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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.
Happy 2010 and it's on again for young and old!
Oh the crocodile tears being shed by the SMH over West Ryde whose property values are dropping because 9 houso families are trying to move in.
Meanwhile, the Daily Telegraph's crocodile tears are splashing all over the 50,000 people on Public Housing waiting lists
Tomorrow, no doubt, the Tele and the SMH will change lobsters, ... er, crocodiles... and dance to the opposite tune.
A few facts for the SMH:
- most housos can't afford cars and don't need car parking spaces
- research shows housing estate carparks are colonised by the surrounding private residents
So why should we housos subsidise parking for private residents with our rents?
And a reminder for the Telegraph, and the disingenuous Greg Pearce, Liberal Party housing spokesperson:
- waiting lists have blown out because the Evil Howard Liberals starved the states of funding for public housing for a decade
- Federal Labor is trying to do something about it fast. Greg, you do understand that eggs have to be broken for omelettes, don't you?
- And when did NSW Liberals ever give a damn about public housing? Can you trust 'em as far as you can throw 'em?
DH doesn't believe most of the private residents in NSW are necessarily evil nimbies. There is every reason to be concerned about the evolution of a ghetto culture in NSW. But the public does need to understand and educate themselves about the complex issues behind it all. Especially how the tax system promotes housing inequity. Just don't expect researching the tax system to be easy or as much fun as lynching the nearest houso scapegoatsBut just in case the Nimbies of NSW really do exist:
You'll think public housing is a great idea when granny gets evicted, when big brother gets schizophrenia, when brother-in-law deserts sis with the kids, when you get a chronic ailment and can't work; when you can no longer afford to live within 3 hours of your workplace. . .
But it will be too late
In case you've forgotten the steps of the Lobster Quadrille, you form 2 lines, advance twice, each with a Lobster as a partner of course, change sides, and then, if you're sensible, you throw the Lobsters as far out to sea as you can... (Alice in Wonderland).
5 comments:
Hi Desperate Houso
At least those demonstrators were drawing attention to the fact that the DOH was building 'dog boxes' for its clients. Having almost been forced into moving into one of these, I know what they are on about. Living in small spaces without any outlook can drive people insane. Maybe there's a method in their madness. It could be designed to get a quick turnover of clients to get the waiting list down ...
But are they dog-boxes? I believe some of them are quite well designed, to the highest of "beggars cant be choosers" standards. I don't know. I have never been in one of the new ones.
The one I was shown last year definitely was a 'dog box'. This was the expression that came instantly to my mind, and I'd never heard it before. Then I saw the Ryde protestors using the same term on the banners. These 'dog boxes' look OK from the outside, but once you get inside, they are claustrophobic.
I've just seen a unit in a high density cluster public housing housing complex on the nothern beaches hinterland. The placement of so many people in two-storey blocks of eight units in a battleaxe block, segregated from their neighbours living in standard suburban homes, is downright depressing. The complex looks about 20 years old indicating that what the West Ryde residents are complaining about is nothing new. There is a large parking area, with no cover, and yes, a lot of public housing tenants do have cars, particularly those living not living in the inner city.
Joe Schipp was the last Liberal who gave a monkey's about public housing.
The fear-n-smear campaign is designed to boost John Alexander's bid for Bennelong. The anti public hosing people represent the first substantial grassroots campaign against Maxine McKew, and not being an old hand at politics she doesn't quite know how to take it. I think she'll survive and learn from it, but it won't be pretty or simple.
The trouble with Alexander is that he's also fielding complaints that property prices are skyrocketing. Anecdotal evidence suggests this is due to the influx of money from northeastern Asia into the area. It will take real skill to campaign against this without so much as hinting at racism.
A clever campaign would put it to him: well, which is it Mr Alexander? Are housing prices in this area being artificially inflated or depressed by Labor's policies? Are there any Liberal policies that would countermand this, and if so what are they?
Two years from now, on a slow news day, the O'Farrell Government will concede that there's nothing they can do about the housing development at West Ryde and it will go ahead, and the Liberals will wonder why they get no credit for their work in public housing.
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