See his a report on his statement today at http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200410/s1226179.htm.

Nat lashes PM as Senate control in doubt
Patricia Karvelas and Andrew McGarry
October 23, 2004

JOHN Howard's chances of controlling the Senate in his own right were in doubt last night as the Nationals' Barnaby Joyce fell behind One Nation's Len Harris for the first time in the crucial race for the sixth Queensland seat. [continues at http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,11158248%255E2702,00.html]

I'm not a great fan of One Nation ... but in this case GO FOR IT!

The election result was a disaster, but it was a result that has been a long time coming - decades, not weeks or months. I think we've let the democratic muscle of our citizenry/society run down to a dangerous level.

We will need to build up media outlets that have a strong commitment to democracy - but even more importantly we need to draw more and more ordinary people into being involved in sorting out public policy issues. Simply voting is not enough - whether at elections or in referenda - because it's too easy to let someone else tell you what to vote. What we need practice at is actually thinking through and talking through issues with our fellow citizens and seeking out good info to feed into our cogitations.

Maybe local governments (or any other governments) that have a commitment to building our democratic muscle could institute a system of calling in relatively large numbers of citizens (in a manner vaguely reminiscent of the jury service idea) to work through issues

DIRECT ACTION

After what the conservatives are claiming as a resounding victory and supposed mandate for all that was ever mentioned during their 6 month campaign which began on budget night, we could all easily slip into a state of despair, and do nothing due to a feeling of despondancy.

This would be understandable. However, I learnt on election night that all is not lost. I was surrounded by a group of wonderful people who had gathered to help Brian Deegan attempt to unseat Downer, and it struck me that now is the time to begin action to destroy this heartless lying regime. All those who banded togethher over the last 6 months must continue if we are to be prepared for next time around.

The movement's filled with wonderful people and must regroup and continue the fight, as hopeless as it may seem.

NHJ!(HA): I agree Andrew, but I've also seen a bit of burn-out in my time. Tragically it's sometimes permanent. So it's quite ok to have a rest.

The following was submitted by NHJ!er Marie. I have posted it here for the edification of all.

This site has naturally slowed down, but we are far from finished, and after some needed rest, we're back for a whole new ball game. Happy reading.

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too:
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream---and not make dreams your master;
If you can think---and not make thoughts your aim,
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same:.
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,

Whilst we might all appear to be still stunned by the result, we will never give up.

We need only convince a few more percent that individualism and the 'me' principle is self destructive for the future general good of this country.

Let's begin to implement Margo's Ten ideas for change. Let's use a medium such as this to voice opinion, discuss strategies and implement plans.

We don't need to buy the local newspaper to find out what's going on - there are people at the coalface who are prepared to tell it as it is and where there are no editorial sychophants doing their masters bidding by editting out dissenting comments.

Don't despair Leo, we're still here and we haven't given up.

Mary: A Woman Before Her Time.

Mary MacKillop was born in Melbourne on 15 January, 1842. Her parents Alexander and Flora were Scottish immigrants. Due to the struggling economic circumstances of her parents Mary needed to go out to work, when she was 14 years old.

Mary felt a deep sense of God calling her to live her life as a Religious Sister. She had no idea how this desire would come to fruition for her but she longed to follow this call.

It was at Penola in South Australia that Mary MacKillop met Fr Julian Tenison Woods while she was working as a governess for her relatives. She shared with him her desire to become a Religious Sister. He in turn helped to see the needs of this new emerging colony and encouraged her in her response to give herself totally to God in Religious life.

Under Julian

John Howard has swept to power due, in my opinion, to the public's lack of the ability to think effectively about the issues confronting society.

Our parliaments should be institutions where the many complex problems confronting us are analysed and solutions sought. Instead they are places where confrontation rules and simple ideological solutions to these complex problems are adopted by the party with the numbers without any real analysis.

The only answer which I can see is to include the teaching of the skills of clear thinking beginning at an early age. This would counteract the practice of making decisions relying on gut feelings and ideology based on immediate self interest. The only people who seem to understand how people make decisions are the advertisers, marketers and 'spin doctors'. They use their knowledge not for the benefit of society but for commercial or political advantage.

The idea that clear thinking is a skill, which needs to be developed is describ

If the dates on the reader's reviews are accurate, there haven't been many submissions since the Howard government was returned. Either that or those that have been submitted have been culled for some reason. Too rude?

