January 1, 1901and a more sensible date for us to celebrate you couldn’t find but we seem to “need” to go back further for our “roots”. As for our own Pollies well here is what they think: “The Turnbull government has reacted angrily to the new Greens campaign to change the date of Australia Day, accusing leader Richard Di Natale of stoking division for the sake of “shameless attention seeking”.
“Coalition and Labor politicians – from Barnaby Joyce to Bill Shorten – have united to reject the latest push by Senator Di Natale”
My guess is we aren’t about to see a change of “Australia Day” date from January 26th this side of the year 2050!
It’s also the day when a few million happy new Australians get to celebrate the anniversary of when they achieved Australian citizenship. Not to be sneezed at.
indeed Mack the Knife as we saw on TV today. Cant see the date changing anytime soon. Cheers
Just checked mine, 26 July.