I’m of the opinion that in Australia we have far too many chiefs and a reasonable number of indians (in the metaphorical sense of course, not in a sub-continental racist way).

I’m reckoning that we, as in Australia, could quite happily dispose of some of our politicians or councillors. All of this is based on the fact that we live in a councils domain which in turn resides in a state, which in turn resides in the country called Australia.

The lord mayor and his cronies looks after the council. The premier and his lackeys takes care of the state. And the prime minister and his subordinates wrap us all up in a hug of taxable goodness.

That’s a lot of salaries to pay for.

So here’s the idea. We need to get rid of either the councils or the state governments. Full stop. We’re only 20+million people for insert deities name here sake.

At the moment I’m leaning towards the demolition of the councils (although I think the state is a little more superfluous) because of two people in particular.

The first is an eastern suburbs councillor who promised to support our local community regarding a vote. We went to the meeting and he spoke to us outside. He said to our faces, in a paraphrasical manner, that he would vote against the development. But once in the meeting voted for it.

Thankfully he didn’t stand for re-election (apparently too busy) this time. He sent his dad instead. Oh yeah, and his dad *cough* puppet *cough* did get elected. Oooh that’s a bit catty.

The other is the buffoon.

Melbourne’s lord mayor, Doyle. Yes, the chap that presented a sniping, non-constructive opposition to the Labour government in recent years.

He’s now come out as lord mayor and has continued his non-constructive ways. His top recent buffoonish efforts are as follows:

• Picking fights. Calling for Adelaide to be shut down because it has so little going for it. Good one. You’re so clever Mr Doyle. I’m sure your research was extensive. Oh hang on what about Coopers Beer, the short drive to the Barossa for some fine wine, and for the bogans out their, Jimmy Barnes grew up in the outskirts of Adelaide.
• Trying to put cars back through the heart of the city he wants to make a 24hr destinations. Why would you want to put traffic back through the place that you want to make attractive to walking patrons. Fumes, pedestrian danger, traffic snarls, obstructed trams, obstructed trams ringing their annoying bells to clear the way.
• And then as an addendum to the Adelaide bashing he says that Brisbane ain’t great. Constructive. Next he’ll say that Hobart’s mum smells of cooking sherry.

I’m getting to thinking that this is all one of those dodgy ploys to get popular. Methinks a little like his predecessors desire for popularity. Or is it the Andrew Bolt shock methodology?

So their you have it. And we’re stuffed.

We pay, as taxpayers and ratepayers, for us to be watched over and fined by buffoons. Too many chiefs.

Get rid of the councils or the state governments. In this day and age we don’t need them. It’s not like we need to pass messages by yak to speak to each other.

We have the technology.

As a paramedic you see the sad side of life on a regular basis. It’s even harder to see a young person pass away from something as stupid as a drug overdose.

My heart goes out to the family of Gemma Thoms who died after overdosing on ecstasy pills at this years Big Day Out.

I then saw on the news that a knucklehead MP has come out and said that the sniffer dogs at the BDO would only “alienate and intimidate” the patrons. She also said that this was “life threatening behaviour” as the drug user may do something stupid like take all of their drugs to avoid arrest.

Anyone who’s been to the BDO and other such events knows that the dogs are a possibility. They know that they’re going to be running the gauntlet.

Anyway, it’s only my opinion but like the old folks say, “you play with fire”.

I reckon that if you’re a security guard at a bank, this MP may have your job. What if one of those poor bank robbers get scared when they see you and shoot themselves. It’s a long bow, I know. But hey. You chart your own course. The kids have to grow up some time.

It’s just a shame Gemma and her family had to suffer. MPs just should not use tragedy like this to say “I told you so”.

Tony Abbott, you’re a dill.

For a politician not to have his fingers on the pulse of his constituent’s psyche is tantamount to political suicide. And when he comes out and effectively insults Australia’s proud military history you’d have to think he’d gone bonkers.

Anyhoo, that’s what he did. He came out in the media and said that George Bush’s departing gift to John Howard was comparable to the Victoria Cross received by Trooper Mark Donaldson.

So let’s break it down in a mildly biased manner, remembering that Mr Abbott felt the following were comparable:

• John Howard received a “Freedom” medal for committing Australia to a war started by a mate of his.
• Mark Donaldson received a Victoria Cross for distracting enemy soldiers to save wounded soldiers and crossed 80 metres worth of enemy fire to save an Afghan interpreter.

Anyway, make up your own mind. An article in the Courier Mail is here.

The day I read this I met a remarkable man.

Maric “Max” Gilbert. He’s remarkably fit, in his mid-80′s and has a laugh that if you closed your eyes would make you think he was 20. To look at the way he strides about in an excitable manner just made me smile and hope that if I reach his age I still have that same zest for life. Then he told me a little bit about himself and it made him all the more remarkable.

Max spent time in a Japanese prisoner of war camp and once freed took a very long time to be able to talk about it. But talk he did. He wrote down his life to date in the form of his own memoirs. He got them bound and gave copies to his family, including grandchildren.

The memoirs contained many pictures of him as a young man, in the war years and beyond. Some showed him as a pirate and then a bobby in a performance of the Pirates of Penzance. A couple that Max was proud to show us was of him with a black beard playing the pirate and then his wife sprayed it silver to play the policeman. He chuckled in such an infectious way that we all started laughing.

That’s why reading about Abbott and Howard’s medal talk made me angry. They seemed worried that Howard’s medal wasn’t going to be remembered like the soldier that risked his life to save others.

Then Max asked, “Have you heard of Changi?” Yes, I replied. “Have you heard of the Burma railway?” Again yes.

“But have you heard of Ambon?” No, I replied.

Ambon was where Max had been held. According to Max, some 2000 Australian prisoners of war died there. I may have misheard Max but a quick google search makes me feel the 2000 was conservative.

Now Mr Howard and Abbott, I just wish you’d look a little further into our history before making such insulting statements. To compare a “Freedom” medal to the deeds of Trooper Mark Donaldson or the bravery of people like Maric “Max” Gilbert is worse than insulting.

Places like Ambon should be remembered, not the acts of a little brother hiding behind his bullish big brother.

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Maric “Max” Gilbert the writer.