More Work From The Angry Chair

Hello South Africa, Poland, Ireland, and Germany...and welcome to the blog and Turkey has 'gone' again after 'coming back' for one day...no idea what's going on there...the stats stuff page is a bit allover the place at the moment too...it is also possible that availees are going via another source, eg, just via Google itself not directly through the blog...whatevs, cheers to everyone wherevs/whoevs/whyevs...

My Tech Support:...(a teenager-Ed)...indeed, has looked at these 'Cheating sites', etc, that are coming up in the stats as 'Referring Sites', and reckons some are probably genuine but chances are they're largely trawling for unprotected computers and/or carrier sites for Trojan viruses, etc, and in that context are not particularly unusual...excuse please my paranoia but 1) every week I get people saying that my computer and phones, etc, will be monitored, bugged, etc, and 2) I'm para enough about someone setting me up for some shizzle via a computer/laptop/whatevs because I understand it's relatively fairly easy to do...

And of course 3) SAPol still have my laptop from when they "seized" it back on May 8th 2014 when 2 Anti-Corruption very politely executed their anonymous, open-ended, 6 month valid, Police Commissioner issued, general daily use, go wherevs, whenevs, whyevs and seize whoevs, whatevs, and there's sweet Fanny Adams ya' can do 'bout it hippy, Search Warrant...(ohhh, that Search Warrant-Ed)...and gourd only knows what's possibly on that laptop by now...(and that, folks, ain't bein' one single bit paranoid-Ed)...indeed...

I'll just re-iterate that I and some other parents have been in effectively a pitched battle against SAPol for 12 years+ as SAPol covers up their gross failures re teacher Glyn Dorling and the St Martins Lutheran School Child Abuse Cover-up, a conflict founded in SAPol's abject refusal to even do an investigation...I remind availees that Dorling was never even formally interviewed, let alone charged, despite multiple adult witnesses, also none of whom were interviewed, and several kids disclosures, and that Principal John Alexander had already removed Dorling, never to return, etc, etc...

But Dorling being unceremoniously reefed outta' the school midyear for grossly inappropriate contacts with the 7 year olds in his care, that didn't stop the shreckin' Lutherans including him in the class photos section of their year book at the end of 2002...(whatta' packa' bastards-Ed)...how very politely put dear Ed when one considers I know what's hap'nin' in your 'ead...

And tomorrow I'm going to be hacking, slashing and compulsively clearing all about the yard, etc, after there was a fire near Nantawarra in the state's Mid-North today...that's approx 700+kms North East of here but it won't be long before Mt Gambier is ringed by dry shizzle and I ain't taken any chances...and at Nantawarra the local CFS and the farmers saved other people's houses but there were injuries and one man is in hospital fighting for his life after being badly burned...poor bastard fell off a unit into the fire and had to be air-lifted to Adelaide...

This was/is a relatively small fire restricted largely to cropping areas, a 'grass fire', but there were a couple of bad injuries including this volunteer...I shed a tear when I saw this on the news, it's a terrible personal tragedy and a starkly terrifying reminder of the potential disaster facing the heavily populated Adelaide Hills this summer and every summer thereafter...Mt Gambier is not immune from this fire threat as evidenced by the 2003 Canberra fires where a fire starting in farm land rushed into the outer suburbs causing several deaths, hundreds of injuries and several hundred homes were lost, a scenario that surrounds Mt Gambier...  

It is not playing any sort of political game to link this terrible injury with Labor's and the Member for Frome Geoff Brock's 'stunting' over including Country Fire Service volunteers in compensation/insurance cover similar to the full-time Metropolitan Fire Service...(or the gross underfunding of CFS units that see individual units doing fundraisers to purchase basic equipment like water tanker-trucks-Ed)...indeed...nor is it merely politically expedient to then hurl furiously at the Labor Party for it's scandalous re-vamp of WorkCover and the associated legislation...

Again I remind availees that Labor Minister Leon Bignells' wife has made a fortune running the WorkCover scheme, and the pair of them were personally involved in the fake Family First t-shirt/pamphlet fraud as conducted outside polling booths in Neon Leon's electorate back at the March 2010 election...(just charming people-Ed)...cream of the crop indeed...now Labor's exciting new plan is called Get Back To Work You Bloody Plebs...(um, I think it's actually called Return To Work-Ed)...and under GBTWYBP protocols a worker who, for example, loses an arm and a leg, will still have trouble accessing full compensation and can/will be pushed off income support/compensation after only 2 years...

This is a compilation paraphrase of several interviews, articles, etc, and a 'nearly worst case' scenario, but it is a reasonable example of what these changes will allow to happen...(and this from the Labor Party, defender of the Working Man...bollocks-Ed)...indeed, bollocks...there's only one species of politician in SA and as best I can tell even people who generally don't complain are revolting...(dirty, dirty peasants-Ed)...eg, the West Coast CFS crew (Greenrise?) who have officially declared that they will not be fighting fires in National Parks, etc, in response to the outrageous hikes in the Emergency Services Levy...

(I reckon that Labor were counting on the fact that most CFS/SES/whatevs volunteers are hardcore about supporting their communities and would just turn out no matter how badly they're treated by the Adelaidecentric politicians, and it's all gone a little bit wrong-Ed)...indeed, with these massive increases people 1) can't actually afford the time off work to volunteer, 2) companies cannot afford to give people the time-off they have in the past, and 3) all involved are feeling thoroughly unappreciated and quite rightly a bit pissed off at goin' the hard yards time and again, for over and over again risking terrible injuries even death, and then gettin' arsed-about re compensation and slugged with a massive tax rise called the ESL...

Surely even Labor can see the huge insult in charging people for a service that they (the farmers, employers, volunteers, etc) themselves supply for free and at great personal cost and risk, and to a value far above what they're being slugged...(and that's exactly what is it, a nasty gouge from a broke government, a government broken, morally and literally bankrupt-Ed)...indeed, and Labor's main strategy for financing their fiscal incompetence is to open up an artery called the public purse and bleed the citizenry dry via the highest taxes and charges, fees and levies, the highest fines, exacerbated by far and away the highest utility prices in Oz, second for electricity across the entire planet, shocking unemployment figures, etc...

And these 'manipulated loyalties' concerns naturally leech into the proposed amalgamation of the MFS, CFS, and SES (State Emergency Service) where I fear the same 'they'll turn out no-matter-what' gamble/strategy is being applied as Labor appear to be trying to get absolute control over the CFS and SES, possibly with a view to cutting back paid MFS services...my concerns are 'fueled' by Labor's Emergency Services Minister Tony Piccollo citing 'cost-cutting' and 'duplication' as the main justifications for this amalgamation, and the quickest way to save is cut services, particularly paid services that can be replaced with volunteers...

And apologies but I'm just gunna' cut and run right about....here...it's been a very long week and I'm thoroughly stuffed albeit the stuffedness of the achiever rather than the sufferer...(yeah, I can dig that man-Ed)...cheers...

Tomorrow: The Council Meeting...I Promise

(Dorrr, we've all heard that before-Ed)...and probably again, but I will get there, I promise...

Written and Authorised by Nick Fletcher, 16 Kooringa St, Mt Gambier, SA 5290...cheers and laters...

Here's Stuff All About Things

Hello and welcome and mild apologies for 1) missing a post yesterday, but had company all afternoon, some dinner, did a bitta' bloggin', but had a break and then fell asleep on the couch, it was a real 'crash-and-crash-out'...I clearly needed that 7 hours sleep...(7 whole hours you greedy sleepig-Ed)...orr fair go! normally it's 5 at night if I'm lucky and a nanna-nap in the arvo every few days...(fair enough-Ed)...and apology 2) this 'ere bit-piece catch-up post cobbled together from not necessarily related issues...(well you do that every post, so why apologise?-Ed)...fair enough...

But first, helllllooooooo Turkey and welcome back to y'all...don't know what happened but, not a word of a lie, yesterday 'Turkey' wasn't viewing the blog at all, for at least a month...(I believe that you posted about this very recently-Ed)...I believe you that you believe that, and we'd both be right...***and now a massive 3) has lobbed it's collective ugliness into my morning with a Stuart Stansfield interview with outgoing Mt Gambier City Councillor Jim Maher...more at the end...*** 

Hello again availees in Turkey...I don't know what happened, but for a few moments I considered the possibility that I had managed to offend an entire nation...(do ya' reckon this 'ere blog maybe got caught up in the Twitter shutdown kerphuffle stuff where Turkish President Recep Teyyep Erdogan completely albeit briefly shut down Twitter due to issues of public dissent/opposition/whatevs?-Ed)...indeed, I noted this story as one of several that happened to be on the ChillingEffects Interweb site when I was researching yesterday's post...but I digress...

In the last few weeks there was a buncha' stuff goin' through the Mt Gambier media re Mental Health service provision, not least of all the cynical bastardry of the Headspace (Youth Mental Health service) announcement, and this was rudely rammed home with one of those classic Country Health SA interviews on the ABC last week when their representative reeled off all sortta' fabulous figures as facts, lurching from pillar to post, and then right at the end spat out the truth and shot through...(charming-Ed)...

Ms Rebbeccah Graham repeatedly stated as fact that there are/were 15 new staff at the 6 bed Mental Health Ward at the Mt Gambier Hospital "early next year"...she also stated that there were 40 people providing MH services in the South East, and that changed to 400 later in the interview, but that could have been referring to Sow Straya as a whole, wasn't clear...the main part of the interview naturally focussed on the 'moratorium' on Medicare Local MH Referrals that is supposedly going to help the service catch-up on a massive back-log...and as posted the other day, I know at least one young woman who is currently trying to get a GP referral to get a MH referral, but a referral to whom/where?

Note: I am not a medical professional and I am not in anyway suggesting that people shouldn't try to get a referral, if you want/need help politely insist on a GP appointment and then politely insist on a referral.

But I repeat, Ms Graham repeatedly stated as fact that Country Health SA were doing great work and that they had 15 new staff for this new unit...not 'hoping to get', or even 'we're very confident that we'll get', it was a straight out statement made several times over...then right at the end of the interview she suddenly stated that the ads for those positions were going to go out "soon"...if you missed the last 30 seconds of that interview you'd be left thinking that these people were employed and on the way...(but they haven't even advertised yet?-Ed)...exactly...

All of these statements about how Mental Health services will suddenly appear in Mt Gambier fully staffed, are statements made ignoring the facts re the ongoing barriers to staff recruitment that sees us in the predicament we are currently in - no resident psychiatrist where there should be 6 for the population base, the Mental Health Referral Service closed, 1 person doing Drug/Alcohol Counselling for the entire Lower South East, etc, etc - it's an unmitigated perpetual fiasco ignored by people who know exactly what the issues are.

