We have put together a submission to the Brisbane Regional ALP conference, which may be of interest to other regions; to set up and utilise online communities, as proposed by Mark Latham during the campaign.

If you want a copy of it, please email us directly and we will forward it to you to submit to your own branch or region.

Minor parties don't 'fracture' the vote in the lower house because of the way the preference system operates there - more options usually just means more opportunities there. In the upper house, the group ticket system does have some problems, especially when, as happened this election, the preferences are decided based on deals made between the parties rather than based on the policy of the parties or candidates receiving the preferences.

As long as the parties allocate preferences in a rational way, even the upper house system will normally not run into problems because there are more candidates. Hopefully the ALP and Democrats will have learnt their lesson on this.

The election result was a disaster, but it was a result that has been a long time coming - decades, not weeks or months. I think we've let the democratic muscle of our citizenry/society run down to a dangerous level.

We will need to build up media outlets that have a strong commitment to democracy - but even more importantly we need to draw more and more ordinary people into being involved in sorting out public policy issues. Simply voting is not enough - whether at elections or in referenda - because it's too easy to let someone else tell you what to vote. What we need practice at is actually thinking through and talking through issues with our fellow citizens and seeking out good info to feed into our cogitations.

Maybe local governments (or any other governments) that have a commitment to building our democratic muscle could institute a system of calling in relatively large numbers of citizens (in a manner vaguely reminiscent of the jury service idea) to work through issues

Dear All NHJ People,

I do not profess to have an answer to this problem ... but I think we need a serious discussion amongst ourselves about the following issues:

a) In the time available it is unlikely that a viable alternative party can be built in time to do signficant things for the next election, which we *must* win.

b) Part of how Howard got in was due to the fractured voting caused by minor parties and the quirks of the preferences system.

c) The Coalition parties are highly(!) UNLIKELY to reform themselves given the current leaders in both camps - or under the likely replacements once Howard cuts and runs.

d) We are unlikely to form an alternative free press in this country in time to take effect, sadly. The pathetic behaviour of all major media (even the SMH wimped out and didn't back Latham) gives no ground for optimism. NHJ!(HA): Watch this space Russell

So, there seems to be very little hope for us (l)iberals of any flavour to get satisfaction

See his a report on his statement today at http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200410/s1226179.htm.

Nat lashes PM as Senate control in doubt
Patricia Karvelas and Andrew McGarry
October 23, 2004

JOHN Howard's chances of controlling the Senate in his own right were in doubt last night as the Nationals' Barnaby Joyce fell behind One Nation's Len Harris for the first time in the crucial race for the sixth Queensland seat. [continues at http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,11158248%255E2702,00.html]

I'm not a great fan of One Nation ... but in this case GO FOR IT!

After seeing that Ruddock is still claiming that the kangaroo court at Guantanamo Bay constitutes a fair system of justice - even when US courts are getting stuck into the US administration over their failure to observe basic standards of justice, it got me to wondering if the Attorney-General still has a solicitor's practising certificate in New South Wales. As it turns out, he does.

Even before the US courts started getting stuck into the administration, it is fairly easy to come up with a list of reasons why the Guantanamo system falls short of the standards of reasonable justice. As Ruddock is a solicitor, there is no way he could possibly be unaware of these deficiencies.

Now if he is aware, but continues to claim without qualification that the system is fair, he's being

DIRECT ACTION

The following was submitted by NHJ!er Marie. I have posted it here for the edification of all.

This site has naturally slowed down, but we are far from finished, and after some needed rest, we're back for a whole new ball game. Happy reading.

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too:
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream---and not make dreams your master;
If you can think---and not make thoughts your aim,
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same:.
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,

After what the conservatives are claiming as a resounding victory and supposed mandate for all that was ever mentioned during their 6 month campaign which began on budget night, we could all easily slip into a state of despair, and do nothing due to a feeling of despondancy.

