HAMISH: I've politely replied by email - he is wrong. Hi there! Great book isn't it? Got me fired up. On page 34, says (regarding the function list for the Lodge BBQ) there was no university vice-chancellor. But on the list it says 'Mr Paul Ramsay AO - Vice-Chancellor, University of Sydney' Regards Neil

Thank you Margo for such a compelling and emotive book. It has inspired me to be a more vocal citizen. As a journalism and economics student it has given me a new way to view my studies - I only hope one day I'll be able to be half the journalist you are. I'll be giving your book to all my economics friends. And then secretly putting your bumper sticker on their cars.

Margo, I always enjoyed your spot on radio with that great democrat Phillip Adams. Thank you for articulating in your book all of the frustrations that many of us Australians feel. I feel disenfranchised and embarrassed by our present government.

Luckily, outside of Australia I feel that very few countries are actually aware of Australia's role in Iraq. Australia was not mentioned in Farenheit 9/11 and when I was in Ireland & Britain in May and I was very surprised at the complete absence of comment in the media and among my friends and relations regarding Austrlia's role in Iraq.

I agree with the deterioration in democratic activity and regret the fact at the moment our political system is producing very few men and women with vision, principles and integrity. Under the leadership of John Howard the Liberal Party name is an oxymoron in more ways than one. Our public service must be strenghtened to support their right to advise politicians without fear or favour. Hist

I have been reading your book and devouring it with vigour. I'm a 22 year old student/married mother of 2 and long time dreamer of PMship (I don't know that I want it anymore) and a simplistic idealist somehow caught up and thrilled by the complexities of our politics. I appreciate reading this story from your perspective, with journalistic form and dignity to show the truth to all of us.

I am very much a small - l liberal, I have friends I agree with in the Socialist Alliance, Greens, Labor etc but to read a story from an 'average Aussie', if I can call you that, really helped me to see the validity in my own fears for the future of this country under such a PM as John Howard.

Thanks for Webdiary, where I first discovered you and your book, and thanks for the book. I plan to buy a few copies to distribute to people I know need to know this. I wish it was compulsory reading, but I also wish that everyone in this country relished in their right to be informed and did s

For a controversial analysis of the latest in Jakarta, written from the relative political safety of an anti-Bush site, have a look at blogger Gandhi here: http://bushout.blogspot.com

Don't look if you don't want to be deeply politically disturbed.

Dear Margo, Thank you for the much needed exposee of Mr Howard's failures to lead this country in a just and fair way for ALL. Australians. Ever since the 'Tampa' incident I have felt a sense of hopelessness and isolation; this lead to total darkness when Mr Howard went to war 'IN OUR NAME', even though the majority view was opposed to this action unless sanctioned by the UN.

Then I read your book and realised I was not alone; you have brought to the surface my anger towards a man and a government hell bent on destroying 'the fair go' ethos that this nation holds so dear. I have been a Labor supporter all my adult life but even my beloved ALP has lost its way in the confusion that we now finds ourselves in, so much so that I consiously cast an invalid vote at the last poll.

Thank you again, Margo, keep up the good work. No S.O.B. must not be allowed to destroy our democratic rights!!!

I have now purchased, read and circulated the book and am back in Iraq. It is a blo*dy good story and the timing is great. You have also bequeathed the country a great election slogan - maybe 2nd after 'It's Time'.

As someone who has spent the last nearly five years working for an American firm funded by the US government to do 'post war reconstruction and democratisation'' in such salubrious places as Kosovo and Iraq and a long term student of American politics as well as our own, it had great resonance.