It's one thing to hold forth in absolute ignorance...(like in a blog say?-Ed)...exactly, but it's another thing,  hang on, sorry, what?...(or is 'forth' your pet name for your penis?-Ed)...I what? hang on, where the...I...(I think what you're trying to say is that it's one thing to make outrageously ridiculous and clearly deceitful claims, about anything, to make those statements in ignorance of the facts, but it's a whole other barrel of rotten apples to make these statements knowing full well that it ain't gunna' happen-Ed)...no no, what was that penis jibe?...

(I've a couple of personal sayings for such circumstances...1) Ignorance alone is merely ignorance, but ignorance with pride is sheer f***in' stupidity...and 2) Mistakes made in ignorance can hurt on a par with more deliberate acts...so basically, yes it's one thing to make genuine mistakes, but ya' gotta' accept that without any ill-intent involved, you can really stuff things up for others, and an apology is sometimes warranted regardless of what you personally think...but my main point here is that these people know damn well what they're lying about and that makes them liars, not ignorami...and before you ask, I think ignorami is the plural of ignoramus, and if it isn't it should be-Ed)... 

Just reporting now on ABC Radio that the Medicare Local Mental Health Referral Service will re-open on Monday 2nd November, and they're looking to speak to local GPs about taking on some of the workload...(so they haven't actually spoken to them yet?-Ed)...dunno, that's what's so infuriating about how slackly some things are reported, but yes, the way this story was reported would indicate that they haven't actually even made that approach yet...(but they've been shut for 6(?) weeks because they're overloaded, so why haven't they made that contact, even made it months ago? they must have seen this closure sometime ahead of it actually happening-Ed)...well exactly...

There was nothing in this report about how the Medicare Local intends to deal with the last 6 weeks worth of referrals that are waiting for them when they re-open Monday, but I'll try to get all optimistic about the fact that at least it's opening again, I did have my concerns that they wouldn't re-open...(but aren't the federal Liberals axing the Medicare Locals and replacing them with some similar service?-Ed)...again, well exactly, and what will happen with that further disruption to services?...Medicare Local haven't been able to recruit permanent professionals, so why will any new authority be any different?...(I don't know-Ed)...no, it was a rhetorical question...(*more tomorrow*)

And just when I was getting somewhere with catching-up on some stuff, up comes this interview with Jim Maher, who is retiring off Council after 8 years because of 'the time, demands on individuals and families, etc and there's more to do with life'...Jim stated that his 3 aspirations were 'Environmental Sustainability, Community, and Sustainable Growth and Development', with the ES stuff carried forward in Council as a major part of thinking...(what ES stuff?-Ed)...well Council now has a Sustainability Officer and Sub-committee and there are solar panels planned for the library, apparently, and that this all stemmed from a 'chance meeting with Steb Fisher at Generations in Jazz' and there's now a 'strong framework and it'll grow around that framework'...

Then it was something about how 'Councils underlying history is roads, buildings, etc, but how Mt Gambier City Council has great community well-being ideas, activities, etc, a tradition for many years, eg, Lifelong Learning and it's wonderful outcomes...then Jim started praising Council for their relations with Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islanders, identifying a 'better relationship with the flags displayed, we've come a long way'...and when Stuart Stansfield quite rightly put it to Jim that 'it took a long time getting there, why?', Jim expressed his frustration re the flags, stating "wish I knew" and something about 'a lack of support, we can have flags in the Chamber but it's underlying attitudes not just physical outcomes, to reflect community & outcomes...and there's a long way but still to go..it's complex...and I'm also probably guilty of judgements and thinking based on my heritage'...

(But he was on Council for 8 years and it took until the last few months of that for Council to display the flags-Ed)...I know...(and Council directly voted down displaying the flags only a coupla' years back-Ed)...indeed...(so I'd say there are no 'underlying attitudes', I'd say those attitudes are right up on top evident to any whom care to look-Ed)...indeed...the discussion then shifted to Jim's unwavering commitment to the Labor Party, with himself, wife Viv Maher, and son Kyam all Labor candidates, with Kyam Maher a current Member of the Legislative Council...

When asked about the issue of City Councillors with Liberal ties and/or general party politics, Jim stated 'there's very little influence', and in response to 'are there politically based voting blocs on Council?', Jim replied outright "no", that 'blocs emerge inevitably but there are no voting blocs re parties, eg, Tony Pasin and I were Presidents of the local Liberals (Pasin) and Labor, and if voting blocs were evident it would mean we've gone backwards', and then 'I've been on Local Government delegations arguing against Labor government policy'...and when asked yet again, Jim yet again stated 'no, don't see it'...

Cr Maher then very politely criticised those who are promoting themselves as having no specific political ties and/or actually don't, as being people taking "a shallow approach" to politics...the discussion was closed out with Cr Maher's extended observations that Council does alright but have improvements to make with public consultation and communication...(and his very final bit about 'people who need to do appropriate research on issues like the Rail Lands and bike lanes' and something about not being impressed with slogans, but 'far more impressed with people who have gone away and do their research and know the history and underlying facts'-Ed)...indeed...

These are clearly paraphrases from a long interview, quickly typed down whilst listening, but I am very confused about a number of issues raised, and indeed it would appear that I have made a series of quite erroneous claims on this 'ere blog previous, eg, that there are politically aligned blocs controlling local Councils, the Rail Lands Retail Agenda, etc, so I'm contacting Cr Maher to seek clarification on these issues...keep ya' posted... 

Tomorrow: The Council Meeting Of 21st October 2014...Wow

(Unbeshreckinlievable-Ed)...all I can say is wow...wow...an hour of mutual self-praise that politely glazed over any hint of reality...

Written and Authorised by Nick Fletcher, 16 Kooringa St, Mt Gambier, SA 5290

Reasons For Pulled Posts

Hello Cyprus, Iraq, Thailand, and China...and welcome to a changed topic short sharp sortta' day off for me but some homework for availees should y'all wish to go diggin' through the blog to the following dates;

1) Tuesday March 26th 2013 ,
2) Monday April 1st 2013,
3) Wednesday April 24th 2013,
4) Monday May 6th and Tuesday May 7th 2013,
5) Wednesday June 5th 2013,
6) Friday July 5th 2013, and,
7) Wednesday March 19th 2014.

On these dates I've had a total of 10 posts removed without any notification from Google or Blogspot or anything from anyone...(not quite true-Ed)...oh yes, sorry, I did receive some rambling threats from a lawyer earlier last year but I've got no idea what's happening there, I've heard nothing since...then this morning I was just trawling back through to see if any posts had been pulled recently and happened to check the attached link 'Chilling Effects' on one of the above 'pulled posts', only to discover that some time since I last checked (4-6 weeks ago) the complaints have been processed and posted...(get on-Ed)...

All 4 posts above as numbered 2) and 4) are the same letter from the same lawyers, and the rest are self-explanatory...it would seem that a lot of people, including a pack of lawyers, are getting a lot of advice from, presumably, other lawyers about the apparently fabulous opportunities I've provided them to go me for defamation...(that happens a lot to you doesn't it?-Ed)...indeed...(the making of the threats that is, not the going of you...in fact, I don't believe you've ever been gone-Ed)...and again, indeed...

Rather than run the risk of having this post pulled down for publishing bits of those complaints...(and gourd knows anything's possible in that regard-Ed)...exactly...I'll just state the dates, and if y'all care to read what these complaints were, go ya' hardest...I do note though, the hilarious first line from the very first complaint, 'oh yeah that sale was unusual but it wasn't illegal'...(oh yeah sure it looks dodgy, but it's fine-Ed)...just fine...(just fine-Ed)...

Media Sluttin': my Mayorally Aspirant way about town today via a great interview with 5SE Radio what they done contact me about last week...I was asked when my ABC interview was due to air and stated that I hadn't even heard from the ABC, then explained how I was banned-off talk-back, getting kicked out of the ABC office whilst being threatened with the police, etc...I think it's fair to say 5SE were incredulous that I haven't even been contacted re the Mayoral candidacy stuff, and dumbfounded at the rest...(well it's all just so incredulistically dumbfoundering-Ed)...well quite...  

Tomorrow: That Promised Council Meeting Stuff

Written and Authorised by Nick Fletcher, 16 Kooringa St, Mt Gambier, SA 5290...cheers and laters

Ooo, I'm Angry Today

Hello and welcome to the blog y'all...and I've been reviewing the blog's viewing statistics page/s and still one of the top 'Referral URLs and/or Sites' is a series of web-dating/web 'sex-cam'/whatevs sites but I still haven't figured out how and or why...(well it's not me if that's what you're insinuating-Ed)...no no, this is about how people access the blog, which is why I don't see the connection...it's also similar but different I think to the ads on the same 'address' last time I checked...then it was something about 'cheating dating' and porn, this month it looks more like straight 'hook-up' sites...

Also, as vague and/or variable as the statistics can be, there are certain trends that do emerge, particularly when it comes to lists of countries where people are viewin' this 'ere blog...and in that context, it leaps off the page, literally, when Turkey was a relatively recent but reasonably regular companion in my literary shenanigans, but has not appeared once in over a month...why has this happened?...I find it very hard to believe that a similar number of daily views over several months would just suddenly stop completely...one day Turkey was there in the stats, then one day you/they ain't, and so you/they've fallen off the stats pages for 'now', 'day', 'week', and then 'month'...but I digress...

I'll quickly re-iterate my personal fury at the callous, cynical deceit of the recent 'funding announcement' for a Headspace Youth Mental Health Care Facility thingy in Mt Gambier, and there's Member for Barker Tony Pasin, his good mate Mayor Steve Perryman, Council CEO Mark McShane, etc, all praising each other up about a facility that they all know is never going to happen...it is a ludicrous and hurtful deceit to state as fact that there will be any such service in the context where there's currently only a handful of providers working in the sector in Mt Gambier...

I was shocked to learn via their Interweb site that there's already 85 Headspace units operating around Oz, 10 of those in Sow Straya...Tony Pasin has made a big song-and-dance about how he's got this alleged Mt Gambier Headspace for his electorate, yet failed to mention that one is already operating at Murray Bridge, also in his electorate of Barker...(and there's one in Pt Augusta too-Ed)...indeed...and so this is the third for Regional SA...(well actually 4th, because there's one at Berri in the Riverland-Ed)...anyone else?...(well Headspace themselves sortta' refer to their Northern Adelaide area Edinburgh/Gawler service and the one at Noarlunga, deep in Adelaide's Southern suburbs as being 'Regional services', so in that context 6th-Ed)...terrific... 

