Voting, Irwin, and Greer

Has the world gone mad? Am I one of the few Australians left in the world who is trying to maintain a healthy sense of perspective over Steve Irwin's death? And why do people care so much what Germaine Greer has to say? Is she not entitled to her own view? Has Australia rapidly degenerated into a national socialist Fatherland of Howard since I left? And just how many Australians have taken the time to read Greer's original article published in The Guardian, earlier this week?

Without a doubt, it's very sad that a man has died, and it's extremely sad for his family... but how many other people died that day? Why should Greer be denied a voice, simply because she disagrees with the jingoism of Australia's collective response? It seems to me that Germaine Greer - with all her eccentricity - is just as uniquely an Australian "character" as Steve Irwin was... and both should be equally embraced. And apropos her benign article, there is nothing that isn't worth mentioning. The only thing that I question, is whether it was appropriate to publish the article so soon after Irwin's death. Would it have hurt to wait a week? Probably not, but it seems that Greer, through her article, is attempting to stem the absurdity of headlines like "Australia's Diana", which The Sun used on Tuesday. Would the Brits do the same thing, I wonder, if David Attenborough passed away unexpectedly?

First thing Monday morning, I suggested to a work colleague that "next, they'll offer a state funeral". And sure enough, "the greatest leader in the world" John Howard did exactly that. Did he hope to book John Farnham to sing at the funeral? The whole state funeral thing is the icing on the cake. It reeks of political favouritism, especially as the same offer was extended to Kerry Packer some months back.

There was a Steve Irwin condolence book at Queensland House, when I visited the government office, on the Strand, on Tuesday, to vote in the forthcoming Queensland elections. Apparently, Australia House is only used for voting when it's a Fedeal Election, which I find a little interesting. Perhaps this is a throwback to the oft-forgotten idea that Australia is a federation of states? Australia House is undergoing renovation work at the moment, to install bollards every 2 feet around its perimeter. Check out this photo for an under-construction cutaway.