Next Tuesday is the first Tuesday in November and it's on again - they'll be racing at Flemington in the Melbourne Cup. Now, it is not clear yet how many Federal politicians will be absent from Canberra and on the lawns or in the bars at Flemington. Initially, it was said that the government's IR bill would face the vote on Melbourne Cup day. That suggestion has now been scotched and it is suggested that the Anti-Terror laws will hit the legislature then. Now bet whichever way you like but it seems that the safest bet is to agree with Michelle Grattan about the indecent haste of it all.
When workplace disputes are at a low and reasonable level, the Prime Minister throws the hand-grenade of ideologically based legislation which polarises the community. When the spirit of the times demands more than ever that we throw our weight behind freedom and democracy, John Howard and his cronies are asking us to trust him as he moves to curtail our freedoms in a most severe and undemocratic and non-transparent way. This is good government? I don't think so.