Apologies for being so parochial, and certainly no ill-will toward these other areas that are already getting the service, but Mt Gambier is frequently spruiked as being the largest Regional centre in SA...(because it is-Ed)...because it is the largest.....ah, because, it is...and therefore one could be excused for thinking that this might mean that the first Regional SA unit would be placed here...add to that the catastrophic state of Mental Health service provision across recent years, and that would seem to make it a forgone conclusion...(well I don't know where it's gone, but it ain't cummin' 'ere-Ed)...

And I don't apologise for repeating myself over yet again once more because this announcement is such a fundamental lie that all these people know is a lie because it's an equally fundamental reality of Health Provision across all sectors across the South East across decades, that the number one massive hurdle is recruiting staff, or rather the inability to recruit staff, and then even if specialists, etc, are recruited it appears it's near impossible to retain them...

(So you're suggesting that these people like Tones and Stevo and Marky Mark McShenanigans, when they aren't doin' shizzle like helping cover-up the gross abuse of a class of 7 year olds at St Martins, they're organising themselves to deliberately manipulate and deceive Mental Health care patients, their families and carers, and the broader public, all of whom are already suffering a gross lack of facilities/services/personnel/whatevs, manipulate and deceive them for personal political advantage going into the Local Government elections?-Ed)...

No Ed, I'm not suggesting that, I'm stating it outright because that's exactly what it is...callous, cynical, self-serving bastardry...(sorry? what's your Mayoral Aspirational Platform got to do with it?-Ed)...nice one Ed, indeed my MAP for Mt Gambier is one of callous, cynical, self-serving bastardry...(so you're promising business as usual-Ed)...oh stop it you...(seriously though, it's the joke that just keeps on writing itself-Ed)...yet is so screamingly unfunny...(indeed, nuthin' funny about some a' the bastardry goin' down in this li'l 'ol town-Ed)...well quite...

And yes I'm going straight back to the St Martins stuff again too, because today is apparently Blue Knot Day, and I had to suffer through yet another insufferably sincere Child Protection interview from my ABC bestie Stan Thompson...(mate, your pal Stuart Stansfield 'll go gettin' all bent outta' shape if you go callin' Stanley ya' bestie-Ed)...no no, gor' bless, gor' bless, I'm a big -hearted fella' and I got enough love to go 'round, don't cha' worry 'bout that...(ooo mate, I can feel the love comin' off ya'...so much passionate warmth that it could quite easily be mistaken for white-hot rage-Ed)...go with your first instinct champ...

Blue Knot Day is an initiative of ASCA (Adult Survivors of Child Abuse) and I'll direct y'all to their Interweb site if you're interested in more info...I dealt with ASCA back in Adelaide in 2004/05 re the St Martins stuff and they just didn't seem interested, but that was a decade ago and it could be all different personnel, etc, dunno...it's largely irrelevant because the focus for me was the involvement of the ABC Mt Gambier in yet another bleatingly insincere interview re Child Protection whilst they are entirely complicit in covering up the St Martins case...

And here's where I lurch to the good ol' "Christian Cuddle" defense that the Lutherans et al have used to deny abuse at St Martins, abuses committed by grade 2 teacher Glyn Dorling in 2002...'he was just giving the kids a Christian cuddle'...and I can't even be bothered trying to mask what I feel about all of these people with even a lame attempt at humour, and I thank my good god that She has made me a pacifist of such easy conviction, but I remain always a man and only a man...I don't sit comfortably in the Angry Chair but this is where I find myself and so shall I make it my throne or some shizzle...(sortta' like poetry and yet really not-Ed)...

The point I'm making...(poorly-Ed)...is that as a mere ManBear StuffPig Scorpio Fire-Horse, I do get angry when I hear/see/smell some of the bullshit that's spewed through the local media, not least of all in a context where what isn't heard is worse...(good point, I'll give you that one...it's bad enough some of the stuff they do run, but it's worse the stuff they refuse to run-Ed)...exactly...I do get angry and I do have those moments where, for example, my jokes about visiting a little bitta' "Christian Cuddling" on a few select politicians and media lackies, etc, those jokes lose their humour...

Time and again I and other parents have been berated to our faces (and feverishly behind our backs) with the observation that pursuing issues of Child Abuse re Glyn Dorling were vindictive and unnecessary, etc, because all he'd been doing was give the kids a "Christian Cuddle"...and I've often semi-joked about giving people like Rory McEwen exactly that sort of 'CC' as a way of illustrating just how inappropriate those contacts were between 50 year old male teacher Glyn Dorling and the 7 year old students in his care...basically, if these contacts were so innocuous, then I should be able to 'CC' another adult without causing anyone any concern...

And it is of course a joke that is a thinly-veiled 'threat' to touch people like Rory in ways that they're really not going to appreciate, therefore highlighting just how inappropriate those teacher/student contacts were...and when I say 'threat' it is of course a metaphoric threat implied by the inappropriateness of the contacts...(and the fact that even saying it is a perceived threat further emphasises just how inappropriate those contacts were-Ed)...well exactly...it just goes 'round and 'round constantly re-enforcing the breadth and depth of the problem...

There's still heaps to do re the Mental Health stuff, but that'll have to wait...thankyou for sharing this basically venting, mildly repetitive post with me today...I am aware that there are some people who've started readin' the blog only recently, and doing so as a way to get to know me as a Mayoral candidate, so here's some more stuff mostly about me, what I'm involved in, how I deal with it, etc...

Tomorrow: Council Meeting 21st October 2014

It's only taken me a week to calm down enough to produce a postable post...(fair enough-Ed)...

Written and Authorised by Nick Fletcher, 16 Kooringa ST, Mt Gambier, SA 5290...cheers and laters...

FLMTMM Part II

Howdy and welcome to the blog Cyprus, China, Romania, and Thailand, and apologies for a day's post missed and now this latish, shortish, quickish albeit still very cathartic post about the Mental Health stuff that's been dominating local media...been volunteering a bit down at the Mt Gambier Agricultural and Horticultural Show for the last coupla' years, setting-up before and pullin' down afters, but haven't actually gone to the show itself for 7-8 years...yesterday I utilised my new Members ticket to go and just wander about chattin' t' ma' peeps, checkin' it all out, etc...(yeah, b'in meaning to talk to ya' 'bout that-Ed)...what's ya' beef now, chuckles?...

(Look, I don't mean to be critical-Ed)...said the Ed about to be critical...(because I really support what you're trying to do by engaging appropriately with the Democratic process, such as it is in Sow Straya, and get issues into the public consciousness, etc-Ed)...yeahhh?...(and that you're not by any means a mainstream politician, and you don't have personal political ambition, etc-Ed)...buuut?...(but I think you might need to research stuff a bit better and then modify you're behaviour-Ed)...because?...(because when you're out there 'vox popping' you're actually meant to shake people's hands, and then kiss their babies-Ed)...ahhh, no wonder they were getting so upset...(yeah, so perhaps next time there'll be a little less hand kissing-Ed)...no probs mate, and I'm staying right away from the babies...(probably best-Ed)...

Can I do my traditional clown joke now...(oh go on then-Ed)...when I was at the Show I was trying to put the table-tennis balls in the clowns mouth, ya' know, to win a prize...(yeah-Ed)...but the clown kept spitting the balls back at me saying,  "stop that, I'm your local Member of parliament"...(and, taboomtish-Ed)...thankyou, thankyou, don't throw flowers, just money...but seriously, Liberal Tony Pasin had a marquee/booth thingy in the main Hall, and prospective Mayor Allen Smith had a small marquee just outside...just sayin', but it's a lovely segue into the Mental Health stuff given Tony Pasin's involvement in the recent Headspace announcement...

In my travels about the town, only recently I was talking to a young woman who is struggling to get counselling for depressive thinking/depression/whatevs...fortunately she's very much aware of the issues that are causing her this dis-ease, and we've spoken briefly about her stuff and some other shizzle, including about some of my relevant experiences, and she's getting some help and hopefully a referral, etc...

The issue then of course becomes to whom shall she be referred...as is my style, I'm segueing into a disgruntled re-iteration of my previous observations that 1) the current 'moratorium' on referrals, justified with the explanation that there's a back-log of referrals to catch-up on, guarantees a worse back-log when they do (hopefully) resume, and 2) the recent announcement of 'Headspace funding' by local federal Member Tony Pasin, Mt Gambier Mayor Steve Perryman, Council CEO Mark McShane, et al, is a dastardly bastardry conjured so's Stevo mate...(maaate-Ed)...can wave it about like some sort of trophy for the Local Government elections...

I'm in the Mental Health system in Mt Gambier and I haven't attended a counselling appointment (of the 10 1hr appointments I'm entitled to per year)...(sorry, 10 hrs all up for a whole year-Ed)...yep, with a coupla' 'emergency appointments' if desperately needed, and if available...so since February/March I've not attended, and I haven't received a single phone-call from anyone to say 'where the shreck are ya'?'...whilst I do believe that this is in part due to the bigotry and bias toward me by some of the Medical Practitioners I've had to deal with, it's not an uncommon situation in Mt Gambier...

Providers are so underfunded and understaffed and as a result thoroughly overloaded, that they simply don't have the time and/or resources to go chasing after people because they can't even cope with the people actually lobbing on their doorsteps...I stopped going to counselling because of a couple of missed appointments and then having my house 'raided' by SAPol, etc, and by the time I'd remembered it was like all over and stuff sortta'...then when I did stop to think about it, there were several reasons to try to move forward...(ooo, can't believe you said 'moving forward'-Ed)...indeed...

Point 1) the poor bastard is completely snowed-under with the massive workload generated by the lack of services in Mt Gambier, and 2) we'd got to a point of no progression, albeit given that I've gotten some great stuff out of it, and 3) and as evidenced last Friday night at the CAS Forum (October 17th 2014), I've very much turned myself and my life aroundish sortta', and am headed back vaguely in the direction of who I was before the St Martins Child Abuse Cover-up chewed me up and spat me out...(I also find you distasteful-Ed)...bite me...

And call me paranoid, but I don't want to see this critical service further endangered by being seen to be helping me...(this 'guilt by association' stuff hangs heavy on you doesn't it?-Ed)...I'm just very genuinely concerned, given what I know, given what I have extensively personally witnessed of the bullying, harassment, intimidation and threats that people like Greg Muller and Steve Perryman visit on those whom displease them...petty thugs...(and that's why they don't front you, that's why they have never ever had a go at threatening you, because they're petty thugs playing a loaded game-Ed)...indeed...

