Let’s get the shit out of the way first. It so happens, even if I don’t agree with every position he takes, that Independent Senator Nick Xenophon is one of the most truly honourable people in the Australian government. That some Great Panjandrums in Malaysian government circles have tonight decided to deport him from Malaysia, where he was to meet with Opposition people, speaks volumes about the state of Malaysian democracy – or should that be “democracy”. It also suggests that no-one should really take the upcoming Malaysian election too seriously. I mean, what are these people frightened of? It’s just a shame we don’t have a real Foreign Minister in Australia at the moment rather than the temp from central casting we got lumbered with when Kevin Rudd made his last grab to regain leadership. I have heard the pissweak Bob on the subject. Unfortunately I don’t expect Ms Bishop to be much better.
Nick Xenophon – honourable and honest
OK, now to something completely different. ABC News 24’s One Plus One tonight had a superb interview with Channel Nine journalist Peter Harvey.
See also Peter Harvey diagnosed with cancer. What a wonderful human being with such a rich life so far! And what a great interviewer Jane Hutcheon really is! And again, do we really appreciate the treasure, in international terms, we have in our ABC?
Looking forward, ABC offers this soon:
Mama Asia is a journey from the skies above Afghanistan to the back alleys of India, the landmine fields of Cambodia, the mountains of Hong Kong, the path of the People Power revolution in the Philippines and the remote plains of Mongolia.
ABC journalist Sally Sara has conducted interviews with 12 inspirational Asian women over the past five years.
The women include an Afghan helicopter pilot, a pioneering Thai Buddhist monk, a gutsy sheep shearer from beyond the Gobi Desert, a matriarch from the slums of Mumbai and a survivor of the Hiroshima atomic bomb. They tell their life stories of courage, resilience, hardship and humour.
The women’s stories will be published one a month from February 2013 to December 2013.
Neil's Commonplace Book 