Monthly Archives: March 2023

Another Musical dispatch from the front

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We’ve been flooded with calls on background to Robodebt V. 1 which was trialed in Ukraine in the early forties. Was it pure Robo-debt or more a nuanced Analog pre- Robo-debt? And why were the units killed off prior to’ processing’? We can only assume that Robodebt V.1 was poorly executed and lacked central planning as occurred with Robodebt V.2. And besides there’s no one left around from Robodebt V.1 to complain. It happened long ago in a foreign land. And in Australia we’re suspicious of foreigners generally.

Another dispatch from our man on the Northwest frontier.

In this un Frank gives us an insight via Forrest as to why the ‘nays’ may have it.

No it’s not the spring racing carnival, but Forrest’s’ considered opinion on the voice campaign which he reckons is not the full bottle.  No this is not about alcohol restrictions in the Alice, but a dispassionate reasoning as to why the voice might just be another tokenistic exercise.  And we in the editorial department of pcbycp understand tokenism. Just as we understand that the Federal Labor Governments climate policy is not all that different from the Coalition’s.  There is a difference. It’s their policy rather than the Coalition’s.

An update on Stuart Robert’s grandfather, who played the role of Dracula in the JC Williamsons, popular ‘ blood from stone’. We think this inspired Stuart to propel Robodebt onto the Australian citizenry.

So its bad climate policy ‘NICE’. Just as the voice might be Tokenism ‘Nice’. And Forrest reminds us that both policies are the brainchild of the Coalition.

What is there to worry about then?

And who can be bothered to read the one print? Just as in Robo-debt, its left to the bean counters to ‘ trust us’. And in trust there is a politician?

We also believe in Bunyips, Unicorns and the Easter Bunny.

 

Frank writes;

 

Hola todos,

When I quoted my friend Forrest I did not give the full context of what he wrote. To make amends I include his letter to y’all.
It has also been pointed out to me that when Forrest gave John Howard’s Intervention and suspension of the Racial Discrimination Act as an example of Parliamentary bad faith he did not elaborate on the fact that the Rudd Opposition voted without dissent for this act of political bastardry,  Forrest and I knew this, I now mention it in case you didn’t.

Kev did solve homelessness. Credit where it’s due.

Hi folks

I happily gave permission for Frank to copy from a private correspondence I had with him.  Keeping in with the theme of trust I’m happy to tell you I trust Frank totally.

I thought I’d follow up with this missive to you all.  What I wrote, and that which Frank copied and sent out, is silent on being in support of, or opposed to, the Voice initiative.  In nothing that he copied can be found any hint of my position on the initiative.

For what it is worth my position is that I oppose the Voice initiative because in part:

·       It relies completely on the goodwill of the Parliament but Parliament has proved it must not be trusted to act in good faith with our first nations peoples, it has proved this many times over the years since Federation;

Kev always kept his genius for over-statement under his scholastic cap.

·       If the referendum passes I believe Parliament will deliver a very bitter disappointment to our first nations peoples and those of us who support them, and while it might not do so at the first chance it gets to break faith it will do so within a rather short term;

·       If the referendum passes it will be up to the parliament to completely design how the Voice will work, what matters the Voice can provide advice on and who the people will be on the Voice and how and where from they are chosen.

The Voice initiative is an initiative originally of the Federal Liberal/Nat coalition government.  The Voice initiative, its terms and conditions were set by Government as advised by an expert panel, only some of whom were indigenous and none of whom were elected by indigenous people.  This is not a grass roots initiative.

Parliament remains a very active agent of the ongoing colonisation of Australia.

Parliament has not repudiated its agency as an active agent of colonization..

Parliament can’t be trusted because it serves a very different master.

If our first nations peoples decide to proceed with the referendum I will vote Yes, and hope like hell that I am wrong in my assessment of parliament.

Still ungrateful for all we’ve done for them.

Keep well everybody.