And that brings us back 'round to the character assassination stuff that's been levelled at myself and other parents whom have pursued the St Martins Lutheran School Child Abuse Cover-up and on through there straight to Council's screeching litany of hypocrisy, their precious bloody Children's Charter...(whoa whoa, one thing at a time-Ed)...sorry, 1) because they can't tackle me head-on on pretty much any issue because they'll lose every time, the only recourse is to attack the messenger...(I get it, the message withstands any scrutiny, so the messenger has to be stopped-Ed)...yeah, sortta'...

And of course this is the only way to keep the St Martins Lutheran School Child Abuse Cover-up rolling along, attack Nick Fletcher...attack Nick Fletcher and whoever else is stupid enough to stick their ugly head up...attack the victims and ignore the reality that SAPol, the Lutherans, Rory McEwen, Jay Weatherill, Mike Rann, Michael Atkinson, Steve Perryman, Tony Pasin, Rob Lucas, David Ridgway, Mt Gambier ABC indeed the entire ABC, etc, etc, etc, are participants...everyone knows that a class of 7 year old kids were abused at St Martins and our local leaders are the most complicit in covering it up...(whatta' disgrace-Ed)...

And you'll excuse me for constantly bangin' on about St Martins and all that entails, but 1) it is after all that which has brought us all together on this 'ere blog, and 2) it's everyday for me because I can't leave the house without runnin' into these people, or turn on the radio/tv/whatevs without hearing the latest about the Royal Commission...(the Child Abuse one? the one that isn't coming to Mt Gambier or even looking at the St Martins case?-Ed)...yeah, that's the one...

For example, I can't even watch the official launch of the new Mt Gambier Jazz course without being confronted with the extraordinary spectacle of former Liberal candidate Mayor Steve Perryman and Labor Premier Jay Weatherill madly praising each other up, and right there are 2 of the main conspirators in the St Martins Cover-up...(nah, I get it...in any other circumstance it's just political politeness to big-up the opposition, etc, but in the context of their complicity in a Child Abuse cover-up, it's an issue of what they both know they're covering-up when they stand there smiling at each other spewing forth their mutual flattery-Ed)...absolutely...

(Why was that launch held in Adelaide?-Ed)...no idea, but you're not the only one to have commented on that...probably Weatherill refusing to show his face in Mt Gambier...(nice...and what was that bollocks from Perryman about how the $500,000 the state government has provided re this Jazz course, how that somehow makes up for the Forestry Sale? why would he say that?-Ed)...yeah, well that's part of the whole paradigm where political politeness is the thin veneer over personal political ambition...(it borders on offensive to suggest that the damage Labor has done with the Forestry Sale could be excused with any amount of money, let alone the pocket change they've provided here that one would assume they'd be providing anyway to support this excellent course in Mt Gambier-Ed)...well indeed... 

Look, I'm gunna' finish here for today...it's already gettin' on and I'm knackered, my knee is just sore as from carrying, lifting, etc, and I spent an hour washing dishes today at the A&H Volunteers lunch thingy they do...it's just what I'm like that I feel that doing the dishes is their reward for giving me a lovely lunch because the volunteer stuff requires no reward...(also it's like supporting the supporters by taking away that ugly duty after their hard earned lunch-Ed)...absolutely, it's almost like double volunteering, nice, I'll tell 'em that next time...     


Tomorrow: FLMTMM Part III

Written and Authorised by Nick Fletcher, 16 Kooringa St, Mt Gambier, SA 5290...cheers and laters...

FLMTMM Part II...Is Not Today's Post

Hello Poland, Canada, Thailand and Ukraine...welcome one and all to the blog for this Friday 24th October 2014 and a brief pause of a shortish post in the perpetual rant about the rank bastardry of politicians who promise things like a Headspace unit knowing full well that the system currently sortta' in place but only just, that system cannot get even the basic staff that Liberals Tony Pasin, Steve Perryman, et al, have been stating as fact for this proposed new unit which will allegedly appear in 2016...

But First: you'll have to excuse me, because I'm still struggling a little at the moment following the events of the CAS Mayoral Forum last Friday 17th October 2014...(why? that was a week ago-Ed)...I know, I know, but it's not the huge stress of the whole day/night and the lack of sleep for the next coupla' days, loss of weight, etc, it's a whole new paradigm of being hugely buoyed by my 'performance' and the reminder of who I once was and am capable of being, and yet confronted by that same reality given that it was a reminder of some-one whom has/had all but ceased to exist...

(Wow...you can't just be happy for yourself for doing well and be content with that? why even bother with the rest of it? shizzle happens, man, and you are where you are...and you've said it yourself how many times dude? what a life of privilege and luxury you've lived for being born a White man in a stolen land-Ed)...true, I have often said that...(and how good was it to stand up there and speak politely and intelligently and passionately about what you believe and have enthusiastic applause?-Ed)...well absolutely...since when did you get so wise? I thought you were just here for the comic relief stuff?...

And I'd just like to career briefly off on that point about 'life of privilege', etc, because it's not just an old hippy's Socialist placard-waving, it's absolutely true, and best illustrated by the many problems I have had in the Social Security system, itself summed up best in the way it was explained to me, namely, 'we're having trouble placing you anywhere in the system because we're not geared/structured to deal with relatively sane, relatively able-bodied White men, because society in it's entirety is geared to serving their/your wants and needs'...I know I've been through this before, but it certainly bears repeating...

It's an obvious statement about the obvious 'sub-status' of women and non-White people in Australian society that the Social Security system doesn't really have a place for me and my White brothers when we need help...at least until I finally got diagnosed with having suffered the traumas any sane person would for the realities goin' down in my little slice of the world...(and by that definition you're on the Disability Support Pension so technically you've had to be removed from the mainstream Social Security network to get even that very limited support-Ed)...good point...

It's obviously not a complete disaster for White men in the Social Security system, but my personal situation hit a number of blind spots where Centrelink et al were unable to really help me...and it hasn't helped that senior people around town have been denigrating me for years, basically off the back of the St Martins Lutheran School Child Abuse Cover-up from 2002...I have been scurrilously and openly attacked as a nasty liar with purely selfish and irresponsible motivations, and that confected reputation followed me into Centrelink...

And so we come full circle to the ever-present second most important underlying motivation of my politicising, namely, to present myself publicly and test by confronting these denigrations and defeat them...and if one believes the feedback, that's exactly what I've done with my Candidate Profile stuff in The Border Watch and by being involved in the Forum, etc...(and what's the first?-Ed)...well, resolving the St Martins stuff overall...(ah, of course, sorry-Ed)...

And the many positives of that Forum continue for me personally, because as confronting as it was/is, it's also proof positive that I'm more than capable of functioning at functions, performing at performances, donning the robes and fronting respectfully where and when necessary...it proves I'm more than capable of stepping right back from my own personal politicking and still engaging intelligently...(that you can leave the rage on this 'ere page not take it on stage-Ed)...indeed...

And absolutely delighted to come up for breath briefly with several great bits of news...two bits from the KCA mill at Snuggery/Millicent, where Kimberley Clark are making a further $20million investment in the critically important mill, and also have drastically further reduced their 'pollution' output into the nearby Lake Bonney, itself improving greatly from the somewhat disastrous condition it was in only years ago...it still has a long way to go and will never be 'pristine', but it's fantastic that KCA is making these efforts/improvements along with other initiatives like the $33million earlier this year on a cogeneration plant that effectively reduces emissions by providing the mill's electricity...

Sorry, I'm not in any way an expert on this issue and basically follow it through the media, the Interweb, etc, but the improvements KCA have made are self-evidently massive advances in exactly the right direction...(you bloody hippy-Ed)...and in what can only be described as a very hostile economic climate, eg, competing with heavily subsidised foreign imports...I personally have a small arsenal of KCA products...(there's nothing small about your arsenal, chortle-Ed)...and I don't think there's anything wrong with me spruiking others to consume said product...(ooo, I wouldn't eat it-Ed)...to purchase said product because of the benefits for local economies...

And most excellent news that the Tennyson Woods College Jazz course is to be greatly expanded into a UniSA 3 year course with the direct involvement of James Morrison...as both instigator (along with several others) and operator, Mr Morrison will be using his contacts to draw international jazz professionals as lecturers, etc...this will have widespread benefits for Mt Gambier that will go some way toward addressing the many negative pressures on the city...more on this in future posts...

I'm going to go pretty much against type here and 'happily' type here that this is enough for today and now I'm going to go away to deal with the way that I wasn't quite as angry today as I was expecting to be, what with all the shizzle and the shenanigans and so on and so forth...(well indeed, shenanigans and such-Ed)...

Tomorrow: FLMTMM Part II

Because for all the frivolity in today's various announcements, there's still a wall of shizzle to run in to...and probably at speed...as is my want...

Written and Authorised by Nick Fletcher, 16 Kooringa St, Mt Gambier, SA 5290...cheers and laters

Fracking Lies Make This Mental Mad

Hello and welcome to the blog and unfortunately another diatribe about the rank political bastardry being played out around issues of Mental Health...it's clearly currently very fashionable to talk about MH issues as though one actually gives a damn, but that hasn't stopped the lies and the manipulation and the increased trauma these false behaviours cause...on top of that I'm still recovering from the mind-bogglingly self-indulgent praisefest of Tuesday night's Council meeting...

But First: this week the spineless, complicit Liberal Party showed it's true colours when voting against the Greens Motion calling for an Inquiry into Fracking...the official Liberal line is that Greens leader Mark Parnell's proposed Inquiry was about all mining everywhere across the planet, and therefore totally unworkable...it's difficult for me to ascertain where the truth lies here because all involved on the Committee that rejected this plan 5-1 (Labor with 3 no votes, Liberals with 2 no votes, and the Greens) have proven to be consistently competent indeed consumately complete liars...when they all just lie as a matter of daily business, who do you believe?

But there's no mistaking the vacuous denials of the Liberal Member for McKillop Mitch Williams, on ABC Radio Monday morning 20th October 2014 when he tried to explain away the Liberals voting against this proposed Inquiry...Mr Williams has previously promised to support an Inquiry...before blasting the Greens Motion as farcical, he slanderously denounced the Lock the Gate people as being irresponsible liars, and claimed that no-one had sent him any information proving Fracking was bad...(what do you mean 'hasn't sent him anything?-Ed)...exactly that, 'he doesn't know because no-one sent him stuff'...

