Humble servant of the Nation

SSM survey takes the cake

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There are lots of problems with the forthcoming same sex marriage postal survey but the biggest one is voters are essentially voting blind in the absence of a bill.

Why do we not have a bill? You’d have to ask the Turnbull government. If you ask me, I’d say the Turnbull government doesn’t have the backbone to put one up and give some useful form of definition to what we will soon be checking the boxes of in the coming weeks. But that’s just me.

Right now we have a fierce debate going on about something we do not know and cannot possibly divine and this, of course, has led to a lot of talk about nothing.

The rather tedious example being shuffled about and one mirrored in the United States is the one associated with wedding cake bakers (they call themselves designers now but I’m not falling for that one) and whether some of them have the right to withdraw their services to same sex couples who are preparing to tie the knot.

Full column here.

213 Comments

  • Henry Blofeld says:

    Funny clip on the Australian Citizenship Test, Mr Insider. This chap is most definitely qualified to be an Aussie. Why on earth do we credit “johnny come lately” Cook with discovering Australia and everything starting from that date! Lets have “Australian Day” a day that is all inclusive for all Australians. The Aboriginal People beat the white man by about 10,000 years in “discovering” Australia. have sent the idea of “Australian Day” into our august PM Turnbull.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gb4LoTG3C8E

  • Lou oTOD says:

    What a great game of footy in Adelaide last night, a true finals test and two very committed sides. It was certainly more entertaining than the other three thumpings.

    A couple of very interesting games coming up. Straight set departures a chance!

  • H1 says:

    Bakers aside and not my words but sums it up well….

    Be very clear that you know what you are voting on.
    The plebiscite is NOT about the Safe Schools Program. That anti-bullying program will continue to be taught in schools should the Federal or State governments choose to endorse or fund it regardless of the plebiscite result.
    The plebiscite is NOT about children. Gay couples can adopt, foster, use IVF or a surrogate to have children now. The plebiscite result will not change that.
    The plebiscite has NO effect on religious freedoms. Churches have always been able to determine who they marry and who they don’t and will continue to do so. If these rules ever change, it won’t be as a result of this plebiscite.
    The plebiscite does NOT challenge ‘traditional’ marriage as there is no such thing. Marriage has constantly evolved over the years. The bible allowed women to be forcibly married to their rapists or the man who enslaved them. It also endorsed pologamy and child brides. Women used to be traded for a better social standing in society or for money, tools and weapons. Until 1957, a man could marry a 12 year old girl in Australia or a woman could marry a 14 year old boy. A century ago a coloured person could not marry a white person.
    Same sex marriage is just the latest evolution.
    The plebiscite will NOT affect freedom of speech. Recent debate has gone far beyond ‘free speech’ and has become ‘hate speech’.
    That is alreay illegal.
    The ‘No’ campaign has used deliberate lies and urelated issues to confuse people into thinking that te plebiscite has far reaching implications. It does not.
    You are voting to voice your opinion on whether the same respect, dignity, legal recognition and next of kin status afforded to the majority of society be extended to the same sex couples.
    Nothing more than that.

  • BASSMAN says:

    The Outsider says:
    SEPTEMBER 9, 2017 AT 1:09 AM….yes Fagen on Do It Again. Sang on 5 of the songs on that first cutting Bald and most of the songs in concert.

  • Dismayed says:

    oh oh Swans on fiiiiiiire.

    • Jack The Insider says:

      They were and we already know they’ve got Geelong’s and Adelaide’s measure.

      • TP says:

        It sure looks that way. Anyway with the view of giving the Cats all the help they can get if the Giants are playing the Eagles at Spotless why aren’t the Cats playing the Swans at Geelong (in the interest of integrity of the competition of course)?

        • Jack The Insider says:

          AFL decision, I believe. 90,000 + people in Mebourne or 20,000 at Kardinia Park.

          • Gryzly says:

            I am happy that the game is played at the ‘G but shouldn’t the team that finishes higher on the ladder and losses play the team that finished lower on the ladder and won? I’d rather be playing Wet Toast.

            • Jack The Insider says:

              I’m sure you would, mate. As far as I can tell it is worked out so the teams that play in qualifying finals won’t play again in prelims.

          • Lou oTOD says:

            Hey Gryzly
            How come the first week of finals tipping includes a bonus point? Nothing against Bo, but I would have thought that ended with the qualifying rounds.

          • Gryzly says:

            Didn’t know that it did and will look into it. I know I would not have got one. I thing I won on the weekend was 100k on the Swans and had to give a bloke 10 goals in to get that. FYI, the 100K equals approx, 4.40 USD

  • Henry Blofeld says:

    Wonderful effort, Mr Insider, from POTUS Trump and his government in responding to the terrible natural disasters in the USA right now, Textbook it has been noted by others. He is settling nicely into the Presidency, having jettisoned some “baggage”. I also note he has sidestepped his “own” Party, the Republicans, and embraced some people from the Democrats to keep his promises to the folk who elected him.

  • Trivalve says:

    If it was me and the baker in question was not happy about being forced to bake me a cake, I’d go elsewhere. I’d want not a morose baker but a gay one. And let’s consider for a moment a less than gruntled baker without the choice of refusal. Who knows what might end up in the cake?

    • Jack The Insider says:

      I think that’s the same for just about everyone. Ditto re clergy or religious venues. Who’d want to get married by people or in a place owned by people who despise you?

  • Tracy says:

    Excellent stuff Jack, I had a very nice wedding cake which had been kept overnight in the venues cold room and needed a police escort to go in and get it out. The building next door was being demolished but half of it ended up in the Chatswood Club where we were due to have our reception and my father-in-law and the best man had to talk nicely to the fire brigade and police to allow them to go in to retrieve it.
    They pointed out that since we no longer had a wedding reception could we please at least be allowed to have the cake, luckily a guest knew the manager at Willoughby Legions club and they came to the rescue at the last minute.
    Fun in the neighbourhood today, hazard reduction burn behind our place, three town appliances, eight bush and a couple of helicopters but better than the house burning down later.

    • Jack The Insider says:

      Always is, Tracy. What was the cake like after all that trouble? Tasty?

      • Tracy says:

        Buggered if I can remember what it tasted like, can only remember what it looked like as I was a bit stressed under the circumstances, the car broke down as we were leaving the church as well.
        The lady who made it was a neighbour of the in-laws and I felt like I was robbing her because she barely charged us for such beautiful work, none left to take home so it didn’t touch the sides.
        Couldn’t have been too bad a day though, 29 years next month.

  • Mac says:

    It’s been said that wedding cake is the most effective contraceptive ever invented.

  • Boadicea says:

    I’m wondering if mine will still be in my letter box when I get back in a month’s time! Someone may nick it and complete it on my behalf.
    Thanks Bella and TO for your comment on previous.
    Having a fantastic time here. I love France, I love the French.

    • Jack The Insider says:

      There was one for sale on eBay last night, Boa. Won’t be the last. Bon voyage.

      • Boadicea says:

        What a good idea. Jack. Could put the proceeds towards my trip!
        But Howard could be right. I don’t have a problem with SSM. but are we really saying we are voting for a notion without having a clue about what it entails? Bit strange surely?
        Gee it’s nice to be politics-free for a while!
        TO – goid to hear you dodged that hurricane.
        A bientot……

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