On Second Thoughts....

It's no great secret to anyone who knows me, that in about three years or so I'm intending to head round the world to Melbourne to live, the home of my fiancée’s parents, and a fair number of our friends. From time to time though, I have to admit to having some concerns about such a move. Two occasions for concern have appeared in the news today.

Flagging Patriotism...
First is the report that organisers of Big Day Out, Australia's Sydney based but nationwide series of rock concerts, have urged those attending not to bring national flags along, on the grounds that it may incite racial tension. Quite rightly, many are up in arms at this attempt to prevent people demonstrating their allegiance to their home nation, by pandering to the growing number of whinging aussies who, sadly like some of our own whinging poms, think that respecting the wishes of every race or nation other than ones own is the only way to avoid conflict.
One keen advocate of the aussies right to wave their flag is Prime Minister John "Australia for USA Membership" Howard, as he should be. One has to laugh though, at his Bush-like ability to say the wrong thing, whilst doing the right thing. He is quoted as saying...

"The event organisers should not ram their peculiar political views down the throats of young Australians who are only interested in a good day out."

Does this mean, I wonder that he's changed his nation's draconian views on recreational drug use by 'young Australians who are only interested in a good day out'? Or is he still happy to allow his government to ram that particular peculiar political view down their throats?

One Step Closer to Australia USA...
One less trivial, and frankly more disturbing story also in the news today is that of Allen Jasson below...

From BBC News
Flight ban for anti-Bush T-shirt
A passenger barred from a Qantas airlines flight for wearing a T-shirt depicting US President George Bush as a terrorist has threatened legal action. Allen Jasson said he was sticking up for the principle of free speech by challenging the decision by the Australian flag carrier. Mr Jasson was stopped as he was about to board the flight from Melbourne to London last Friday. Qantas said the T-shirt had potential to offend other passengers. The T-shift features an image of President George W Bush, along with the slogan "World's Number One Terrorist".

Since when does the operator of an airline get to set itself up as defender of the public’s sensibilities? Where do we go from here? Perhaps the wearing of a pair of Union Jack shorts on the flight home from another pointless England cricket tour will be banned in case it offends one of the many nations we've upset over the years? Or that "I Love Australia" t-shirt you bought from the airport before heading home will be forcibly removed before you fly on the off chance that a delegation from an Aboriginal rights group might be on the same flight?

Airline travel is becoming more and more irritating of late, on the back of this insane fear of anyone with a long beard, a tan, and an unusual hat. Can anyone not see that some of these measures, introduced in the name of 'security' are sometimes not only ridiculous, but in instances like this, also bordering on the fascist?

What I've seen of Melbourne in the little time I've spent there, I've liked enough to be happy to call home with my fiancée at some point in the future, but I'm beginning to think it's going to seem a little more like moving to Alabama than Australia.