Apologising is a uniquely human action, it involves taking responsibility for a mistake and admitting you erred. In someways it also involves asking for forgiveness.

Kevin Rudd, Australia's former PM who was sacked by his own party last year, apologised last night for "killing" his Emissions Trading Scheme which he says brought about his downfall.

Whether this is true or not, his apology echoes another one he made in his first week in government. That "sorry" was to the aboriginal people of Australia who since British colonisation were oppressed, marginalied and literally stolen from their families. 

His apology in that instance was personal and was seen almost universally as a positive step towards reconciliation and healing. It didn't lead to a better livelihood for indigenous Australians and has to be seen now as a symbolic act without much substance behind it.

Hopefully this second apology for failing on climate change can lead to asking for real forgiveness by making some real progress.    . . read more

Despite the best efforts of Julia Gillard and the Labor machine, the results of the federal election are encouraging. It’s certainly no defeat for those committed to finding the good life beyond consumer capitalism, creating the society of the free and equal and establishing a benign relationship with the natural world.

By Hall Greenland . . read more

It's a strange fact of life that when a person from a certain group is up for election that group is much more likely to vote for the person. Think African Americans and Barack Obama, gay people and Harvey Milk, women and Julia Gillard

The thought must be that if the person they elect knows their troubles then the elected official should be much more likely to create solutions that will actually work.

Trouble is that so often in politics this prescription proves incorrect.

So as women race to the polling stations pen in hand to vote for Gillard think to yourselves, and really think to yourselves, has she given you any reason to think that she'll do anything to better the situation for women in Australia?

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The Australian Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, came out last week and made two gaffes at the Vietnam War Remembrance Day. The first was when she said that General Giap, Vietnam's iconic war hero, was dead. The second was when she said that the Vietnam War "is just a page in the history books".

Some of the actors might have passed on (not Giap, who turned 100 yesterday) but the history isn't dead. 

For the Vietnamese it hangs over everything, appearing in literallly every single state owned newspaper every day as if it happened yesterday. For veterans on either side it also seems inconsiderate to consign it to dead history, it is very much a living memory and it will live on, long after they've gone.

Maybe it would have been better to remember them by not saying it was time to forget.  . . read more

Oh the glory and the celebration raking the news as we pat ourselves on the back for having our first female Prime Minister!

How quick we are to get on the bandwagon as a political disaster is turned into triumph. In case people are thinking this is a triumph for women’s lib and their position in society, don’t push it. This was not democracy at work. This was not the voice of the Australian people. It still isn’t. Australia now has a PM nobody elected and nobody considered.

At least in America the Vice-President goes on the ticket. Today I felt powerless as the Prime Minister we chose was removed with a less-than-reasonable explanation. This isn’t a victory. This was sloppy politics. Kevin Rudd couldn’t hold on to his party and got ousted. Labor isn’t united; it’s struggling to fix itself before the next election. Dear members of the Cabinet.

Whether Rudd is good or bad, it’s our call. Not yours. We chose him, we deal with him.

Give me some evidence that Rudd was doing real damage, and then this action is justifiable. And face it – a woman is Prime Minister not because anyone thought she deserved it, but purely because the man elected couldn’t do his job properly.

Nobody looked at her and said she’s the one to lead this country. Is that what a female PM means? To me, she’s just a seat-warmer. The real PM is the one we elect. So political allegiances aside, I’ll just say this. Win the election Gillard, and then you might gain my respect. Do it like a lady. Come on and show us that behind-the-Cabinet backstabbing isn’t the only way a woman can get into power.

Then maybe the Australian people might get my respect as well.  . . read more