(But that's nonsense...what about all the stuff that you can find in minutes on the Interweb about the non-testing of the chemicals used, particularly lack of testing for these 'combination uses', and/or lack of information on even what chemicals are actually being used; groundwater exhaustion and/or contamination; seismological issues, eg, earth-tremors; major companies selling-off already exhausted resources and just pulling-out without doing reclamation; etc, etc?-Ed)...yeah, I know, it's absolute bollocks...

Mr Williams claims to be in a position of absolute ignorance re the potential and in many cases realised negative impacts of Fracking, because some-one else hasn't sent it to him, yet wielding his alleged ignorance on high, he's prepared to attack Lock The Gate for being irresponsibly wrong...(but how can he know they're wrong if he (allegedly) hasn't done the research and/or doesn't know what the facts are himself?-Ed)...well exactly, he can't even slander people properly, whatta' joke...and it gets better...

Having established his own self-alleged ignorance on the issue of Fracking, an ignorance mired in his own alleged laziness and apathy in that he allegedly can't be bothered to spend 10 minutes looking it up on the Interweb, Mr Williams redefined hypocrisy and stupidity and opinionated belligerence by holding forth that there's been '30 years of gas extraction in the South East without any problems'...(but Fracking and Conventional extraction are completely different, you simply cannot compare the two...this is exactly the same bullshit that Reg Nelson of Fracking company Beach Energy has tried to run in his media bits-Ed)...indeed...

Indeed and in fact, it sounds like our man Mitch is actually some-one else's chap, and they're writing his stuff for him...it was classic Labor government/mining company bullshit, dragging unconnected pieces together in crassly incoherent justifications and denying any knowledge of any negatives...absolute lies from someone who has clearly said one thing before the election because it was politically expedient, and now he's back in it's business as usual with corrupted politicians, corrupt development and planning decisions, and handsome profits for those in the game...and Mr Williams is clearly in the Fracking Game...

Days later Mr Williams then took his particular brand of two-faced bastardry to very much the next level down, when, in response to the widespread and quite rightly furious backlash to his original moronicisms re Fracking, he revised his position, again attacking all and sundry opposed to Fracking, but this time by saying that he'd gone on line and immediately found where the USofA Environment Protection Agency says Fracking is AOK Super no.1 Energy Resource...(so days ago he'd allegedly done no research and knew nothing, but in the 3 days since he's managed to access 1 website, and that just happened to be the official USofA government statement supporting Fracking?-Ed)...apparently...

(So he's looked up 1 website and it just happened to support his own personal position that he clearly lied about at the March 2014 state election, and he still can't see any of the plethora of negative examples, eg, multiple cases of groundwater contamination across many states in the USofA, Methane contamination issue in Queensland, etc, etc-Ed)...indeed, indeed, it's one thing to have an opinion about something, be that opinion a factual one or an ideological one, but it's something entirely different to deliberately deceive and knowingly non-know that which one should know and is indeed unbelievable in it's claimed unknowingness...

(Have I explained how much I hate it when you're so jibberishly incoherent in being so precisely concisely accurate and/or vice versa? have I told you that?-Ed)...frequently...I don't know why it happens that way, it's just how this shizzle occurs to me, how it manifests itself here on the page for public distribution...(you mean with all the expletives deleted?-Ed)...exactly...I'd like to think that it's partly inspired/created/ingrained/whatevs by Monty Python whom I've loved since I was but a ManBear StuffPiglet...

The Life Of Brian is a sublime masterclass in simplicity and economy of language encapsulating deep psychological studies and the breadth of human history, masked by layers of pantomime and farce...if you haven't watched it, give it a go, and look beyond the silly voices, costumes, etc, and look at the history being told, the psychology explored, the deeply insightful commentary on what it is to be human, done with biting satire, simple language, and beautiful timing...but I digress...

What Mr Williams has done in trying to justify his clear support for Fracking by claiming to be ignorant of the most fundamental information, is dig himself a deep hole, get in, and then start filling it back in, but not with the scree he just removed, but by digging an even deeper hole, a hole so deep that he had to get out of the original hole and into the new one...(it's wholly unacceptable behaviour-Ed)...well quite...Mr Williams has scant little credibility anymore and this weeks efforts ain't helped at all, not at all sir...        

I'll go as far as to say that our state politicians lie so much, so often, with such a breath-taking casualness, that when my opinion/belief/whatevs coincide with what they're saying, I find myself carefully revising my position for fear I've erred...haven't had that problem this week with the rank deceits spewing into the public sphere, and not least of all from our own highly paid professional liar, Mayor Steve Perryman...I had thought that the St Martins Lutheran School Child Abuse Cover-up was going to be the highlight of his political career, but lying to and manipulating those with major/severe/whatevs Mental Health issues is right up there...well done Stevo mate...(maaate-Ed)...

I refer to the crass political stunt that is the announcement of 'HeadSpace funding' for a private contractor to supposedly come to Mt Gambier and build and then staff a Mental Health unit for the youths, a Headspace Unit...and there was former City Councillor now Member for Barker Tony Pasin with CEO Mark McShane and fellow Liberal candidate and Mayor Steve Perryman all furiously praising each other right-up for this farcical declaration that will never happen...(may you be wrong-Ed)...indeed, as always, I hope to be very wrong...but I'm not...

Mental Health provision in Mt Gambier is in absolute chaos with the Medicare local referral service to remain closed for another 2 weeks for a total thus far of 6 weeks closed, as this 'moratorium' allows them to 'catch-up with the backlog of referrals'...(and as previously posted, what the hell sort of backlog is going to be waiting when, and if, they do re-open?Ed)...and that is a worrying if...there's barely any Drug/Alcohol Counselling available, fly in/fly out part-time psychiatry, etc, etc...everybody who has had the least little thing to do with MH provision in Mt Gambier, indeed any Health provision across the South East, knows that the biggest hurdle is getting specialists to move here to provide the full-time services we need...

For our Federal Member Tony Pasin and Mayor Steve Peryman and CEO Mark McShane, et al, to engage in this cynical deceit of the community for their own personal political expediency, exactly defines them for the sort of people they are...and Steve Perryman has carried this deceitful, confected non-reality into his campaigning for the current Local Government election, in which he seeks a position as Councillor...in his advertising he proudly lays claim to "'Headspace youth mental centre funding", and/or "Headspace Centre"...

What an absolute piece of political scummery...and when I called it exactly that at the CAS Forum Friday night 17th October 2014, I received a warm round of applause from half the room...(two things, namely, 1) I think you actually called it "political bastardry" not 'scummery', and 2) the other half of the room still hated you-Ed)...oh I'm counting on it...I'm very, very confident that there were several people who left that forum hating me even more because I went right into the heart of their precious little world and very, very politely tore down all of of their ill-gotten ideas of who I am and what I'm like and why I behave the way I do...  

And the reality of what I said and how I said it, etc, clearly did shatter those ideas for some because they came up to me afterwards and said exactly that, 'didn't like the blog (therefore me), but having seen you speak, now I get it'...and again congrats and cheers to those who are not afraid to admit they're misapprehensions and misunderstandings, etc, be prepared to acknowledge it, because I consider it a sign of intelligence and decency when people will see genuine intent when presented to them genuinely...and I got genuine in bucket-loads...

I'll finish here for today, but...

Tomorrow: FLMTMM Part II

What our local leaders are doing to deceive and betray our community re Mental Health provision, is a crass mimicry of the Labor state government, and on through to the full-circle bastardry of the federal Headspace announcement...

Written and Authorised by Nick Fletcher, 16 Kooringa St, My Gambier SA 5290...cheers and laters...

Welcome To My Happy Place

Howdy y'all and welcome to the blog and today I'm going to not so politely unload on the scumbags who comprise South Australian parliament...(just for something different-Ed)...indeed...and I'll do our local member Troy Bell the casual dis-favour of sayin' that I believe that he hates Fracking as much as anyone but has himself been betrayed by the spineless, gutless, moralless, born-to-rule mentality Liberal Party...and Labor are the even scummier bags who almost make the Libs look like human beings...almost...

(Do I sense a post laden with venom and vitriole, venting and vengeance?-Ed)...pretty much...***and apologies that I didn't post this yesterday, but I got back in from Mt Gambier City Council's meeting and was so pissed-off with their self-congratulatory gibberish that what I managed to conjure for this ere blog was, well, angry, un-postable crap...so I didn't...post it that is...and I've strayed from Fracking to the St Martins Child Abuse Cover-up, so's apologies for that too***

I note that Cr Penny Richardson stated last evening that she attended the SAPol Commemoration Day as Deputy Mayor representing Mayor Steve Perryman...along with (I think) other Councillors (?) and CEO Mark McShane...I had thought that the statements made to me that no-one at all from Council had attended seemed unlikely, but the attendees who told me this were adamant, no-one from Council...I can't imagine that Cr Richardson is lying, and can only assume that she/they did not speak, etc, giving the impression that no Councillors were there...I don't believe that this was an attempt to set me up with an errant observation, as I am aware has occurred a coupla' times on other issues...

Last Monday 20th October 2014 on the ABC was a long interview with the Mayoral candidates Bob Sandow and current Councillor Andrew Lee, and the politest thing I have to say about that is 'waffle', lots of waffle...if you missed the Forum on Friday night 17th October 2014, then simply access the ABC Local Radio 'Reloaded' bit on the ABC website (should be there) for a beautiful word picture of just how bewilderingly average these 2 lead candidates were/are...and I'm not just cutting crook against my 'opponents', these were the comments made to me on the night and repeatedly since.

Answer after answer, the pair of them produced nonsensical non-responses that rarely bothered the actual question...Cr Lee in particular kept trotting out cute 'idioms' rather than actually address the issue, backed-up with repeated references to how much door-knocking he's been doing...it was a sorry display mimicking what happened Friday night...(10 minutes of my life I'll never get back-Ed)...was it only 10 minutes? seemed so much longer...(it did, didn't it...hilarious-Ed)...classic...but it gets even classicer, more classically, most classicious, bloody whatevs...(how so?-Ed)...

When the ABC interviews were announced early Monday morning there was no mention of the Candidates Forum run by Community Action for Sustainability (CAS), and then there was no mention by interviewer Stan Thompson...(but Cr Lee mentioned it twice, once quite specifically, and Bob Sandow also mentioned it-Ed)...exactly, and did Stan ask how it went or in any way acknowledge that it had even happened let alone been mentioned right to him?...(well, no, he studiously avoided even identifying that it had happened-Ed)...and do you reckon that might be about 1) not admitting they failed to even attend, and 2) denying the reality that Nick Fletcher was/is involved, let alone that he might give everyone else an absolute metaphoric caning?, and 3) the bloody hippy did exactly that, carried the day with style and grace and intelligence and empathy...(you bastard-Ed)...ci...