Forrest

All that is left for me is to select some nice music to make this dispatch true to label

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fvxx8cIdn4 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSCOpnJvi6g

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Brp8Va8XVQw&t=2s

Hasta la próxima

And in the long run, medals for those who do the HEAVY LIFTING!                              LIFTING…. NOT…. LEANING!

 

Frank

Tom Toms in the twilight

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And that’s just the cost of the software. His mates gleaned shit-loads more and no tender required. ‘Mates Rates’ the first plank of Parliamentary Principle.

Incredibly this upcoming piece is not a eulogy for Stuart Robert.

 

Though we acknowledge his sterling performance at the Robodebt enquiry and his stand on principle we are unable, (due to the exigencies of losing our editorial staff to Twitter, and our publicity department to News Corp are ) to say we need more men of his character in government. Stuart nailed it when he said more or less, ‘there was no place for compassion or fairmindedness or honesty in the parliamentary process’. As long as he acted as a good cabinet man.’

Being another ‘Ambitious Queenslander’ Stewie is practiced in the art of ‘Statesmanship’.

Befehl ist befehl’ as we used to say in the Einsatzcommando. We were pretty busy in Ukraine way back till we ran outta ‘units’ to process, and for Tulgey and ol Stewie, that’s the way they look at it. If they’d been allowed to process all the ‘units’ by Robodebt, there’d be no dole bludgers or welfare slobs left. It’s a plank of Coalition policy. Punish those who cant defend themselves. And whilst you’re at it, give contracts to all your mates who deserve it for going to the right schools having the right connections and wearing the right tie. And they stand by it on principle.   But this is not about Robodebt and its clarity of objective, which you’ve gotta hand it to Tudgey and his mates, dealing with welfare bludgers via a robot is pretty fucking funny. And who said? Like their climate policy, the Coalition don’t have a sense of humour.

 

This is about a more vexed question. Will our trio survive the naked jungle of New Guinea. One moment the arid wastes, (not Canberra but central Australia) and now the steaming jungle.

Will principle save our trio? Poised perilously perpendicular prior to prescient portentous potentialities pursuant to the perilous process of predetermined perfidy. Or will they just walk on into the sunset?

Find out in this next thrilling episode as they alone, must fight the forces arranged against them and against all the odds survive.

 

Stewie’s granddad used to do bit parts on late night telly.

We find out heroes still cocooned inside the stationary Rotodyne. Sophie exalted member of the Fair Work Commission still trussed and bound as a bargaining chip of sorts. And the realisation that for the arid wastes of central Australia, they have not landed at the Ubud writers festival in Bali but have blown off course and landed somewhere on a mountain in West Papua. The very end point of civilisation itself. (The editorial staff would like to qualify that statement, Civilisation any place on this remote earth not graced yet with Sportsbet 365 or Bet connect 24/7.)

‘I dunno Fellas, I don’t like the look of this. If their goddess has an unlikely appearance to Sophie’, Terry pointed with the tip of his nicotine finger to Sophie, still kicking and screaming in the baggage compartment; ‘What does that make the natives?  I mean if they worship her sort, will they be compassionate natives or bloodthirsty head-hunter killer types, devoid of empathy, compassion and love as our ol mate Benny Boy is about knocking off Afghani’s?

 

‘It could be just a coincidence’, quipped Quent. ‘She may look like Sophie’, they looked at the totems rising ominously around the nearest hut, ‘but it would be unlikely that THEIR Sophie is half as mean as hours, I mean it stands to reason. Just as there’s only one Donald, or Vladimir, (Quent was always even-handed) the chance of finding another sociopath who looks and thinks exactly the same is about ,a million to one’.

 

Stewie’s compassionate look. PURE GOLD!

