h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Well, I've just received a link to my son's blog. How is that?

It's mostly about the election we are having in about four weeks time. The myth of the left-wing media is just that, a whopping myth. All the media are vocal in their support of the right wing parties, and the problem is that this includes the commercial radio and TV stations.
Those who don't bother to watch the televised debates, but hear only the loud commentators claiming that one leader, of one party, is a shrieking harridan who won't let the other leader, (a dull and boring right wing economist) get a word in edge-wise, may vote according to what they hear the talking-heads say happened. Sigh...

Well, I looked out the window, and it is both raining and sunny.

The other son has a mid-semester exam today (Nursing practice) and at the end of this semester does his first stint in a real hospital. That is also
and with Jim and his sister-in-law both studying to be s, the family will be well-stocked.

Meanwhile, I am home with a horrible upper-respiratory tract infection he gave me. Oh, well, could be worse! (As it will be if the Nats get in, or Dubya does in fact attack Iran, as my sister and I are horribly sure will happen.)

Elections are so joyful

Monday we had torrential rain, Tuesday sun, today is still deciding!

I hope your sons exam goes well, you will be in good hands if that infection persists. 3 nurses in one family is excellent!

I am very tired today, I normally sleep in shifts but with workmen in a flat nearby arriving at 9am, thats shift 2 out the window. They whistle and shout all day, I can hear every word they say, this is the second week of it, I do hope they go soon.

I also hope you feel better soon.

3?- ta,

Hope your bad chest gets better soon, in the meantime enjoy the rest.

Hi, Kaz, we have had a morning of pouring rain and strong winds, followed in seconds by glorious sunshine and blue skies and the wind dropped - the weather doesn't know whether it's coming or going

Hope the builders move out soon and you can get some sleep. Our next door neighbours are having a new bathroom put in - while they are away on holiday!!!!........there has been a lot of banging, drilling and sawing, but at least he is working fairly sociable hours.......and they did apologise for the noise in advance!!!!


Websailor

<> Della - don't know where that came from?!

WS

Thanks for your good wishes, KazSorrel and Websailor. The chest is getting better, and the sunshine certainly helps! (This time last year was cold and rainy, so we're lucky indeed!)
Jim says he did well in the exam. He just emailed me to tell me that the leader of one of the minor parties had swept in to the computer lab at the medical school to speak to the IT guys and "and started pouring poison in their ears about how tax cuts are the best thing for them"... He was going to heckle the polly, but as if he could read my son's mind, Mr Hide (really) gathered up the attending reporters and scuttled away. I find this funny!
I hope, the neighbouring workmen get finished soon, Kaz! What a pain in the neck...

Hi all
sunny and drenched yesterday, the builders were quieter yeaterday as well. We shall see what today brings?! Its very tirying spending the whole day having to listen to other people have shouting, singing and whistling conversations, when you are trying to write, hope they finish soon.

Politicians eh Della! Glad you are feeling better.

Much better today, thanks! Medical things went really well today, and so I am *so* pleased!!!
Ach, politicians. To think, it's only been one week of the election campaign so far - it already seems like forever!

Glad you are better. I hate election campaigns, they never properly deal with what I think is the most important thing - the environment. If asthma rates go up because of air pollution and the freshwater turns acidic and the seawater levels rise, what point police and schools? Still thats my soapbox, just wish some politicians shared it. Maybe its different where you are Della?

We are lucky, in that the Green party has been in coalition with the major party of Government for the last six years (!) but I fear that may not last...

Getting their policies across, is for them, like, to use a cliche, trying to nail jelly to a post! The media favour (though they'd never admit it) the right wing parties.

Still - maybe I am being, as Jim says I am, too negative and pessimistic.

I can't imagine it is easy for the Greens to work with right wing policies. Why is getting their policies across like trying to nail jelly to a post? Is it problems with being listened to, or are the policies being misinterpreted, or are they just bad at dealing with the madia and public etc?

It's all of the above - the media here are die-hard supporters of monetarism, and allow Green policies to be misinterpreted by the general public, many of them not interested in actually finding out for themselves, sadly. F'r instance, there's a lot of feeling against public transport here, which is a key Green policy. You'd think, with petrol being an horrendous price, people would be more into trains and buses, the services are actually very good!

People and their cars! I really don't mind gasoline prizes being increased. I see it with people in my surrounding. Even if it's just a few steps to the newspaper kiosk they rather take their cars than going by foot. This is so weird!!!

How's the election campaign going? Some provinces in Austria are electing new provincial governments this fall, I hate those campaigns too. I hope that there'll be a political change in the province I live in. Opinion polls say that it might happen, but they've often proved to be wrong throughout the last years. Only time will show...

There are eight days to go... Right now, the leader of the National (right wing) party has been exposed as a whopping liar, but sadly, the media are giving him a free pass! All sorts of excuses. I have a horrible feeling we'll get a bad result.. but there's nothing we can do about it. At least I know my sons and daughter-in-law and I are going to vote the right way- that is, the left!

We experienced a shift towards right-wing attitudes six years ago in Austria. The EU imposed sanctions, but then many other EU countries followed our example and experienced a slide to the right as well. It's a weird time...
As far as Austria is concerned the right-wing party created a lot of chaos in the government, and finally the party split up. Now there are two right-wing parties in Austria, but they've lost most of their voters. Conclusion: a shift to the right can also have good consequences - i.e. the party fighting in public and finally splitting up.
It's a pity that the media aren't more objective in NZ. I hope you won't have to cope with a bad result.

I am biting my nails up to the elbow! It's nerve-wracking - only three and a bit days to go... It's Jim's first election,and his mind if made up (the right, that is to say, the correct way - in my point of view.) We have had swings to the right, and I hope this isn't going to be one! Luckily, the RW parties are already fighting among themselves...

So is it happening today?

Feel free to tell me more about it, our news doesn't cover NZ elections I am afraid, so I don't know a thing, except what you have told me.

Right, if it wasn't for Della writing in her journal about it I wouldn't know anything either.

Hello, Katkodl, Kaz... It's tomorrow, September 17th. I have a blog about it http://2005nzelect.blogspot.com/

(as does my son Gerard) http://rightisallwrong.blogspot.com/

and we are all chewing our nails up to the elbows... The TV News showed the parties taking down billboards, because it is illegal to campaign after midnight. The *latest* poll shows my preferred party a little bit ahead, but yesterdays poll showed the reverse. I am thinking that polls should be banned in the last two weeks of a campaign, they're not good for my blood pressure! Nor are they terribly good for the parties, people can be too influenced by them, and tactical voting is the name of the game! I got an email from the Greens advising how best to vote tactically for the best left-wing result, and so I sent it to my sons and some friends - it certainly made good sense to me.

You mentioned those before, so much to remember! Have had a quick look, will have a good read later.