E D I T O R I A L

Call Security
There's a bloke, a pollster, prowling the country with a tale for the centre-left about messages and constituencies.

F E A T U R E S

Interview: The Month Of Living Dangerously
When the mobs took over the streets of Dili it was the people of East Timor that bore the brunt. Elisabeth Lino de Araujo from Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA was there to witness what happened.

Unions: Staying Mum
Penrith mums, Linda Everingham and Jo Jacobson, are at the heart of a grassroots campaign to boot Jackie Kelly, out of federal parliament. Jim Marr caught up with one half of the sister act.

Economics: Precious Metals
There's a lot of spin around AWAs in the mining industry, but Tony Maher argues all that glitters is not gold.

Industrial: The Cold 100
The Iemma Government has come up with 100 reasons why WorkChoices is a dud, with 100 examples of ripped off workers

History: The Vinegar Hill Mob
This month's Blacktown Rally was not the first time workers had stood up for their rights in the region, writes Andrew Moore.

Legal: Free Agents
Is an independent contractor a small businessperson or a worker? The answer depends upon whether the contractor is genuinely �independent� or not, writes Even Jones.

Politics: Under The Influence
Bob Gould thinks Sonny Bill Williams is a hunk; he reveals all in a left wing view of The Bulletin�s 100 most influential Australians, questioning the relevance of some, and adding a few of his own.

International: How Swede It Was
Geoff Dow pays tribute to the passing of Rudolf Meidner, one of the architects of the Swedish model of capitalism.

Review: Keating's Men Slam Dance on Howard
These punk rockers are out to KO WorkChoices. Nathan Brown joins the fray.

N E W S

Hendification Blurs WorkChoices ll

Visa Rorts Minister Urged to Quit

Organiser On Front Line

Fire Brigade Chokes on Tests

Union Backs Man of Steel

$3 Billion Dollar Chalkies

Lib Pans Telstra Job Cuts

James Hardie Joins AWA Crusade

Job Network Unravels

Andrews Discovers Irony

Big Business Bashes Bush

Howard Pinches Pay

Tilers Spark Korean Protest

Activists What's On

C O L U M N S

The Soapbox
Work Choice: US Military Style
John Howard has learnt a few lessons on workers rights from his Texan buddy, writes Rowan Cahill.

Politics
Westie Wing
As Pru Goward slams into the glass ceiling of the NSW Liberal Party, Ian West considers how women are faring under the Howard-Costello Government.

The Locker Room
A World Away
Phil Doyle is pleased that a display of subtle beauty and athletic grace has been overtaken by some good old-fashioned mindless violence

L E T T E R S

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Call Security

Vic Fingerhut earned his stripes amidst the stars of the US political constellation but what he's saying isn't exactly rocket science.

With a bit of license, it can be summarised like this - accentuate your positives and downplay your negatives.

Research, polling and election results have shown him that some issues are ours and some issues are theirs. No matter the quality of the candidate, it seems, the Right wins, in societies like ours, on managing the economy but, if you frame the question as managing the economy for ordinary folk, the good guys clean up.

The trick, apparently, is to get Kim Beazley comfortable with the phrase 'working people' because that's where he's strong.

Another part of this received wisdom is that the Right nails us on security. It's their issue, their territory, where our representatives should tread warily.

Which, frankly, is great news because if John Howard can be so abysmally inept at his strong suit imagine the possibilities when Kim, Bob and the Democrats get him on their turf.

Howard has won elections on his ability to talk the security talk. But, over this term, he has had the chance to walk and blown it.

Border security has been outsourced, on the one hand to the Indonesians and, on the other, to migration agents flooding the country with cheap labour.

After decades of tyrannical Saddam Hussein rule, a light went on in Washington, the same town, incidentally, that armed and propped him up for years.

Howard, of course, was in furious agreement and sanctions were imposed. Trouble is, his mates at the AWB, saw things differently and elected to prime the pump of trade.

Howard sent young Australians to war on the lie of weapons of mass destruction and it wasn't even his own lie. Worse, though, when one of them lost his life the country couldn't even return the right body to the grieving family.

Last week's embarrassment over the ship that wasn't in Beirut was cringe-worthy. Hundreds of Aussies - men women and kids - told by government representatives they were on their way out of a killing zone and the boat didn't even show up.

"Gazzumped" Downer harrumphed.

The problem for the feds in the blood and destruction being visited on the Lebanon is not just that they can't protect their own people. After all, Lebanon is a long way away and Australia is not a super power.

It's that thousands of Aussies, through no fault of their own, are in a hell sanctioned by their elected representatives.

When Washington shrugged its shoulders at the size of the Israeli attack, Minnie Me just couldn't help himself and went on television to give it the green light.

Call Security.

The Emperor's become an embarrassment.

- Jim Marr

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Last Modified: 27 Jul 2006