‘I agree’, Ces replied. ‘This Sophie is unique. I reckon it’s one of a kind. It’s too incredible to believe that there’d be two Sophie’s. That’s just inconceivable. We’re just assuming from stereotype’s. Stereotypes borne by watching to many Jungle Jim and Tarzan movies to understand that these might be passive natives? They may worship somebody who looks like Sophie? (we all winced) who’s a completely different person. She could be the spirit of an ancient missionary, who is being celebrated for her good deeds’?  Ces paused, as he reflected Quent piped in, ‘or a missionary who was best served with garlic and a sprinkle of salt’.  We all winced inwardly. We did not like the thought of culinary prerequisites in the more remote parts of New Guinea.

 

‘We don’t know who this bloody thing is, not where we bloody are, and why we bloody landed, but I’m for getting out of here’! Terry exclaimed, as he gave the starter a kick. ‘There’s still a bit of fuel in the emergency tank, we might just get off this bloody mountain and get to safer ground than find out? Whether we’re first or second course on the menu’? Ces replied sarcastically.

 

‘But with Sophie on board we may have a chance’ Ces tried to reassure his colleagues. ‘Buckleys from my perspective’, added Terry, ‘this doesn’t look friendly, and besides where are the bloody natives’?

We peered from the foggy Perspex and agreed, no welcoming party, no flowers, no reception committee, nothing.  ‘Well I spose nothing is better than being cooked’. Ces tried to be as optimistic as possible as the light began to dim with the encroaching twilight.

Stewie’s ‘Statesmanship Look’. He’s almost human.

It was just then, we heard the drums beating.

And it weren’t a syncopated rhythm either. It was the portentous sound, the ominous sound, the worrying sound of drums that suggested that they might be on the menu tonight.

Will they be on the menu?

Will it be a la carte, or all you can eat?

Only the drums can tell. And they lack a clear and precise vocabulary.

Find out in the next percussive episode, ‘the drumbeat at the end of the line has non bongo section’, or ‘ten tom toms, till tea-time’. Either way, there may be no set menu at this establishment.

Robodebt V.1 was trialled in the Ukraine in the early 1940’s. After a promising start there were just not enough trench-diggers and bullets to complete the job. This inspired Stewie after extensive research for greater efficiencies and the potential of Robodebt v.2 and ‘a gas- led’ recovery.

Another musical dispatch from the front

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The Warlpiri Encyclopaedic Dictionary opens to packed audiences in The West End………… of western Sydney.

Dear reader,

Talk about ‘ides of March’, but the truth is we’ve been flat chat just keeping pace with the stunning and radical reforms the current government is making to Carbon and Super. We live in an era of revolution!!

 

But this one from Frank is so to the point were not going to try and stretch it out, cos its BIG, PORTENTOUS, and EPIC!  But this just once, now we’ve said ‘Epic’…. this is for the nostalgia fans amongst us.

‘Epic’ theatre for youngsters

Frank writes;

 

Kameraden,

Rohald Dahl’s most famous quote is A little nonsense now and then, is cherished by the wisest men.

Not to be cherished is the humongous nonsense controversy which has broken out over the rewriting of his words more than three decades after Dahl’s death.  Where will it end?  Are we to obliterate Shylock and the Hunchback of Notre-Dame from literature?  But I’ll say no more about this. I have other fish to fry.

Almost three years ago the world was taught a lesson in empathy and how to deal with a crisis.  I recall Jacinda Ardern. saying she would not use the name of the person who had perpetrated the atrocious mass murder. The result is that that narcissistic psychopath is now locked up in deserved oblivion.

A bit late, but I.too will henceforth refrain from using Yuendumu’s own narcissistic psychopath’s name.

Unlike the Christchurch killer ours was found not guilty and enjoys the support of sections of the media and thousands of Facebook followers.  Go figure.

On a brighter note, next Wednesday, the Warlpiri Encyclopaedic Dictionary will be launched at Yuendumu School.

And now to the theme of this Dispatch- Asymmetry.

There is asymmetric warfare. I won’t delve into the countless examples of this such as in contemporary conflicts in the Middle East.  It is the asymmetric relationship between colonizer and colonized that my friend Forrest Holder recently wrote about.  It is so relevant to our situation in Yuendumu that without further ado I herewith render some of what he wrote

The relationship between our first nations peoples and:

•       the settlers;

•       our settler governments; and

•       the settler state’s mainstream institutions

is asymmetrical.

