ALP WINS, INDONESIA LOSES

AAAGH I was wrong!! The Australian People have elected the Left Wing, Union Dominated Australian Labour Party and as the the Pope said to the Nun when the condom broke.."This can't be good"

Oh well there goes the budget surplus.

The average Indonesian will say that's good thing because that (Ex)Prime Minister Howard was a racist or arrogant along with the other tripe fed to them by morons. The reality is that Indonesia just fell off the Australian radar, ear wax chewing Rudd (The new PM)is a unmitigated Chinaphode and you can bet that China will be the new focus for Australia (Indonesia loses out yet again to China). Worse is yet to come for Indonesia, once the Democrats turf Bush (who every Indonesian loves to hate) all those pesky human rights and trade protection issues are going to come home to roost in a big way.

In the meantime, I am off to check how far the Aud $ has fallen against the USD..there must be some good news this weekend.

The Plastic Ocean

Now back to our regular holiday feature. One of the more pleasing aspects of the trip was the the complete lack of plastic bags and rubbish whereever we went along the Great Ocean Road. In fact, you could not buy or even get a plastic bag at the super market, you had to bring your own or pay for one their cloth bags (probably made in Indonesia). Anyone who has lived in Indonesia will know how the most common form of ocean life is the black and white plastic bags, closely followed by those triffords of the water industry, the plastic cup.

Unlike some of the expensive and no-effect changes proposed by the Climate Change Shriekers, whose sole effect in Indonesia has been to allow morally bankrupt businessmen to gut thousands of acres of forest in the name of climate saving eco-fuels (??!!). I can see nothing but good coming from an Indonesian wide ban on plastic bags and their ilk.

Why not holday in Indonesia? Well we do regularly, but to access somewhere pristine with a reasonable amount of infrastructure (Back - packing is for those people who don't any better) is becoming more and more difficult..although still open to suggestions.

More pictures tomorrow

Compulsory Military Service

The stump, like most expat bloggers who make any statement, or advance an opinion that shows Indonesian Society as anything else than a Utopia of tolerance and diversity get our share of hate mail. Invariably the xenophobes advise us to "go home" if we don’t like it, whilst drawing upon the usual xenophobic rants about “bule” social habits and choice of partners etc etc (I never said they were intelligent envy rants).

Personally, I think despite the lunacy, its kind of fun working here for awhile and besides the money is good (and it would want to be!). Additionally, I have family ties in this country, so I have had no real thoughts of leaving.

Having said that, it came as a bit of shock discover the Indonesian Government (I use the term loosely) is sponsoring a bill to force us to leave the country within six years.

A compulsory military service bill if passed, means that any Indonesian over the age of 18 may be subject to five years Military Service (although to be fair, that would only be those without the right connections). As this would directly affect a member of our family within six years, perhaps the writing is on the wall.

Now, having some experience of Military Service in a previous life, I am not against a couple of years of compulsory service for anyone in society. I believe it teaches character, discipline and respect for others. Of course that is only true in a professional, accountable, ethical organisation and these are not terms that even have a nodding acquaintance with Indonesia's unreformed uniformed thugs.
Fair Dinkum, I would rather he play soccer and become a greenie than enter the culture of intimidation, corruption and bullies that thrives in Indonesia's Thug brigades.

Still then again, at the rate the legislature works, they will probably still be debating the bill in six years. Of course, the so called people's servants may have really reformed by then too, we will know who was behind the Jakarta Riots, The sponsors of the Miltitia’s in East Timor and the murderers of the Balibo Five and any number of other innocent Indonesians at the hands of their “protectors”.

GREAT OCEAN ROAD MISH MASH

Hi all,

Been a bit idle lately with the blogging, although as can been seen from the picture far far better things to do. Bit of a trip to Victoria and toured the great Ocean Road, was a cold but fantastic trip.

Of course every trip has its downside, we meet our first fair dinkum aussie racist who strangely enough works (or manages? Who knows, he never had the guts to introduce himself properly)at an Anglesea Holiday Park. Its a strange world when these kind of idiots can get jobs in the tourist industry. It is always a bit of challenge when you run across these bottom feeders. Do you rear up and piss on them to at least make them smell like a man and risk leaving your loved ones alone whilst you cool your heels in Gaol, or do you just ignore the driftwood of life?

Meanwhile, the Australian Election is now a week away. With the twerp Rudd getting a dream run from the media and actually getting away with making statements for the economic future such as "Australia could become fund managers for chinese investors in Latin America". Who said the Looney Australian Labour Party of old was gone! Of course the habitual liar Howard is doing all he can to stay in power, flinging money around like a mad woman's shit.

Still, personally I cannot lose! If the union driven, Labour Party gets the nod, the aussie dollar will fall back to 50 cents to the USD and my USD wage looks a lot lot better. If the liar, but pro business Howard gets in, the economy will continue to go from strength to strength and my job opportunities will expand even more than they already have.

What else,.. Ah yes even in secular Australia, the "believers" are still scamming the poor bloody taxpayer. The NSW government is about to wear a $100 million bill for an upcoming visit from the King Condom Hater Pope Whatever Who Cares. Just goes to prove we all still have a long way to go to escape the clutches of the self appointed, self important and self delusional speakers for the various GODs of the Gaps.

Back in Indonesia I see we have been living up to our tolerant and inclusive image with more intimidation and arrests of people who happen to follow a different witchdoctor than the rest. Way to go lads!

ASEAN...Laugh..joke time (unless you are from Burma)

And lastly, Drugs in Sport. As a former sportsman of no repute but much effort, I have no sympathy for Drug Cheats and believe it is no laughing matter. However this comment made me laugh:

"IF HE IS CLEAN, WHAT DOES IT MATTER WHAT THE REST OF THEM ARE ON"
European Tour Chief Executive George O'Grady suggesting (tongue in cheek)that drug testing in Golf could be limited to Tiger Woods