Mushy multiculturalism
ABC Radio National was running hot this morning over Treasurer Peter Costello's speech to the Sydney Institute, which apparently referred to "mushy multiculturalism". If it hadn't been so early in the morning, I would have instituted the 'Fran Kelly drinking game', with one rule: every time Fran repeated the phrase "mushy multiculturalism", you take a drink. You'd have been legless before the weather report.
Costello made the unremarkable comment that Australia would not be adopting sharia law anytime soon, and anyone who preferred to live under such a system might seek a more congenial homeland elsewhere. Fran and regular commenter Michelle Grattan were scratching their heads as to why Costello, and PM John Howard, a week ago, have felt the need to make these "un-nuanced" comments at this particular time. Well, a time when half the muslim world is ablaze because of some cartoons might be a good time.
Michelle was particularly hard on Howard's recent comments that a small section of the Muslim community in Australia presented problems that no other immigrant group did. Well, huffed Michelle, there was always the 'Yugoslavs' in the 1960s (an Ustasha training camp in rural Victoria) and, "if you go further back, the Irish were pretty bolshy". The Irish? Is this woman kidding?
ABC Radio National was running hot this morning over Treasurer Peter Costello's speech to the Sydney Institute, which apparently referred to "mushy multiculturalism". If it hadn't been so early in the morning, I would have instituted the 'Fran Kelly drinking game', with one rule: every time Fran repeated the phrase "mushy multiculturalism", you take a drink. You'd have been legless before the weather report.
Costello made the unremarkable comment that Australia would not be adopting sharia law anytime soon, and anyone who preferred to live under such a system might seek a more congenial homeland elsewhere. Fran and regular commenter Michelle Grattan were scratching their heads as to why Costello, and PM John Howard, a week ago, have felt the need to make these "un-nuanced" comments at this particular time. Well, a time when half the muslim world is ablaze because of some cartoons might be a good time.
Michelle was particularly hard on Howard's recent comments that a small section of the Muslim community in Australia presented problems that no other immigrant group did. Well, huffed Michelle, there was always the 'Yugoslavs' in the 1960s (an Ustasha training camp in rural Victoria) and, "if you go further back, the Irish were pretty bolshy". The Irish? Is this woman kidding?
posted by cuckoo at
9:32 AM
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