A most current example of this asymmetry is the asymmetry of trust writ loud in the public debate between the Yes and No sides of the Voice referendum.

The foundation document for the Yes campaign is the Statement From The Heart.  Central to this Statement, indeed embodied within the Statement, is trust.

It is a trust held by the first nations peoples in the good will, honesty and reliability of Parliament.

Indeed this trust by the first nations people in Parliament is foundational to their cause because without Parliament’s good will the Voice must fail and along with that the hopes and aspirations invested by the first nations peoples in this cause will be to no end.

On the other hand the foundational position for many of the No campaign is distrust.  The No campaigners do not trust the first nations peoples when they say the Voice will, indeed can only, be an advisory position put to Parliament which Parliament will be absolutely free to accept, accept in part or reject completely.

The No campaigners don’t trust our first nations peoples, preferring to believe instead that if enshrined the Voice will become an enforceable burden on Parliament, a burden foisted onto parliament by the High Court.

The No campaigners don’t trust that the Langton/Calma Report provides sufficient detail, despite the fact that it is very detailed.  Instead they make unsupported statements that the Yes campaign lacks detail.  They infer the Yes campaign can’t be trusted and that somehow there is a hidden agenda lurking away in the background.

In a nutshell the thrust of many in the No campaign is that blackfellas can’t be trusted.

Their lack of trust is without base, it is totally unfounded and unwarranted.  Never in our history have our first nations peoples been faithless or untrustworthy in their dealings with Government and the Parliament.

The lack of trust expressed by a solid core of the No campaigners is absent of any reason that they have in historical fact.  It is akin to paranoia, but I believe it has its roots in the bigotry of racism.

On the other hand our first nations peoples have many reasons to lack trust; our Parliament has broken faith with our first nations peoples many, many times.  Here are just four examples:

•       Governments around Australia refused to implement the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, deaths in custody continue to rise nationwide;

•       Parliament failed to deliver the Social Justice Package which was the promised third core element of the settlement first nations peoples negotiated with Parliament following the Mabo decision;

•       Howard’s parliament broke more promises made by the Parliament on native title with the amendments he put through in 1996.  They gutted the Native Title Act, enacted “bucket loads” of extinguishment and severely weakened the already weak rights first nations peoples had under the right to negotiate;

•       Howard’s parliament completely ignored the recommendations of the Little Children are Sacred Report and instead sent the army in to take over Aboriginal communities.  I will not go into the very lengthy detail of exactly how Howard’s parliament legislatively overrode and interfered with the rights and interests of Aboriginal people in the NT, but the effect of the intervention put government in control of the very minute details of the lives of Aboriginal people.

NOTE Parliament had to suspend the Racial Discrimination Act so it would not apply to the legislative actions taken by Howard’s government.  Parliament had to do so because the actions were racist and would have been struck down by the RDA had it not been suspended.  This was done in the full glare of the public and the Media.

 Why was there no national revolt at such draconian and racist acts by our national government?????

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9TsbC9oAfo&t=2s

Sorry folks,

Here is an antidote to that song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVHOqrw3Jks

and one more

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpW07HDd22I

Peace on Bougainville

(If you haven’t seen it I recommend you watch the film Mr. Pip. You won’t regret it.)

That’s enough for now,

Auf wieder sehen

Bertold Brecht premieres ‘A Town like Malice’ at the ‘Camp Rolfe’, (formerly Yuendumu) Tivoli. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the play which was named ‘EPIC’ was moved to the west end of West Berlin to packed audiences. Being in German there were obscure references of subtlety, idiom and satire which were lost to a Australian Audience. The play is to be re-released to Australian Audiences as ‘Picnic at Hanging Rolfe’, an all-star revue with walk on cameos from the creme de creme of Australian theatre, Stuart Robert MP, Scott Morrison, Tudgey, etc

Frank

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