Call me a vain, arrogant pig, but...(alright, you're a vain arrogant pigbutt-Ed)...are you quite done?-(yep-Ed)...but I'd like to think that's got something to do with me as much as I believe that the first motivation is 'plausible deniability'...don't go, can't know, can't be held responsible, avoid having to ask difficult questions of your dodgy mates, etc, etc...it continues to baffle me as to why the ABC doesn't attend Council meetings, except when you apply the above motivation, plausible deniability...

(I'd have to say that it's a pretty big call to state that the ABC didn't mention, advertise, promote, even attend, then fail to even acknowledge including when it's mentioned to them, the CAS Mayoral Forum, just because you're involved-Ed)...buuut...(but I've seen just how bizarrely the ABC behave when it comes to you, and how absolutely complicit they are in the St Martins Child Abuse Cover-up-Ed)...sooo...(so I'd have to say that, in lieu of any rational explanation, the idea that this extraordinary behaviour from the ABC is at least partly driven by a hatred for you, that idea becomes highly possible even probable-Ed)...absolutely...

The voting forms are already arriving in the post and I've yet to be even contacted by the ABC. 

But at this juncture I'm going to go slewing off into an angry piece re the St Martins Lutheran School Child Abuse Cover-up, and refer back to the recent gut-churning disgrace of the Stan Thompson interview with his bestie Rory McEwen...10 minutes of Stan sucking-up to Rory about what great work Rory does with the kids in East Timor...and I've been taken there/am writing this because I've just got in (***) from tonight's Council meeting, the last for this particular group...and the last thing they did was spend half an hour congratulating each other, including the announcement that they're launching their ludicrous Children's Charter today Wednesday 22nd October 2014.

And they're getting their little mate Labor MLC Kyam Maher along to launch this particular piece of screaming hypocrisy and absolute 'blue-sky' bullshit that is so very typical of the ludicrous things this Council has found to waste ratepayers money on whilst tipping it into their own and/or Councillor's mates pockets...(wow, angry much?-Ed)...and as part of his self-congratulatory drivel last night Stevo raved on about what a great bloke Rory McEwen was/is and how much he helped Stevo...on and on and on...

Rory McEwen and Steve Perryman are the 2 local politicians most complicit in and most responsible for the St Martins Lutheran School Child Abuse Cover-up.

And great news that Country Health SA is extending the month long moratorium on Mental Health referrals for another fortnight but they've nearly cleared their backlog of referrals...(but what about all the referrals they haven't even accepted in the last month? just the other day the Royal Adelaide Hospital Emergency unit had 20+ Mental Health patients in beds there, with one person there for 6 days, the entire MH system is in disarray-Ed)...I know, this is the reality of what a disaster Labor have been for health provision in SA, right across the board...and demonstrates that claims that a HeadSpace unit will be opening in Mt Gambier are quite farcical and exceedingly politically cynical...

And yet another $2m, 24 bed expansion has just been approved for the Mt Gambier Gaol, taking it from 309 beds to 333, adding to the 84 bed expansion currently underway and the 108 beds opened in August 2013 and 8 surge beds were also added as Mt Gambier continues to be used as a dumping ground for SA's paedophiles and other sex offenders...just terrific...and the announcement of the launch of the Children's Charter...sickening...welcome to my happy place...

Tomorrow: Liberal's Fracking Lies

Please find attached below the letter from Premier Jay Weatherill that shows that our current Premier (along with then Premier Mike Rann) is aware of and has blocked official investigation of the St Martin's Lutheran School Child Abuse Cover-up...and so when I see/hear Steve Perryman praising-up Rory McEwen I'm engulfed by the reality that our charming Mayor and our charming former local Member are entirely complicit in this cover-up...

I am Nick Fletcher and this is my blog and angry is just a word...cheers and laters mofos...

Written and Authorised by Nick Fletcher, 16 Kooringa St, Mt Gambier, SA 5290.

Forum And Coke Sake

Hello Vietnam, India, Canada, and the United States of America, and welcome one and all to the blog for another exciting week in politics, and to that end another post mostly about the CAS Mayoral Candidates Forum last Friday evening, October 17th 2014...and again thanks to Community Action for Sustainability for organising the event, it was by all accounts quite an eye-opener for most in attendance...

But First: a fire has destroyed the Old Rail Shed, the Roundhouse, on the site just West of the main Rail Lands...made me jump a bit when I heard it because I unfortunately predicted (continue to predict) that this is the potential future for the Old Rail Station given that it sits right in the way of the Rail Lands Retail Agenda, an agenda proven previously on this 'ere blog and to my mind very much still 'in play'...

I note yet again that Council has wasted $4million on the Rail Lands (half of it borrowed) by needlessly removing the rails and then moving the easement, etc, pushing dirt pointlessly in circles for weeks, rolling out $100,000s of turf sods on ground that becomes a sodden sump in Winter, building a $700,000 Death-Trap Drowning Pit, adding a large section of new platform for gourd knows what reason, those palm trees...(ahhh, not the bloody palm trees-Ed)...and another acre of dodgy cement pavers, more farcical shreckin' about with sections of the old platform, expensive balustrades for no good reason but not a proper fence around the Death Pit of Stupidity...

(You know, I may have this wrong, but it looks like they've cut a large section through the old platform so that it effectively separates the main platform bit from the Signal House section where they're going to put new toilets instead of in the toilet area already part of the Old Station building, meaning that if you're on the platform and need the toilet, instead of going just over there, you'll have to go down the ramps and/or steps, and then across open ground to get to the toilets-Ed)...indeed, across an area that floods when it rains, as per previous posts and added again below, just for laughs...(nuthin' funny 'bout that, it's a bloody disgrace-Ed)...indeed...

And on the ABC Local Radio (earlier today) a mention of the Local Government elections...the postal voting packs start to be mailed out today and apparently if you don't have yours by next Monday you should contact the SA Electoral Commission...and also just announced as coming up on the ABC Morning Program another 2 interviews with 2 Mayoral candidates...(ahhh, so you did get a guernsey then...I know you were complaining last week that the ABC was running interviews with candidates but hadn't even contacted you yet...why are you looking at me like that?...they still haven't contacted you yet have they?-Ed)...nope...(so this'll be interviews with candidates 5 and 6, and you haven't heard anything yet-Ed)...nope... 

And again as put to me by the people at the CAS Forum who came up to congratulate me afterwards, there was one clear winner and an obvious second and daylight for third, and yet no-one from the media came up to me...(ooo, here we go-Ed)...damn straight we do...no-one from the media asked for an interview, did I have any further comments, etc, didn't come near me...(but I thought you said that it was "a triumph darling" as far as you were concerned-Ed)...it was...many things going on here...

Firstly, I didn't see any 'media' that I recognised other than Anelia Blackie from The Border Watch, certainly no-one from the ABC, and I don't even know if Anelia was there as a TBW employee or whatevs because the coupla' times I got near her she turned away like she couldn't see me there only feet away...(classic-Ed)...indeed...it leads me to assume that she attended in some private capacity and was taking photos, talking to other candidates, etc, for her own personal pleasure/purpose/whatevs...(sure as heck wasn't there as a journalist-Ed)...

First time I was 2 feet away from her in the foyer area and she quickly blew past me and I don't know if she even heard me say hello...(say hello? you provocative bastard-Ed)...well quite...maybe she didn't hear me, whatevs, but she sure as hack saw me...(don't you mean 'sure as heck'?-Ed)...no, I said exactly what I mean...(ooo, now I get it, nice-Ed)...and then a second time after the forum as I went toward the rear of the room along the main aisle and she was coming the other way and looked right at me, panicked, baulked, turned right, and appeared to be talking to the back of the person standing there like she was interviewing them or something...absolutely pissingly hilarious...I went past and politely said hello to the back of her head from 3 feet away...again...and again I don't whether she heard me or not, whatevs, give a damn, it was bloody hilarious...

Anelia hasn't been shy in telling me all about it on occasions, eg, from the audience floor up at me on the stage as a candidate at the March 2010 State Election Forum, berating me re the local bus service and being absolutely wrong whilst doing it...and several other 'conversations' we've had...but now it's just avoid me like the plague...and put that in the context that I absolutely nailed the forum and made more than one of my 'opponents' look like blathering buffoons, and she sees me walking right toward her and turns away to deliberately avoid me... 

(Wow, you really are special-Ed)...orrr, in my own special way, yeah, it would appear to be the case, a bit, so I'll put my hand up for a bitta' that...I certainly get special treatment, that's for sure...(absolute classic-Ed)...regardless of how I went during that forum, I was one of the candidates, at a public meeting, putting myself into the public realm for scrutiny and Anelia (TBW?) think she/they have the right to ignore me...(pathetic-Ed)...but not just that, and with all due respect and humility, I'm very proud to say that I was the stand-out speaker on the night, and still Anelia thinks it's her place to snub me and turn her back, etc, as part of her (TBW?) agenda to censor me out of the reality of what is happening...(absolutely pitiful-Ed)...indeed...   

And I wasn't the only one who noticed this, amid comments that TBW does itself no favours behaving this way...and as for the ABC, sweet baby cheeses, I'm not sure they were even there...(but didn't they broadcast the entire Candidates Forum from Keith last week?-Ed)...yep, most of it I think...(but no-one even showed up for the Mt Gambier forum?-Ed)...well not that I recognised/spotted, certainly no-one approached me for a comment or to say well-done or whatevs...

Apologies, but I could swear I heard it just announced (this morning) on the ABC that SA Labor has 'backed-down' and now supports and/or has presented their own Cancer Compensation Legislation that includes Country Fire Service volunteers as being eligible/covered re certain Cancers related to fire-fighting...and now they've said it twice I'm sure...will see what happens with this and believe it when it happens...call me a cynic but that's just because I've seen a lot of announcements and very little actioning...(didn't alleged Independent Geoff Brock vote down the same Liberal initiative only weeks ago?-Ed)...indeed...(one could be forgiven for thinking that he did that just so's Labor could say 'hey, check how fabulous we are, look we've done this'-Ed)...I forgive you...

