My Epic Fracking Fail

Hello Japan, Brazil, Colombia, and Argentina and welcome to the blog...apparently I'm big in South America today...(I'm not sure that a handful of 'views' on an entire continent is by definition 'big'-Ed)...yeah, alright, fair enough...but welcome anyway...(and Japan's not in South America-Ed)...yeah alright, thankyou...anyhoos...

My Epic Fail: wasn't really that epic, but a fail none the less...and I apologise for not getting to the Fracking protest held today outside the Naracoorte Town Hall, where-in the South East Local Government Association (SELGA) were having their Annual General Meeting...(SELGA is all the local Mayors, Council CEOs, etc-Ed)....ta'...but my little car conked-out twice before the airport (10kms?), and was overheating before Tarpeena (20kms?) so I had to turn back...

I don't know what's going on, it runs just fine most of the time, eg, to Penola and back along that same road last week and barely a hiccup, but every once and a while it just spits the dummy...(is it having a tantrum or something?...'I'm not going today!'-Ed)...hilarious, it almost seems like it...flatly refuses to go, twice, and then when I get it to move, it holds it's breath until it turns blue and overheats... 

As frustrating as this is in the moment, it's not a terrible problem to have...(sorry, what?-Ed)...I'd rather be having annoying problems with my car, than 1) a complete breakdown which would lead to, 2) no car at all...(that sort of makes sense...it's one of those 'a nice problem to have' things...the glass is half full-Ed)...exactly...I don't fancy being sans automobile again for any period of time, let alone the 6 years (2004-2010) that I didn't have a car...it's difficult to get anywhere in Mt Gambier outside of business hours...no public transport you see...

(Yeah, yeah, no bus service outside of 0900-1715, weekdays only...make a good election issue wouldn't you think?-Ed)...it was a major issue at the last state election in which I was a candidate I was...(I believe you-Ed)...and I was roundly abused in The Border Watch, and by Anelia Blackie of TBW at the Election Forum, and soundly rebuked by Labor candidate Viv Maher at said Forum...roundly rebuked all about for creating 'an unnecessary panic' with my claims that the bus service was on the verge of ending.

(But you spoke to the local service provider and 2 government departments who all said that the contract was due to expire June/July 2010 and that there was no 'renewal contract' anywhere in sight...and the provider said they couldn't do it without a contract...and after you kicked up about it, it became an election issue, then a new contract renewal 'appeared', and the albeit sub-standard service was saved...have I got any of that wrong?-Ed)...no, spot on...

(And wasn't Don Pegler on stage at that forum?-Ed)...yeah, I think he said he supported the bus service, etc...why?...(well he's been the Member for Mt Gambier for near on 4 years and yet Public Transport in Mt Gambier is still completely woeful...not one cent more funding and the same part-time service-Ed)...good point...you're suggesting that perhaps a bit of vehement outrage in Parliament every time Adelaide gets free buses to and from everything, perhaps that might be appropriate...(indeed-Ed)...

And we'd like to make the point that we fully support the local provider and understand that they provide the best service possible given that the service is grossly underfunded at both a Local and State Government level...how the previous provider managed at all is beyond me...the McCormicks clearly were driven by a sense of 'Public Duty' in achieving the provision they did with the funding...they must have worked many hours outside of that they were payed for...but I digress...  

(Yeah, but with that 'not going anywhere' business, that was mostly the Agoraphobia/Depression stuff...you weren't leaving the house at all barely-Ed)...fair enough...probably fair to say that the AD stuff was driving the car that didn't exist...(I so, so hate it when you make such perfect sense with such esoteric drivel...uhuhuh I'm driving a car that doesn't exist...orrr, I'm freakin' out man-Ed)...move on...(I'm moving, I'm moving-Ed)...move faster...

And maybe the Universe was just saying, 'don't you go there hippy '...(no, it's 'cause ya' cars rooted mate-Ed)...I'll tell you who's going to be roo...(ah ah ah, manners-Ed)...Bottomline: it is frustrating because I'd have liked to hear what local Member Don Pegler had to say and then go in the hall and furiously eye-ball a few people...more tomorrow...   

