When I was young, I had the honour of voting in my first election. It was in New Zealand back in the 1970's when there were two parties that most people voted for. Right or Left, I voted for neither. I cast my vote for a thing called Social Credit.
Now don't confuse this with the modern perception of China's Social Credit system..... in fact the two could not be more different. In fact, the very name that Douglas chose was something that gave it a bad reputation before it ever really got off the ground.
The Social Credit system, proposed by C.H. Douglas in the 1920s, aimed to solve a common economic problem: people often don’t have enough money to buy everything businesses produce, which leads to waste and financial hardship. Douglas’s solution involved giving everyone a basic income, called a “National Dividend,” and adjusting prices to make goods more affordable. By putting money directly into people’s hands and controlling the money supply through government rather than banks, Social Credit envisioned a fairer, more stable economy without taking away individual freedom or relying heavily on taxes.
You see, back then, I actually trusted my government to do the right thing.
Was I right or wrong? I will never know. I have voted staunchly conservative in every election since then. Was it the folly of youth? But my young ideological brain rather liked the idea and I have obviously become far more cynical since those heady days of youth.
Read more: Bridging the Money Gap to Create Fairer Economies...?
Phar Lap, the legendary Australian racehorse, and Donald Trump, the American business magnate turned political figure, share a unique legacy of resilience and controversy that captivates people worldwide.
Phar Lap defied the odds to become a symbol of hope during Australia’s darkest economic times, achieving legendary status through sheer speed, strength, and a fighting spirit. Similarly, Trump, rising from the business world to the highest office in the U.S., has become a polarising figure whose defiance of political norms has sparked both fervent support and heated opposition.
While one’s fame comes from winning races on the track and the other’s from dominating the political stage, both embody an unstoppable drive that either inspires or divides, showing how champions...of the racetrack or of the ballot box... leave lasting marks on history.
When I was a lad in Western Australia, the 5th of November used to be an eagerly awaited event.
That was Guy Fawkes Night, commemorating the apprehension in 1605 of conspirators who plotted to blow up the British Parliament and were hanged and quartered.
Just the sort of thing a young Flysa could get excited about.
The Catholic conspirators led by Fawkes, placed thirty-six barrels of gunpowder in an undercroft beneath the House of Lords in order to assassinate the Protestant King James 1 during the opening of Parliament, and place his young daughter Elizabeth on the throne as a puppet Queen.
Of recent days, it has come to my attention that being thrifty is something that is not much admired these days. And it all started with a teabag.....
There’s a razor-thin line between prudence and being, well, a miser.
And it got me thinking about the leprechaun ... Leprechauns, with their legendary pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, seem to be poster figures for hoarding wealth. But are they truly misers, or are they just exceptionally prudent?
So here we go down a Shaydee rabbit hole all about Leprechauns, teabags and misers....
Let’s be real: Leprechauns don’t exactly share their wealth freely. They guard their pots of gold like it’s the only thing tethering them to reality.
Much like we feel today when our banks refuse us access to our money. Are leprechauns merely little chaps who got a handle on it long before we did?
A recent court decision has left many Australians angry.
The case involving Senator Pauline Hanson and Senator Mehreen Faruqi highlights significant issues around racial discrimination and freedom of speech in Australian politics. In September 2022, after Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi criticised Queen Elizabeth II and the legacy of British colonialism in the wake of her death, Senator Hanson responded on social media, telling Faruqi to “piss off back to Pakistan.” This comment sparked widespread debate and led to legal action, with Faruqi pursuing a complaint under Australia’s Racial Discrimination Act.
A federal court judge recently ruled that Hanson’s statement did indeed constitute racial discrimination, as it implied that Faruqi did not belong in Australia due to her Pakistani heritage and Moslem background. The court found that Hanson's remark was not simply a response to political discourse but was instead tied to Faruqi’s race and ethnicity, making it discriminatory. This ruling underscores the limits of public officials’ comments, even under the protection of parliamentary privilege and free speech in Australia.
Well, I feel moved to write about this from an Australian perspective.
