So Bob Brown is the jolly green giant now, or is this just ‘The Bulletin’ being smart again? One thing all pollies could learn from him is that a little courage goes a long way with the electorate. They are so used to mealy-mouthed pollies covering their electoral, party or factional butts that some one who acts with some reference to principle is a nice change. Brown fights above his weight because he actually fights, while far too many of his colleagues in Canberra just talk a good fight until it comes to the crunch. Brown is a genuine leader, and if the Greens can stop themselves from shooting themselves in the foot, they should reap the electoral benefit.
Speaking of green stuff, interesting to watch the greatest nation on earth losing the battle of Los Angeles. You can’t nuke bush fires, it seems. And how long before some one figures out that all this strange weather just might have something to do with global warming. No matter how much the corporate blockheads finance people like Blomberg to rubbish global warming (because there is always plenty of doubt about something so vast in scale), sooner or later we’ll realise that we have to pay the price for two centuries of industrial abuse of the environment. And this isn’t another devastaing flood in Bangladesh or landslide in Bolivia, this is a fire wiping out million dollar homes in TV land. Maybe Arnie will take it up and tell his Republican mate in Washington that he has to do something. Green Arnie, that would be something – I hope at least one of his gas-guzzling humvees is the right colour.

If George Bush is blogging, then it’s time I was too. I can’t touch his subtle wit and clever wordplay, of course, but then I’m not president of the greatest nation on earth! Anyway, at least I’m writing my own.
What a buzz it was having the leader of the world and the wannabe boss in Oz at the same time. It was a great double bill in Canberra. Just how that little question plays out – a possibly declining US and an ascendant China – will be one of the big issues of the next few decades. History says this is a dangerous situation, prone to war. Let’s hope we are smarter than that now.
My students were ambivalent about Bob Brown’s intervention. You shouldn’t insult a guest, but since there was no other way of getting to talk to Dubya, what else was he to do? Have to admire Brown’s bottle, either way – but then anyone who takes on D-9s in the Tassie mud is not going to fear the prissy speaker of the Oz parliament.
Dubya handled it pretty well, actually. It contrasted with the heavy-handed approach of the Chinese who tried to clamp down on any expression of dissent, and who have a lot to learn about making a good impression.
The Chinese are really getting serious about commercial ties with Oz, which will present a nice little dilemma for the government. The gas deals are genuinely huge, and could buy a lot of political clout. That’s the way the Chinese will see it, anyway.
As Crean pointed out, much of this bonanza is down to Gough, who took a lot of crap when he went to Communist China in 1971. The usual suspects went after him like a pack of rabid dogs – Fraser called him a “disgrace to Australia”.
But when business and ideology clash, business is usually a safe bet.

And where do we go now in the great journey through blogdom?

It’s a nasty thing, writer’s blog – like the opposite of writer’s block.

Very nice indeed!

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Just to try the features really. Fairly similar to Lachlan’s Does it’s own code. Own code. Link to On Line Opinion

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This is Hughie’s first post to kick off the National Forum blogging site, The Domain.