Margo, I have just finished reading your book and am now recommending it to my friends and family. While I have long felt unease with the direction and policies of the current government, your research has confirmed some of my suspicions and delivered many other tangible examples of anti-democratic behaviour amongst our 'leadership'.

I feel that it would be worthwhile to look at the government's position on industrial relations and the trade union movement in the context of the defence of democracy. In my view trade unions, as collective organisations, provide vehicles for democratic participation. This goverment, however, misses no opportunity to attack trade unions and John Howard recently listed a 'reduction in trade union membership' as an example of his 'achievements' in economic management.

Maybe this is is an area in which JH merely uses the old 'economics above all' mantra as a pretext to stiffle dissent? Of course is unitarist stance also keeps big busines

Ms Kingston, I feel the words 'thank you' are simply not enough to express my gratitude for the existence of your book. I'm at a loss to describe the feelings NHJ has evoked in me. It is as if the world around me has changed in the space of 24hrs; from when I picked up the book yesterday afternoon to when I put it down today.

The sad thing is I was not really surprised with the atrocities contained within; it merely cemented my disappointment and lack of faith in our 'honourable' representatives. I only hope the growing discontent among my fellow Australians will be represented by something dramatic and remarkable in the next election giving way to a positive change for all.

As it stands I, in my mere 20 years of existence, feel there something is drastically wrong with our society when the youth of the country not only lose faith in its leaders but never have any to begin with. For we are the future, yet we have little hope. Where are our inspiring leaders? Who a

The web address for Parliament House listed in the book is incorrect: www.aph.gov.org

The correct address is www.aph.gov.au

I wrote this letter to John Howard on August 17th:

There was a time when Australia was regarded, around the world, as an honest broker, a small, proud, courageous nation. A nation that neither bullied nor crawled, willing to stand up to its friends as well as its enemies. A nation proud of being honest and forthright almost to the point of rudeness, always ready to barrack for the under-dog and both preach and practice giving everyone a fair go. A country in which I was happy and proud to live and glad to see my children and grandchildren grow up.

What have you done to it John Howard?

In the years of your stewardship I have seen Australia become a bully. Our public servants and bureaucrats are bullied into keeping quiet or giving only the advice that you expect from them. Political protest is stifled by

Margo, thanks for the book Not Happy John. The only unfortunate effect of the book on me is the rising of my already high blood pressure when I read of little Johnnie's exploits. And now more lies re the children overboard. I hope your book helps get rid of the little upstart at the next election and gives Australia back to Australians.nd regards

Max Suich, old time media heavyweight, suggests today in The Age that our media establishment is failing in its duty, primarily due to playing the he said/she said game with the political parties, rather than seriously questioning establishment power. It's a very NHJ message.

And, with the American election heating up, an increasing number of entertainers are taking sides and campaigning for Kerry or Bush. This Crikey piece examines the politics of Bruce Springsteen who has teamed up with a number of high profiles musos, along with moveon.org, to take their message of moderation around the US.

I would be interested in joining / starting a NHJ! movement in Perth. Any others in Perth interested?

NHJ responds (AL): Fantastic idea, Stevan. Any interested parties should contact Stevan directly and perhaps soon enough we can unfurl a NHJ banner from one side of Australia to another!

Yesterday I was attacked by a peacock on the Pacific Highway at Ulmarra (NSW North Coast) while listening to an update on Mark Latham's pancreatitis

It's great to be back home in Australia!

It seems like every day, something quirky and unexpected happens. You only have to get out and about amongst it and before long you get a bizarre situation like the one above.

I'm certainly not the only one to love this sunburnt country. I was driving between Brisbane and Sydney and have never seen that part of the country looking drier. I could have flown but I wanted to drive and reconnect with my homeland. Dorothea Mackellar juxtaposed many images of Australia in 'My Country'. She wrote of the beauty and the terror of this place.

The juxtaposed images and situations this country has a habit of dishing up have always meant that more than anything you have to respect it. The blue ringed octopus may be pretty, but don't pick it up.

John Howard

My flatmate was employed to design some graphics for a small crew that have designed a web based game called, 'donkey john'. I understand that the game has the same look and feel as the donkey kong game, except it has John Howard throwing barrels of oil from East Timor into Australia. Class.See http://www.donkeyjohn.com

I am so heartened by the fact that some people like Andrew Wilkie with WMD, and these latest public servants making comments about 'children overboard' claims, are coming forward and speaking up. There is a principle at the heart of this which is that no government should require anyone to do that which is immoral or to allow governments to propogate lies when they know the truth.

There must be many public servants, officials and contractors who would be able to tell us about the truth of WMD and when the government actually took the decision to go to war in Iraq. Who funded and trained waterside workers in Dubai and what the government knew about it? What legal advice they were given about the war in Iraq? About the Tampa, the ship with asylum seekers that sunk? And the treatment of Hicks and Habib. There is much else that others must know about the lies and deceptions.

There are some of you who are in the 'know' and who should say what you know. If it becomes mor

The Sydney Morning Herald's right-wing columnist, Miranda Devine (whose email address, [email protected], really sums up her attitude) today takes aim at the so-called Howard haters and kindly even mentions NHJ!

'Hating John Howard has become an industry', she begins, then deems it irrelevant if Howard and his ilk lied about children overboard, or any other major issue, for that matter. Power at any cost. Media cheerleaders are so transparently supportive, it's pathetic.

Meanwhile, Liberal Senator George Brandis will be supporting Howard till the end. Speaking on ABC's Lateline last night, it was almost tragic to see a democratically elected representative defending a position which is becoming more convoluted by the day.

'The prime minister's version of these conversations has been consistent from the start

The Launch of John Valder's campaign to defeat Howard in Bennelong is:

10.30am, August 24th (that's next Tuesday)
Eastwood Masonic Hall
186 Rowe St, Eastwood (Western end of Rowe St Plaza)

Pastel green ex-local councillor and now Independent candidate to boot Tampa Phil Ruddock out of Berowra, Matthew Benson, drops by to call for policy input and invite all to check out his campaign website. Well worth a good browse if you live in this 'Very Safe Liberal' seat and you're fed-up with Ruddock being treated like an Australian National Treasure by JWH and his right-wing chums, simply for playing base-instinct button-presser-in-chief throughout the 'Border Protection' beat-up.

Older smaller-l Libs in Berowra might remember the days when the Liberal Party actually felt compassion for refugees, having been the ones to blow away White Australia and set in train the new accord that bequeathed Oz politics a few brief decades of
As a result more than 10% of the Australian population is barred from the House of Representatives and

In my chapter of NHJ, I wrote passionately about my concern over the collapse of ethics in business and government. I wrote of the corroding affect of the daily diet of lies and spin. I focused on some of the 'big lies' and specifically mentioned the unthrown children. I've just come back from a long fishing trip on Fraser Island where I cut myself off from the daily news. I've returned to the mainland to hear a furore over the unthrown children and the lies surrounding it. My first reaction was 'yawn, we know about that already'. I'm tired, windswept, bedraggled and sunburnt and don't want to relive the lies of the last election.

Then again maybe I do. This sea-dog will live to fight another day. We are talking about a pattern of behaviour where the voters are treated with contempt. We've written and spoken about this endlessly for years. When is enough enough? We continue to fight this battle on many levels and there is no time better than now to take them on.