And relatively fantastic to hear this afternoon a spokesperson from the CFS volunteers (name? sorry) state exactly that...'this is a stunt to try and sweeten us up because we're protesting the massive Emergency Services Levy increases and opposing the amalgamation of the CFS, the State Emergency Service, both volunteer organisations, and the full-time Metro Fire Service'...(well spoken that man-Ed)...absolutely, he nailed it...this is yet another rank political stunt courtesy of Messrs Weatherill, Brock, et al, and I doubt it'll see the light of day...

And yet another 24 beds for the Mt Gambier Gaol, following on from the recent 200? bed expansion, and the talk is turning to 'let them out because we can't physically house them'...(whats the point of sentencing them in the first instance?-Ed)...dunno'...apparently we've got 2625 prisoners and only 2448 beds, up about 10.7% total inmates in recent years and as a result infirmaries, police station holding cells, etc, are getting used to house prisoners...(yay-Ed)...

Absolutely rabid though about what happened on Friday in SA parliament when the Liberals voted down the Green's proposal  for a Fracking Inquiry, as repeatedly promised by the Liberals at the March 2014 State Election...today's interview with Liberal Mitch Williams was an atrocious betrayal of the people of SA and particularly those in his own electorate...more tomorrow...and more Aldi/Showgrounds stuff, etc, etc...

Tomorrow: Mo' Stuff Fo' Ma' Homies

Written and Authorised by Nick Fletcher, 16 Kooringa St, Mt Gambier, SA 5290.

CAS Forum RunDown

Howdy y'all and welcome to the blog and please excuse me if I focus again mainly on the Local Government Elections, but seeing as I'm like in it and all...and also please excuse me if I spend some time praising myself up for my effort at the CAS Forum, but I'm just mildly thrilled about the fact that a tiny remnant of who I can be still is, and that that remnant joined me on stage Friday night...(get any sleep yet?-Ed)...a few hours last night, but man, I am knackered...(fair enough after that huge, extended adrenaline rush and lack of sleep, etc-Ed)...indeed...

It was a decision I was still making going into the forum, and the promises I'd already made about 'behaving' myself were certainly a factor, but it was still a last minute choice to engage in a strictly appropriate manner...and a decision well made and well rewarded, although it hasn't stopped me givin' myself a hard time since for being too soft, but I'll get over that...(indeed, but rewarded how?-Ed)...with the response afterwards, eg, the comments about how seeing me conduct myself in public, under such enormous pressure had, for a coupla' people, turned them around about how I conduct myself on this 'ere blog...

Essentially I had a range of answers lined up in my head, starting from polite and innocuous, through the various shades of rage, to 'it's kicking-off', whereby should someone want to take me on directly...(not a chance-Ed)...sorry?...(not a chance, no-one on that stage was stupid enough to take you on directly-Ed)...well that's very nice of you to say Ed, about all of us...are you suggesting that perhaps my reputation proceeds me a bit?...(yeah, sortta' the way the sea suddenly drawing back proceeds a tsunami-Ed)...charming...but that was the real beauty of Friday...(sorry, you've lost me there a bit-Ed)...

Well I do have a well-nourished, well-circulated reputation designed to undermine me and/or this 'ere blog...a reputation for being just another angry blogger madly, irresponsibly, inappropriately flailing away at all and sundry and capable of little else...but then, in a public meeting, with all eyes upon It, up stands the politest, most well-spoken, passionate and clearly reasonably intelligent ManBear StuffPig, who embraced his failings and clearly explained why they were strengths and 'off the cuff' nailed every answer to warm applause...and people were shocked, and credit to them that they came up to me and said it...

And a reputation apparently well spread...(as is this 'ere blog?-Ed)...indeed...and definitely well earned and now only embellished in ways that simply cannot be taken away from me...some people there had no idea who I was or anything about the blog, etc, a few people I knew, or introduced themselves as blog readers, etc, through to those who hated me going in and hate me even more now because I've sucked the living justification out of their hate, so all they'll have left is even greater hate...(classic-Ed)...and then there were those who 'came across to the dark-side' (insert sinister laughter here)...

I have cut crook about the forum's facilitator Dr Sarah Mott previous in this blog, and that all changed Friday as far as I'm concerned, and I told her that, and I'd reckon she gets it...and the catalyst that allowed this, that 'opened that door', was a slight slip of the tongue during the '30 second surprise questions' in between the main ones, and I was 4th maybe, about halfway through,  and she accidentally said "30 minutes" and I stood quickly, reaching for the microphone, saying "beauty, 30 minutes" to which she she laughingly drew back and there was good-hearted laughter across the room...

It sounds a bit convoluted I know, but it was a briefly perfect momentary faux pas that my natural wit turned to my advantage and the warmth of the laughter indicated that the audience were already feeling positively disposed toward me...(good call, I can see that-Ed)...and I can't imagine what Dr Mott has heard about me previous like, but I reckon that all changed Friday night when she too was exposed to the Nick Fletcher that isn't quite the complete arsehole he's been portrayed as...

Politest Massacre Ever: is the only thing I can think to say to fully encapsulate the way that I quietly flayed all and sundry at the Mayoral Forum Friday night, with Paul Jenner sortta' trailing behind a bit, and daylight third...and as genuinely pleased as I am with how well it went, I'm only stating that which was said to me immediately following the forum...a bunch of people I don't/didn't know congratulated me on my passion and empathy and presentation, etc, saying that I'd clearly 'won the day' as it were, and that Mr Jenner wasn't too bad, and then that was it...

Didn't take many notes as such because I was concentrating on what it was being said, what I wanted to say, etc, but 2 things really stood out, and one was a case of most fortuitous timing in that my answer was the last (second last?) on the issue of sustainable transport, and several candidates including current Councillor Allen Smith and Bob Sandow said that Mt Gambier's bus service is just great...(say what? they ever caught a bloody bus?-Ed)...well indeed...it provided me the perfect launching pad into 'I caught the bus for 7 years, it don't run weekends, public holidays, etc, that means 7 days outta' 10 across Christmas/New years there's no bus at all', etc...(as you say, a polite massacre-Ed)...absolutely...

And I was only part way into that answer and there was some applause, and then I explained that I've been trying to organise a bus service for weekends and one to Pt MacDonnell and Brown's Beach for the Christmas holidays, and by the end of my 1 minute I received loud applause...(what about the 'fortuitous timing' bit?-Ed)...ah yes...if I'd gone first or second and spelled out the problems in an un-challengable fashion...(as you do-Ed)...as I do, then the others could have fallen in behind that with promises of improved services, etc...(but because you were last they'd already nailed their colours if not their own scrotums to the mast, allowing you to come along behind and reap a rich harvest-Ed)...exactly...perfect timing...

Secondly, I dropped my Rail Corridor BikeWay Plan on them and there was again applause whilst I was talking and loud applause when I finished...it was commented on repeatedly in the chats I had afterwards as being a fantastic idea that should have happened a decade ago...actually, thirdly, I also received repeated applause for my comments re my mental health experiences, including one of a coupla' pieces of open criticism I did conjure (the second being about the lunacy of Fracking, particularly as it's being forced on the South East, etc)...(well I'd call that factualising not criticising-Ed)...fair enough...

But my other open criticism was for the rank political bastardry of the recent Headspace announcement (by Liberal Member and former Mt Gambier City Councillor, Tony Pasin, and others, eg CEO Mark McShane), and how these promises of a new building and a fully staffed service by 2016 or soon after, are known by the Promisers to be unsupportable lies, already proven such by the unrelenting reality of the ongoing problems with staffing, funding, attracting specialists, etc, etc, etc...I believe I called it "a disgrace",  and yet again received rousing applause...      

Excuse me, but I am absolutely knackered, and it's nearly 2230hrs already, so I'll finish here and do a bit more Forum stuff, including about the media throng that, well, thronged me after my glorious victory upon the dais upon the day...(media? who? I didn't see anyone anywhere near you-Ed)...my point exactly...(ahhh, clever-Ed)...

Tomorrow: Lotsa' Stuff

Written and Authorised by Nick Fletcher, 16 Kooringa St, Mt Gambier, SA 5290...cheers and laters...

Stress Weighs 3 Kilos

Hello Indonesia, Poland, Netherlands, and Japan and welcome to what is going to be a bit of a dis-jointed really short post because after the CAS Mayoral Forum last night I didn't get home 'til 2300hrs and then to sleep until about 0400hrs this morning, and then woke up 3 hours later 3 kilos lighter...and have been wondering in small circles all day and sort of got some stuff done and sortta' not...I'm a bit of a right off today...

That's 3 separate 'stress' episodes in the last 5 months that have seen me lose 3kgs in a 24-36 hr period...first was when SAPol raided my home, etc, back on May 7/8th 2014...then it was the recent election enrolment day, ballot draw, and third trip back to Council for the meeting that evening (16th September?...and then yesterday evening...just snuck under 100kgs last night...

(Ah yes, I meant to ask, how did it go last night?-Ed)...it was a triumph darling, a triumph, dare one say it one self, a tour-de-force...(so it went well then?-Ed)...can't imagine that it could have gone much better...(you sound very sure of that, you're not overstating the matter a bit?-Ed)...nope...I said my piece and each time had hearty applause, with people clapping some of the points I made before I'd finished...overall I reckon it went really well, and a few people come up to me afterwards and said well done...(well done-Ed)...

Ta'...it was really nice to feel that sense of self and confidence, albeit tattered remnants of what or rather whom I once was...and to receive so much really positive feed-back, including from people who said sorry I won't be voting for you, but still congratulated me heartily for my effort and my passion, etc...and as repeatedly stated to me, Paul Jenner, sitting immediately to my left, and I were the only ones who bought a sense of the unfortunately unpleasant realities that Mt Gambier faces off the back of what the previous coupla' Councils have done ...

Sweatin' bullets early though...(orrr geez, I bet-Ed)...really confronting to get on that relatively low stage in front of that relatively small group (maybe 130?) amongst the relative anonymity of 8 candidates, and then stand and say your piece with all eyes on you...but at least I did stand...David Burt, seated to my immediate right, he and I were the only 2 to stand when speaking, the rest spoke sitting down...

I made the decision going in last night to just play it completely politely and talk about things in a very general and non-accusatory manner and as positively as possible, and indeed I had already promised CAS (Community Action for Sustainability) that that's how I'd roll...it was great that they organised this forum and it's far too important for me to stuff it up and make them less inclined to do it in the future, indeed, it should be a fundamental part of the official election process, organised by the Electoral Commission...

