Now you see it, now you don't : Melbourne Indymedia

When the Prime Minister (yes I'm afraid it's a John Howard week this week) and the Federal Education Minister Brendan Nelson announced that the Federal government would spend $31.8 billion on State, private and Catholic school education over the next 4 years, I was impressed (only kidding).

Within one hour of the package being released, doubts began to grow in people's minds about the government's announcement. It seems the fanfare accompanying their media conference had a sound of deja vu about it. Core and non-core man has done it again, lies, lies and more lies. It looked like the Treasurer had released the same figures during the last May budget. According to the last budget papers, Federal government funding would hit $30.9 billion over the next 4 years.

Oops, that only leaves $400 million of new spending on education initiatives. Oops, I forgot that a week or two ago, the Prime Minister flanked by Rome's man down under Cardinal Pell, promised Catholic schools an extra $362 million. That leaves $38 million, just enough to fund the Federal government's propaganda package about its much vaunted expenditure on education.

Sad isn't it when the Prime Minister and a senior Cabinet minister are willing to lie through their teeth, to help their little mate Tony Abbott weather the scrutiny that the Federal government's Medicare Plus package was receiving. Why else would they have bothered to launch their education blitzkrieg 24 hours after the release of the Medicare Plus package?

Just in case you think the Federal government's education package is directed at government schools, think again. The Commonwealth government allocates $1,000 for each State school pupil and $4,500 for each private school pupil. When core and no-core man tells Australians that government and private schools receive the same amount of money, he neglects to tell people that 70% of students attend State schools and 30% private schools. Just in case you still think the education package has anything to offer State school pupils, State schools will receive an increase in Commonwealth expenditure of about 19% over the next 4 years, while some elite private schools will receive increases of between 150% to 300%.

I could go on and on, but unfortunately I haven't got 20 years to catalogue the Prime Minister's lies.

The Youth is the hope light and lifegiver of the world.

In my lifetime I have seen the youth of the world almost speak as one on the nightmare of Vietnam. A new generation celebrated the new faces in Australian politics after 23 years of conservative misrule in 1972.
It was time for moving, time for changing and then, even as dreams were stubbed out at home, the youth of South Africa tired of learning the ugly language of their " master race" rose up and took on armored cars with little more than courage and rage.
Hundreds died in a seemingly hopeless struggle against one of the most heavily armed fascistic powers that ever existed - a totally racist nuclear armed power!
That Apart-hate was defeated by international solidarity, armed struggle and mass civil disobedience seems a wonder yet it would never happened at all without the spearhead of youth. Now we see a similar uprising or intifada by the Arab youth against another bunch of nuclear armed state terrorists seemingly convinced of their own holy self righteousness yet strangely vulnerable to accusations that their emperor not only has no clothes but also no shame and no brain.
Another STASI like totalitarian nightmare has surfaced like a massive bubble of noxious quagmire gas and like the last evil empire all means are authorized to bring it down. Hitler , himself came so close to winning passing several points where he could salvaged his situation. The South Africans ,Nazi's and the East Germans/Soviet's once looked like they would be there forever yet where are they now?
Nowhere they are mourned that's for sure.
Politics and life itself is never a cut and dried totally rational venture. Sometimes you have to trust your instincts and what better path to follow than that of the best of the youth?
Intelligence testing is now revealing that todays young have better lateral cognition than any previous generation so maybe we would not be stepping out into the unknown so much. I have faith in the youth and the ultimate victory for the best of the human spirit. Viva Espana and Viva the young!

I believe the Howard government plans a complete takeover of education in Australia. This is to impose the corporate ideology on the whole country. Clues to this plan have been given by members of the govenment. Earlier in 2004 Brendan Nelson said he wanted a uniform primary school system throughout the country, with a uniform syllabus. He didn't say who would write the syllabus, but no prize for guessing it would be in line with his ideology. Then Howard said state schools did not have the "right" values, that is, his right wing values. Of course Howard has been bleeding the public education system dry to weaken it. Now literacy has been dragged out, blaming the state schools. The universities are under renewed attack. There is the continued attack on student service bodies (smeared as "unions"). and the push for individual work contracts. All these measures are designed to soften up public education for a right wing takeover. It's another step on the road to totalitarianism. Bunker down folks, dictatorship is coming.