Maybe some spirits have been broken. Well, buck up. I keep being told to accept the umpire's ruling. Howard won, get over it. Get on the train or get off the track. No.

Surely one of the frailties of Democracy is also one of its strengths; that the majority, if majority truly rules, can make anything acceptable. If the majority of Australians voted to imprison children then that is what would happen. In a society sufficiently prepared by spin and fear anthing becomes possible. Does it make it right? If the majority feeling in South Africa was pro-Apartheid, does it make Apartheid unassailably right? No.

I will not accept the decision of the umpire and I consider myself a patriot for it. Some things believed by the majority are wrong. It was true historical

Now that it is already starting to fall apart - I think this is a record - 3 days - it is vitally important to keep an active watch and track everything as much or more than before the election. Today for starters we have in the Fin Review - Costello backing down rapidly on the health of the economy, we have Treasury confirming sale of Telstra will cost taxpayers and that Labor was right (surprise!), and that Medicare SafetyNet is costing a fortune already....the chickens are already coming home to roost...may they s**t all over the Coalition and their supporters in particular.

In the mean time, get involved NOW, join your party NOW, speak up NOW, write the pollies NOW ... do not give up! The battle for the next election has already begun.

Howdy from a WAlien.

We in the west are doubly disconnected from the federal process - by historic distance and now by the sydney-centric blinkers of John Howard's regime.

Geoff Prosser has distinguished himself as my federal member by only appearing publicly to hand out money and never appearing whenever integrity/ethical/planning issues are under scrutiny. His slick little advertising 'Southwest News' liftout in the local rag (which rag managed this election to avoid a single headline on a single issue - great achievment even if negative) was the first to publish the fuxed photos of kids overboard pre the last-but-one fed poll. And his office was right on track this poll with more than 3 letterboxings about fiscal dangers of non-coalition voting, together with two nice big advertising splashes about 'security' and 'homes' - whatever those words mean these days.

There has been no opposition to the Prosser line around here for too many years.

So when I got a copy of

When Howard tries to implement his agenda of privatisation, industrial relations 'reform', welfare 'reform', an aggressive and world-destabilising foreign policy, allowing the woodchipping of Tasmania's forests, etc, etc, it is likely that many who did vote for Howard will start to have second thoughts about the choice they made last Saturday. (If they don't then we are in for a very grim future, indeed.)

If popular opposition does emerge, Howard will no doubt employ, to the utmost, as he has done before, the argument that he has a mandate to do whatever he likes, except, perhaps to reverse the direction the earth spins on its axis.

However, if at that point the Australian public can be reminded of just how blatantly he abused his positon of incumbency for at least the last 12 months, and how almost the entire news media backed Howard to the hilt, abandoning their responsibity to give accurate and objective information, then perhaps the 'mandate' argument may not sta

Hi, fellow cracys,

I guess by now you will have realised that when Noam Chomsky said years and years ago that 'the truth will be known but it won't make any difference' he wasn't kidding. The election result is a glaringly obvious indication on the lack of impact of any attempts to unseat Howard. Not that I am a Howard fan, far from it, anyone who tears out the heart of a nation and replaces it with Stocks and Bonds is suspect.

However, I would like offer you some general observations. Firstly, the idealistic notion that Protest marches and anything resembling a public display of dissent belong to the mid 1960's, the time was different, so were Politicians. A lot of people laid it on the line so to speak, risked their lives in the process and involved presonal issues(like being drafted) It would be fair to say that now, in the 21st century, Idealistic Protest Marches have become mere childrens toys and need to be left behind if you wish to become more effective. The Sun Herald

Your idea of a multiple independants promoting common principles of democracy is (I believe) the ONLY way to fix the huge dilemma that we face as a democracy. I have always voted the Major Parties last for that exact reason.

The title of NHJ is the reason I bought it. But in reality the problems that face our democracy would in no way be over if Johnny got kicked out. It would have been nice to see him punished for Iraq and Im still coming to terms with the disapointment and frustration.

Yes our media laws and senate would probably be safe for a while but if Big Party Liberal can do it then Big Party Labour can do it too. For a long time I have refferred to them as the Liberal/Labour Party. They are in real terms, idealogically, the same Party.

Another party built out of old parties would probably end up the same too because that is how people and power work together. A Network of Independant candidates could one day gain power to fix the holes in our democracy with