A few people said they read the blog and love it, cheers, and there were a coupla' people who came up and introduced themselves, said well done, and then stated that they read the blog but didn't like it, but having seen me talk and shizzle, that now they 'got it'...(hang on, they've read the blog but don't like it, but they're reading it?-Ed)...yeah, I thought about that, and it could well be that they've read only a few posts and didn't like them, whatevs, but the point being that they were so honest and clearly had no ill-intent, indeed they congratulated me...

And last night I mentioned the blog and said that I'd be polite, etc, and then was exactly that...the words 'corruption', 'child abuse', 'St Martins', 'relentless cavalcade of Conflict of Interest, nepotism, cronyism, etc', etc, never crossed my lips ...I don't think the forum was recorded, but a couple of people said that they wish it was so that it could be put online for all of Mt Gambier to see, not so much for my effort as how very substandard some of the candidates were...and I'll get into that tomorrow...

Just watchin' the Bledisloe Rugby (Aotearoa vs Straya) and I'm sorry my brothers from different mothers (my Papa was a Kiwi), but Australia is gettin' an absolute caning in the refereeing...don't know much about rugby, but I know how to hear the commentators say 'you can't put a knee down there, that should be a penalty to Oz', and shortly after 'you can't dive in like that, should be a penalty to Oz', and Aotearoa has just been allowed a try following a clear knock-on that even I spotted...just sayin'...

OMG: and in the last minute it's an illegal block not paid and then a penalty not paid and a try to Aotearoa and there's another game won and lost on refereeing...and I haven't sat down and watched a full game for quite a while and I gotta' say that NZ play a very unpleasant brand of rugby, constantly committing "cynical fouls" or "professional penalties", and running off-side to slow play, etc, and it's what I'm sure some call a professional 'win at all cost' attitude but to me it looks a lot like cheating...mistakes are mistakes, but if you deliberately, knowingly  break the rules to gain advantage, I'd call that cheating...anyhoos, that's a philosophical argument for another day...

Again my cynicism screams quietly at me that the whole thing's rigged and maybe it is and whatevs...maybe it was just a touch of personal bias, who knows, but the manipulation of major sporting events is well documented, albeit more commonly in cricket or football (soccer), etc...anyway, thankyou again to CAS for organising the forum and to everyone who turned out and I'll get stuck into some of it,

Tomorrow: Nuthin' Funny Happened

On the way to the forum, but there were some chuckles once there, although I'm not sure how many of the candidates were actually trying to be funny...(were there any media there?-Ed)...Anelia Blackie from The Border Watch was there but no I didn't see any journalists...(ooo, ouch-Ed)...oh you wait 'til tomorrow and I'm going to really unload about that little incident x2...

Written and Authorised by Nick Fletcher, 16 Kooringa St, Mt Gambier...cheers and laters...

Filling In The Gaps

Hello and welcome to the blog and wow it's hammering down out side and I'd reckon it's well welcomed....

And that was as far as I got with yesterday's post at approx 0630hrs before the phone started ringin', then I headed out, and then last night there was the Agricultural and Horticultural Show Society meeting re sale of the North-West corner of the Showgrounds to Aldi, which meant I got home after 2200hrs and went to this 'ere computer only to turn around again and walk away...had a bit of a 'that damn computer isn't going to run my life, there's nothing that can't wait 'til the morn' moment...I've gone from nearly all day at the blog to barely time to get to it at all, literally filling in the gaps...

This situation is of course a temporary one re the Mayoral Candidacy stuff, and is duly exacerbated by the fact that SAPol still have my laptop, that they "seized" as 'evidence' and/or an 'exhibit' or whatevs back in May 2014 when they raided my home and stated to me that I should "expect to be charged" for talking about the fact that a (if not the most) powerful state Authority allegedly did what that Authority is supposed to do...and that Authority has been all over the local media recently trumpetting it's own wondrousness for exposing a limited series of farcical minor infractions by a small group of low-ranking public employees...

Pardon the obscureness of the last paragraph, but I've still got the whole 'probably can't even name the Authority' bullshit hangin' over me...(even though you haven't been charged-Ed)...indeed...and I completely reject this bleating from said Authority that 'hey, gee whiz, our powers/legislation are a bit restrictive so we'll look at that'...the Rann/Weatherill Labor government fought against even forming this particular Authority, and has then deliberately set-up a very scary 'Star Chamber' style body that has absolute power to completely censor issues out of the media, hold secret meetings where you can be forced to answer questions, etc, etc...

And if I'm not at home I'm stuffed, no laptop you see...and I've realised just how much I rely on the 'cut and paste' thingy stuff you can do with a computer that on the written page soon becomes an irretrievable mish-mash of arrows, cross-outs, add-ons, etc...for all my terrible typing and Editorial expletive deletion, etc, doing the blog on a computer is really the only way...I'm a convert...(after 20 months of doing this blog?-Ed)...yeah, well, ya' don't wanna' rush into these things...

So hello Tunisia, Colombia, Canada, and France and welcome to the blog...and of course the big news locally is that there was no vote either way last night re a Showgrounds sale to anyone, it's been deferred re the Constitution...the impression I got was that there were (obviously) 2 camps, one for, one against, but the pro-Salers were quite subdued...overall it was a very polite meeting that was very well attended...they kept crackin' wise that it would be great to see that many people rock-up for the A&HS Annual General Meeting..

I'm somewhat less impressed with whom didn't show up...no-one from Mt Gambier City Council, not Mayor Perryman, not one Councillor...if there was anyone there from Council I didn't see them, hear them, etc, and it certainly wasn't in a 'Council' capacity...nor was there the rumoured/expected presentation from the Real Estate agents involved, in fact I'm not sure they were there either...certainly weren't referred to...and of course no-one from ALDI...(actually it's 'Aldi', not 'ALDI' I think-Ed)...whatevs...and 'Aldi' still haven't even acknowledged my email and/or phonecall...

I'm not entirely sure who exactly has been pushing this potential sale from within the A&HS, but clearly it has been pushed by Aldi whom allegedly approached them in the first instance, as noted repeatedly in the meeting...and also noted, that the block involved was worth way more than the $1.3million on offer, eg, $7m for another block that sold a couple of years back...I think that chap was referring to the Woolworths/Big W thingy on Penola Rd, but whatevs...there's an interview with A&HS Society President Peter Woodroofe currently on ABC Local Radio...but moving on...

The SA parliament has just passed legislation that allows for Wind Turbines on Crown Land in a context where 'the pastoral leaseholder can negotiate with Turbine developers, but if they (leaseholder) oppose Turbines the state government will force them on to that site'...(so basically leaseholders can negotiate right up until those Turbines are going there anyway?-Ed)...exactly...it's another round of blatantly Fascist legislation that removes access to Courts and/or any opposition...

This legislation means that if a Turbine company says 'we're putting 100 Turbines on your lease' that's it, it's happening...I've been researching the term 'Crown Land' but there's sortta' floating definitions that seem to indicate National Parks are included in that, and then it broadens to include land for schools, parks, etc...I'll try to find a specific definition, and can only re-iterate my absolute opposition to 1) the definitively Fascist pro-Turbine legislation that denies access to the Courts, and 2) the ludicrously inefficient Turbines themselves...

Minister Ian Hunter stated that re this new legislation, 'it's a bit like mining', there's provision for 'negotiation', but ultimately the mining company get their way...it fascinates me how the Greens amongst others (and I am a bit of a greenie myself) can continue to rail against  the lack of rights for farmers/landholders/whatevs when it comes to mining/fracking/whatevs, yet they (Greens) completely ignore the same issues with the Fascist Turbine legislation...(well that's because they like Turbines but not mining-Ed)...well that's exactly the point I was already making, but thanks for your input...

Heard an interesting thingy on the ABC coupla' weeks back about 'foraging' for herbs, fungi, etc, and a caller stated that there was this wonderful chef in Mt Gambier, Kirby Shearing, who 'takes people on foraging classes including scouring rock-pools, etc' (paraphrasing but close)...I rang the ABC to state my belief that it's actually strictly illegal to 'take' anything from the Inter-tidal Zone, but my comment was not read out...

Same thing happened when A-grade Betrayer, Member for Frome Geoff Brock helped Labor pass their Marine Parks legislation and was on the ABC and I rang to define that farcicality by observing that the entire Seagrass beds just off Adelaide's suburban beaches, a critically threatened ecosystem that is the nursery for multiple species including the iconic King George Whiting, none of that is protected, at all...the woman who answered the phone agreed with me but when I said my name, her tone changed and my message or even a similar statement was not read out...a critical issue just ignored by the ABC...

And imagine my surprise that the ABC has just announced (earlier today) interviews today with Mt Gambier Mayoral candidates Paul Jenner and (current Councillor) Allen 'Is The Key' Smith...(when are you on?-Ed)...haven't even heard from them...(mmmm-Ed)...indeed, mmmm...and wow, Allen Smith has just straight-out lied about the cost blow-out on the Main Corner, stating that it wasn't a blow-out because Council received $5million for the project that had to be spent on that project..Mr Jenner quite rightly reminded Mr Smith that the $5m was several grants and half went on the Library...

And there was a wall of waffle from Mr Smith about how Heritage issues dictated everything that happened with the Main Corner...(does that include the massive, almost random holes gouged in the side of the old Kings Theatre for the cross-beams?-Ed)...indeed, it looks like someone's pointed from across the site and said 'about there should be right, don't bother measuring it' and then smashed some foot square holes roughly where the beams were going...

Mr Smith also stated that the Solar Lights around the Blue Lake were a goer, stating that the Tenders had been received and accepted...(but I thought there was a bunch of shenanigans about one Tenderer putting in 2 different costings for the BL Lights, then being awarded the Tender, and Council then indicating that it was going to 're-negotiate' upward toward the $120,000 more expensive one, and that The Border Watch announced the awarding of the Tender days before it was actually voted on in Council, etc, etc, and now the whole things been withdrawn and, effectively, a new Tender process will have to be initiated-Ed)...absolutely correct Ed, it's just yet another rank bastardisation of appropriate process by Mt Gambier City Council...(and one that Mr Smith is apparently unaware of-Ed)...  

Furthermore Mr Smith reckons everything's just fine with Council's fiscal position, and again Mr Jenner rebuked him for misrepresenting the reality...and it is that reality that will haunt Mt Gambier for years to come, and makes it virtually impossible to make any statements re future projects/initiatives/whatevs...gunna' finish here today and will do a full run-down of the Candidates forum,

Tomorrow: Vote 1 Large Angry Hippy

Written and Authorised by Nick Fletcher, Kooringa St, Mt Gambier...cheers and laters...