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The leaning to authoritarianism is probably because she opted heavily in favor of the proposition that the media-tart judges of Masterchef should be hung, drawn and quartered. And left to stew in their own jus.
DH has coined a new word for our troubled times:
Renthoppers (n): people who hop from rental fryingpan to fire and back again, trying to minimise the pain. Small dispossessed bands begin to roam from state to state searching for affordable housing, eventually turning into a mighty plague of itinerant workers heading for Canberra, hopefully there to settle on the Howard goverment till it sinks under their weight, but only after having chewed NSW Labor out to shreds for its mismanagement of public housing. And who knows, the terrain left fallow may yet undergo a greening.
Origin of the term: Inspired by South African writer Can Themba's memorable phrase about shanty town workers who spend their lives "Jumping like fleas from contingency to contingency". .
Image: Lifted from the CSIRO http://www.csiro.au/images/mediaReleases/Locust_plaguesml.jpg
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Rent-hoppers
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2 comments:
I don't understand I'm afraid. Why would the Hoppers settle on the Howard govt? Are they profoundly stupid Hoppers....you know, STUPID much as Labor obsessed public housing tenants are stupid because they do it tough due to the uninspired management of Labor state governments EVERYWHERE, yet still call the Coalition out to pay the price? You know, that stubbornly, ideologically and politically blind knida STUPID, that sees them habitually letting Labor govts off the hook just because of some ancient rumour suggesting that Labor is "for the people". It's a very special, all-pervading, all consuming blind kinda STUPID that results in Hoppers slapping year in year out into the same metaphysical windshields their forefathers slammed into.
Come on, folks! The Howard Govt says housing is the States' responsibility. The States say it's the Howard govt's responsibility. There's the difference? At least the Howard govt doesn't pretend to care. I say that makes it more honourable than Labor, which claims to care, yet sits idly by doing sweet FA.....unless it's Bulldozer related. It's not the Howard govt with its keys in the ignition of Policy D9. It's not the Howard govt that has lied to tenant in Minto and Bonnyrigg and, given time, St Mary's too no doubt.
It's not the Howard govt that makes cynical promises to the Labor party faithful, knowing full well that in 10 years, when redevelopment is complete, few are likely to remember the promises of their god-almighty Labor party saviours. It's not the Howard govt that pulls down 4 bedroom homes and replaces them with two-bedroom stock, which will ultimately be placed under the management of some multinational for the next 30 years.
I'm caused to remember the words of T.E Lawrence (yes, of Arabia) who said, "for so long as the Arab people fight among themselves, they will be a little people....a silly people!"
I say, for as long as tenants nip at the heels of the Howard govt because that's what their Labor roots have conditioned them to do, tenants will be a little people...a silly people....ultimately, a homeless people! And Labor will be glad of the indemnity their silliness has afforded it!!"
My politicophilosophical objections aside, the writing and imagery below are, as always, excellent!
Must dash. It seems I'm the only force opposing decade old Labor oppression in NSW, and there's lots to do!
Cry hovoc and let slip the blogs of war.
Raseac
DH takes Raseac's eloquent point and has amended the offending blog entry with big red letters. She wasn't really thinking of public housing in this context, but about the plight of private renters. In 2004-5 the federal govt spent $2.1 billion on Rent Assistance, compared to $1.3 for the provision of public housing. In the 10 years since the Federal Govt took office, their subsidies to public housing have declined by just over 1/2. And all this transfer of taxpayers' wealth to private landlords has failed to achieve affordability.
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