This would be understandable. However, I learnt on election night that all is not lost. I was surrounded by a group of wonderful people who had gathered to help Brian Deegan attempt to unseat Downer, and it struck me that now is the time to begin action to destroy this heartless lying regime. All those who banded togethher over the last 6 months must continue if we are to be prepared for next time around.

The movement's filled with wonderful people and must regroup and continue the fight, as hopeless as it may seem.

NHJ!(HA): I agree Andrew, but I've also seen a bit of burn-out in my time. Tragically it's sometimes permanent. So it's quite ok to have a rest.

Whilst we might all appear to be still stunned by the result, we will never give up.

We need only convince a few more percent that individualism and the 'me' principle is self destructive for the future general good of this country.

Let's begin to implement Margo's Ten ideas for change. Let's use a medium such as this to voice opinion, discuss strategies and implement plans.

We don't need to buy the local newspaper to find out what's going on - there are people at the coalface who are prepared to tell it as it is and where there are no editorial sychophants doing their masters bidding by editting out dissenting comments.

Don't despair Leo, we're still here and we haven't given up.

Mary: A Woman Before Her Time.

Mary MacKillop was born in Melbourne on 15 January, 1842. Her parents Alexander and Flora were Scottish immigrants. Due to the struggling economic circumstances of her parents Mary needed to go out to work, when she was 14 years old.

Mary felt a deep sense of God calling her to live her life as a Religious Sister. She had no idea how this desire would come to fruition for her but she longed to follow this call.

It was at Penola in South Australia that Mary MacKillop met Fr Julian Tenison Woods while she was working as a governess for her relatives. She shared with him her desire to become a Religious Sister. He in turn helped to see the needs of this new emerging colony and encouraged her in her response to give herself totally to God in Religious life.

Under Julian

John Howard has swept to power due, in my opinion, to the public's lack of the ability to think effectively about the issues confronting society.

Our parliaments should be institutions where the many complex problems confronting us are analysed and solutions sought. Instead they are places where confrontation rules and simple ideological solutions to these complex problems are adopted by the party with the numbers without any real analysis.

The only answer which I can see is to include the teaching of the skills of clear thinking beginning at an early age. This would counteract the practice of making decisions relying on gut feelings and ideology based on immediate self interest. The only people who seem to understand how people make decisions are the advertisers, marketers and 'spin doctors'. They use their knowledge not for the benefit of society but for commercial or political advantage.

The idea that clear thinking is a skill, which needs to be developed is describ

If the dates on the reader's reviews are accurate, there haven't been many submissions since the Howard government was returned. Either that or those that have been submitted have been culled for some reason. Too rude?

Maybe some spirits have been broken. Well, buck up. I keep being told to accept the umpire's ruling. Howard won, get over it. Get on the train or get off the track. No.

Surely one of the frailties of Democracy is also one of its strengths; that the majority, if majority truly rules, can make anything acceptable. If the majority of Australians voted to imprison children then that is what would happen. In a society sufficiently prepared by spin and fear anthing becomes possible. Does it make it right? If the majority feeling in South Africa was pro-Apartheid, does it make Apartheid unassailably right? No.

I will not accept the decision of the umpire and I consider myself a patriot for it. Some things believed by the majority are wrong. It was true historical

When Howard tries to implement his agenda of privatisation, industrial relations 'reform', welfare 'reform', an aggressive and world-destabilising foreign policy, allowing the woodchipping of Tasmania's forests, etc, etc, it is likely that many who did vote for Howard will start to have second thoughts about the choice they made last Saturday. (If they don't then we are in for a very grim future, indeed.)

If popular opposition does emerge, Howard will no doubt employ, to the utmost, as he has done before, the argument that he has a mandate to do whatever he likes, except, perhaps to reverse the direction the earth spins on its axis.

However, if at that point the Australian public can be reminded of just how blatantly he abused his positon of incumbency for at least the last 12 months, and how almost the entire news media backed Howard to the hilt, abandoning their responsibity to give accurate and objective information, then perhaps the 'mandate' argument may not sta