Not Happy, John!

Australians have a reputation for understatement, and the title of this book - to me - is a paradigm example. Margo Kingston and other contributors write with a passion for democracy and a fair and just Australian society, and a white-hot anger at what has been done to, if not destroy, then at least tarnish them by John W. Howard and his cronies.

This book strikes me as being incredibly valuable for a number of reasons. It is written by someone who is passionate about our democracy, and ensuring its ongoing health and vitality - and that she sees that a critical and honest media is as essential to that as honest and caring politicians. Margo is also well placed to access information and stories that we'd never otherwise hear about - I've learned a lot about the ins and outs of cross media ownership for example from this book.

But one of the most impressive things is that the anger and the passion do not drown out the humanity of either the authors or certain of the people that they are writing about. Margo's reflections on Senator Brian Harradine really touched me. Margo - you say that someone should write more about him. You should! Similarly, Bob Carr and others cease to be simply the pollies (or the like) that we all love to hate, and instead we can see their courage when they stand up to whatever forces are arrayed against them. I think that this sensitivity to the humanity of others is something that has been particularly savagely attacked in the Howard years, and that this book goes to a small way to countering that.

I've not finished the book as yet, but even as I put it down to rest and ponder, while it seems that undoing the damage to our culture and political institutions (let alone our international reputation) is an almost insurmountable task, I do feel a certain amount of hope. Ultimately, NJH throws down the gauntlet to me - to have the courage to have hope, and the determination to do something to not only end the Howard years but go some way to healing the harm.

Margo - you are a saint!