I’ve started and restarted this article, pondered how to avoid hurting anyone’s sensitivities, and in the end have decided to accept Admiral Farragut’s advice at the Battle of Mobile Bay in 1864: Damn the torpedoes - full speed ahead!
I have an intellectual and emotional stake in this matter of the Charge of Beersheba (Be’er-Sheva). My maternal grandfather, 2788 Trooper John Joseph McGrath, was a horse breaker who served in the 2nd Remount Unit for more than three years under Major A.B. ‘Banjo’ Paterson in Egypt and Palestine.
My father, QX 17611 S/Sgt James Hammill served in the 2/ 14th LHR between the wars, then in Tobruk and the Middle East, including Palestine, with the 2/9 Bn. The subject of the Charge of Beersheba was not an infrequent topic at home and in places that I visited.
Read more: Real or Re Enactment? The Charge at Beersheba... a photograph full of mystery
In a defining moment of World War I, British forces led by General Edmund Allenby liberated Jerusalem, ending four centuries of Ottoman rule.
After the daring charge at Beersheba paved the way, Allenby chose a symbolic and respectful approach - entering the ancient city on foot rather than horseback, signaling a new era.
With this humble stride in 1917, Allenby sought to honour the city’s sacred history, cementing his place in history as both a conqueror and a peacemaker.
After all, to the Victor go the Spoils as the saying goes.
I have to wonder if perhaps what is going on right now is that the vanquished are fighting back.......
Read more: Without OUR Jerusalem, Can WE Survive? To the Victor the Spoils
Beersheba is a name that should resonate with every Australian with the same ease and reverence as Gallipoli.
Sadly it does not.
Because the charge on the desert city of Beersheba on 31st October, 1917 is the most outstanding piece of military daring and execution ever undertaken in the military history of the World.
On that day 800 members of the Australian 4th Light Horse Brigade of the Imperial Mounted Division brought a stunning victory from the jaws of defeat and started the dismembering of the Ottoman Empire.
The attack began in the late afternoon by this unique breed of men riding a unique breed of horse. It is widely described as the last great cavalry assault yet the participants were not cavalry; they were mounted infantry.
Read more: The Battle of Beersheba - A bold Charge that Changed the Tide of History
Virtually all political persuasions agree on the need for police. For libertarians, maintaining a criminal justice system, of which the police are a major component, is viewed as one of the few legitimate roles of government.
The first modern and professional police force was the London Metropolitan Police Service, established in 1829. At the time there was substantial public opposition to a large and possibly armed police force, based on fears it could be used to suppress protest or support unpopular rule. The example of France, which had secret police at the time, was significant.
The Met was established by Robert Peel, Britain’s Home Secretary, who set out to address these concerns via his nine principles of policing. These principles are now famous and remain the gold standard for police everywhere.
How have we come to this mess in the Middle East?
The strange thing is that my mind immediately went to that figure of historical notoriety, Lawrence of Arabia.
It is probably accepted that most kids today wouldn't have a clue who we was, but most of us from the era who actually got taught things other than gender fluidity in school , have heard of this imposing figure.
The British gentleman who rode around the desert with his blue eyes and, today, would have had more fans on social media than Taylor Swift.
So who was he?
I was 15 years old and I wanted to learn to drive. My brothers scarpered. My parents were extraordinarily busy and the queue of volunteers was surprisingly small; much like supporters at a Kamala Harris Rally, no one seemed that keen on the task.
One of my brother's friends was conscripted
He was the kind of lad ( 18 years old ) who would have been ordered to dance with the wall flowers at the school dance and would obligingly dance a waltz or foxtrot with the plain girl or the fat girl or the girl with crooked teeth.
I could never understand why no one wanted to teach me how to drive: I was pretty, blonde, slim, and had very nice teeth. I didn't smell awful and was, in all respects, fairly easy on the eye.
But for some reason the prospect of sitting in the passenger seat while I navigated my way around a gearbox, a clutch and three little pedals didn't seem to be as popular as I had hoped.
Read more: Learning to Drive - it pays to have a good teacher
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