Bruce Tuncks

I thought that was how you told if a guy in head office was your friend.... a friend is one who stabs you in the front.

I think this is a true story, it is about an american-indian multi-millionaire footballer who came to Australia to help the local Aborigines fight better. Apparently he gave up and went home disillusioned. Personally, I reckon our abos have nothing in common with amerindians, maoris, negros from Africa or anyone else. As I said, they were a bunch of warring tribes and they saw the whites as a potential ally against their true enemies, the surrounding tribes. Some of them have talents in sports, arts and crafts, and they have sure learned how to play the bureaucracy. I personally would really like it if they were to become more autonomous, alas the whitefeller constructions of money and cities are too good to pass up. I wonder if they would like it if whites and all their works were to suddenly disappear. Don't try putting yourself in their shoes, their shoes would be the first to go.

I like your idea nomad. If the constitution just said how the Aborigines were here first, there would be no complaints from the likes of me.

I reckon trachoma needs some tough-love to treat. I would make it a condition that you needed to present , with your family, clean with washed faces to collect your siddown money. And that would be just the start.

I have to agree though that I don't like the company ( like Abott) here on the "no" side.

"good outcomes" ? What if they were absolutely incompatible with "veneration of culture?" For example, Trachoma, a disease that sends you blind. It is caused ( and easily stopped) by the habit of face-washing. As a yes voter, what would you do about Trachoma?

I don't know of a single example where the "voice" would have changed anything for the better. As if any recent Australian government would do anything pertaining the aborigines without consulting their own department of aboriginal affairs, or whatever it is called now. AND I am offended by them being called "first nations" people. They were nothing of the sort, they were a bunch of warring tribes, and the result of this "first nations" stuff is to make people like me think that the "yes" vote begins with a lie. My prediction is that the "no" vote will sweep through. If I worked, say for the ABC, there is no way I would present as anything but a "yes" voter.... but in the privacy of the ballot....

I reckon we thought we were much better but I'm not sure now, after knowing lots more about "holes" in our teaching, like the coniston massacre and the darwin bombings. Not to mention the governor-general, sir william slim. We sure had more common-sense and tolerance though, we tolerated homosexuals for example, well the decent ones anyway.

I wish the left-leaning parties would be tougher on immigration so these loonies get starved of oxygen. As far as Australia is concerned, I would like the immigration numbers to be decided by referendum. AND I would like Australia to be no 1 in the world for anti-corruption.

Gosh Spacy, I never even thought about deep water having enough pressure to stop rotten meat making methane bubbles and therefore floating up. I used to say that you needed to weigh the stiff down with concrete or something to stop them surfacing in a few days. This explains a lot to me, so thanks!

I sure understand onetrack's reservations, but I also reckon that it would not be worthwhile to protest officially. You would be seen to be mean to injured servicemen. But if I were a Darwin resident in need of the facility that had just been commandeered by the us, I would be really angry. Are service people in the US spared having to be sent bankrupt by their "private" medical system? Even after they have retired?

Yep Nev, I would have gone to the barricades at that time. But wasn't asked. I reckon silly Whitlam thought that he would win the subsequent election. Not my fault he didn't. ANYWAY, what was wrong with the head of state being elected by a 2/3 majority of the house of reps? This would ensure that the elected person was indeed above party politics.

Just 20 years ago, our block of land near Adelaide was $32000 Providing services was $20,000 a block. Adding inflation does not come near to modern prices.... I reckon the land price has gone through the roof to the benefit of speculators, and it has been driven by importing people faster than building new affordable housing Until people are smart enough to vote out "pro-growth" pollies out then nothing will improve.

Was the Morgan much more stable than the front-single wheelers? It sure looks it.

I reckon that there is no way that the poms or Australia would have elected donald trump or put up with him for long, and for this reason I reckon that we are a better democracy. I must admit to being ambivalent when he ( trump) was first elected.... I thought his "drain the swamp" stuff meant that he would take on corruption in a big way. Alas he was a liar.

One of the most tragic stories of WW2 was that of the Australian Mosquitos.

My great-grandpa was a blacksmith and they made wooden wheels with wooden spokes. I think they heated up the iron tread to get it on, gosh I would like to see that operation. AND don't forget that the wooden "mosquito" was one of the best aircraft of ww2. It makes you realize the limitations of a dictatorship if you think how the Germans had lots of wood and woodworkers but they didn't try a wooden plane because Hitler had made a remark that the country would no longer make wooden planes. ( I think he said this after seeing a Heinkel which was a bomber and at the time, faster than any interceptor.) I would like to see some wooden car plans. Imagine if you could order a new car from the local men's shed.

That Saudi crown prince is a murderer, and I reckon the less we have to do with them the better..... Bring on electric vehicles say I. I was not aware that Osama had been against the royal family, now I think better of him after all.

Our rates here on the farm are over $6000 per year. Apparently they were less before the fires at Kinglake, when many farmers cancelled their insurance due to it being poor value for money after it hiked. So the government, based in Melbourne, decided to add the insurance to the rates so if you don't pay, men with guns will come n get you.

Good idea Spenaroo. I would reckon that the carrier drone should only use inertial navigation stuff so as not to be vulnerable to electronic counter-measures.

I like both sides of this discussion and find myself convinced one way and then the other...I have one big question.... would a cashless society be able to get rid of illegal drugs and corruption?

I reckon every day that Putin doesn't fire a nuke is a good day.

Are there any scientific tests done on this?

I reckon we treat dogs better than some people. We put dogs out of their misery, which is more than we do for old people. Dogs are lucky in not being subjects of religion.