A friend who has now purchased several copies to send to friends described it as 'scary'. Like me, she finds much to link our glorious leader to the less attractive features of the current US administration. This extends in no small measure to the current election campaigns and the use of scare tactics on both the terrorism and economic fronts to substitute for any meaningful discussion of future direction or (dare I say it) policy. Ruddock and Cheney are about as

GET HOWARD OUT Hello all, Firstly, I will start by saying that if you have ANY interest whatsoever in federal politics and are as desperate as me to vote Howard Out, then read on........ Secondly, I am one of a group of people (a few solicitors and representatives from a variety of community-based and non-governmental organisations) who have decided to organise and run an awareness campaign throughout this election, which is NOT attached to any particular political party, but that is designed to keep social and human rights issues on the agenda for this election and is ultimately aimed at removing John Howard - based on what we perceive as consistent and blatant breaches of human rights standards. Now for the detail......... Idea / Purpose: to reinforce and raise greater awareness of social and human rights issues in the 2004 election. Therefore, the purpose of the strategies outlined below is to encourage people to vote against returning John Howard as Prime Minister. - ie:

This week's Nielsen Bookscan non-fiction results are in...and NHJ has roared back into the Top 10, resting at Number 8.

PLUS, for democratic freaks and lovers of web brilliance, check out this.

Margo, I find reading NHJ really difficult. At the end of each chapter I slam it down and walk off steaming, only to come back to it in a couple of days. You remind me how angry I was about the war and many other things.

I don't just want Howard out of office. I want revenge. Of course this is absurd as I won't even use fly spray at home. Maybe that is the problem. The meek aren't managing so well at inheriting the Earth. Lying rodents seem to be doing pretty well though.

I've become active in politics for the first time ever, not that I have any faith in Labour which is the only alternative we have at present. This system of government is a crock. There has to be be a better way of finding the right people to run this country.

Last night I finished reading Not Happy, John - thank you! Lately I've been feeling so depressed and frustrated with politics in this country particularly when I watch or read the news. I vote for the Greens but sometimes think what's the point of voting at all?

It's not all doom and gloom - I feel that I can do my bit in a small way through my job as a history teacher by engaging the kids in discussions about politics etc and that is definitely very rewarding.

Although I found your book depressing in places (because I feel so much anger towards Howard et al) it has inspired me to not give up so easily! One of the most useful sections of the book is the list of websites - I've just been to nothappyjohn.com and your SMH Webdiary so I will definitely visit them on a regular basis and further my education on these matters.

This reminds me that I found your section on Pauline Hanson very interesting because I am exactly the type of person who was quick to rip h

I bought NHJ today. I was last reading 'The President of Good and Evil: The Ethics of George W. Bus'h. It made me depressed and angry. NHJ also is making me angry, but in a good way. Although I live in a safe Liberal seat, I will now try and contribute in direct action to get rid of Howard.

Hi Margo. Just a short email to say thanks for writing your book 'Not Happy John!' The issues you cover form the true basis for deciding our next prime minister and our future.

I was stunned by the events surrounding the Bush visit last year, and I keep saying to myself that Australians can see through the veneer and total disrespect of alternate views shown by this government. Then it hits you again. How can our prime minister neutralise the Greens? Simple - keep calling them a bunch of 'tree huggers' and continuously use the term 'looney' when referring the green's policies, reinforcing old stereotypes and ending any possible meaningful debate.

Here's a letter of thanks to Margo, of which we receive many, but for one reason or another Margo insisted be a blog

Hi Margo

Thanks very much for the 'Not Happy John' stickers - we are on a campaign of sticking them around Fremantle. In fact we recently went to see Germaine Greer at UWA and gave her one which she said she was going to stick on her Avis rent-a-car.

It's amazing how much energy your book has helped to create. Thanks

Emma

If you are a fan of what Howard and Nelson are doing to Australian Education please disregard this. If you have had enough, please help us to spread the word of www.dearjohn.org by forwarding this page to other academic and letting students know about this site.

Dear John was initiated by young Australian designers interested in how, in these post-political times, they could motivate their peers to defeat Howard in the upcoming elections. From the beginning the site set out to explore new communication strategies for engaging young people in conversations about politics. Although united by a common agenda to defeat Howard, the designers do not push which party to vote for, but use free downloads of t-shirt transfers, screen savers, badges and stickers to get young people sharing and talking about socio-political issues.

Central to the idea behind Dear John is the notion that networked communities will use the internet, email and mobile