I'm lovin' the Weasel Words comin' out of the Prime Minister Tony Abbott and various Ministers including Joe Hockey...apparently "we've got to end the age of entitlement" and start one of "personal responsibility"...and this is rank 'Abbotese' for slashing Social Security support and casting many thousands into the Too Hard And Frankly Give A Damn basket...so welcome to the age of 'not giving a stuff about anyone else' and 'every bastard for themselves'...welcome to the new Class war as the 'born-to-rule' mentality of the Liberal Party rampages about the hallowed halls of Canberra.

And is there anything more trite and insulting than a politician mouthing off about removing "entitlements" from others, let alone a Liberal politician condemning others for having 'a sense of entitlement'...how many 'entitlements' do politicians get?...including recently giving themselves a 33% pay rise, taking a lowly back-bencher's/cross bencher's salary to $200,000...

Entitlement Thy Name Be Alexander Downer:...Alexander Shrekin Downer...walks out of Federal parliament after losing the 2007 election forcing a costly by-election in his Adelaide Hills seat (Mayo? sorry)...but doesn't just walk out because he's lost his precious Foreign Affairs portfolio, but is off having lunch with lobbyists and fellow consultants...(and then it's discovered he's up to his beady eyeballs whilst Minister in spying on the East Timorese government to get insider information for a resources deal that he's a part of-Ed)...what a champ.

And of course there's former federal Liberal Ian McLoughlin as the head of the SA Cricket Assoc, and John Olsen as the head of the SA National Football League, and the $90million SACA debt pay-off and Adelaide Oval redevelopment that the SE Forestry Sale financed...(ok, ok, calm down big fella-Ed)...sorry, sorry...it's just so galling to hear the Liberal Party holding forth about someone else's 'sense of entitlement', but absolutely infuriating when they're targeting low income earners and the unemployed.

(And don't get you started with the Disability Support services stuff, yeah?-Ed)...again, targeting vulnerable people who get sparse support now, let alone in Regional areas, let alone in Regional areas in South Australia where anything outside Adelaide is effectively irrelevant...segue away...

Just caught the full version of the new Adelaide Tourism ad thingy...and I don't know about the 'she's got dirty ears' criticism, but I agree with the commentary that it looks like 'come to Adelaide and get pissed...durghhh, pretty lights'...and the new Limestone Coast ad that only goes to Robe and doesn't mention Mt Gambier, same thing...I can see why people would criticise them both as being mostly about 20 year olds getting drunk somewhere.

And that newish SA logo with the red squares/doors thingy...what is going on with that?...it looks like a stylised Baboon leaving...(oh, nice imagery...very The Lion King-Ed)...or 'hello world, we're the back end of Australia, the back door of Australia'...(has anyone done a 'the last person out please close the door' joke?-Ed)...yeah, I've heard that from a few people...oh, and the equally confusing Limestone Coast logo thingy with the overlapped plectrum-shaped colour patches, that's from one of the morning TV show's backdrop.

Oh, and just had a 'view' from/in Ecuador...where were you earlier Ecuador? I could have had a South American clean sweep on the 'Welcome Mat'...no matter, hello and welcome to the blog...I'm Nick and I'm a large, angry, hippy...and that's Ed...(hi-Ed)...and he's an imagined instrument of inclusion, that is, he's not real, I make up 'his' stuff to try and talk with people reading the blog, rather than at and/or down to them...('his' stuff...I could be a woman...it could be short for Edwina, or Edith...what makes you think I'm  a man?-Ed)...your beard...and Ed is usually an abbreviation of Editor...(oh yeah-Ed)...

Enough for today...and this post a metaphor for the day itself...lots of waffle, very little filling...

Tomorrow: More Frickin' Frackin'

Is there a more critical issue unraveling in the South East?

I am Nick Fletcher and this is my blog...cheers and laters...