Today might be a day to stand-up and humbly say that maybe we were wrong.

Today we see that a country that was never meant to get itself back on track has just held its second free election- with record numbers braving threats of violence to vote.

This was never meant to happen.

The country was meant to descend into sectarian chaos, become a second Vietnam, make the US reticent to use force, show us that neoconservatism doesn't work and prove that we can't impose our values on other ideologies.

Went to script for a while.

Saying that though, the question that can never be answered remains; were the deaths of hundreds of thousands worth this new security, safety and prosperity?

You tell me that’s it’s evolution,

Well can I do it at an hourly rate?

You say you got a real solution,

Is that having mummy and daddy foot the bill?

You ask me for a contribution,

and I’ll ask you to pay my superannuation.

But when you want money for minds that hate?

All I can tell you brother is welcome to the 21st Century.

You say you’ll change the Constitution,

Well good luck, university isn’t free anymore.

You tell me it’s the institution, Well you know, none of us can change a thing.

Don’t you know it’s gonna be alright, At least if they don’t run out of coffee, alright,

 As long as we stay disillusioned, alright,

And don’t give up our day jobs, alright.

Alright. Alright?  . . read more

For me, no more.

In my oh so desirable house in Newtown the little fuckers have taken up residence in one bedroom (coming in with wooden slats found on the side of the road) and they're refusing to budge.

Other people I've talked to have been through similar battles to little avail and have had to go to desperate measures like boiling their clothes, and spraying mortein everytime they go to sleep.

Still they survive and still they spread, causing me, like most East-Londoners a hundred years ago to turn to God and pray that I can sleep tight and not let the bed bugs bite.

Until yesterday I don't think I fully understood how tight that market was and what people were willing to do to get a room.

The night before last we put an ad on Gum Tree for a small windowless room in Newtown for $160 a week, hoping, just hoping we might get some response.

In the few hours that followed (before phones were turned off due to the continuous ringing) we were called dozens and dozens of times with people begging to come in for an inspection.

Being boys and with such an oversupply of applicants there was a bit of fun to be had to see how far these guys would go.

Would you for instance join our acapella band whose signature number was "Hey Jude"?

Would you share a room with a goat (which you had to milk) and a priest?

Our applicants would.  

After laughter, and jubilation that we could pick and choose who we live with there have been some sombre moments of reflection.

All this has shown to me that people who go to university or work in the city are forced to fight to live close by because they know that any further out and the commute will be impossible.

A sad state of affairs to see and hear young vibrant people reduced to such desperation.