Australia Day

26th January 1788 was the day the British initiated their settlement of Australia. As a celebratory tribute I am off to play golf in the morning at Yarrambat – the aboriginal name for ‘high hill’ which pretty much summarises my attitude to Australia. After that I’ll have a beer (or three) and thank providence for me being born Australian and for the fact that Australia has British ancestry. A civilised, society with liberal, democratic values and a sound, effective legal system.  Take multi-cultural ambivalence and dump it elsewhere.

Australia day is viewed by certain backward aboriginal groups as Invasion Day – they want the date changed – (that would improve things?) presumably to a ‘year zero’ – but how do you date the Dreamtime?  Well I have no idea but who should care about such myths anyway? Attempting to change the date would be a move by the Rudd Government I would favour - they would then be thrown out of office. Go on Kevin try to change that date! Aboriginal Australians would not have been better off living under Indonesian or Chinese control and enjoy better living conditions and prospects as a consequence of the advent of white settlement.  Aboriginals need to make a go of it.  Many are.

The truth is that we all tend to take for granted the economic and political freedoms and the quality of life that we enjoy as Australians. Australia Day should remind us of our luck in the genetic lottery. It is nice that we are not a theocratic state or a worker paradise celebrating its national day of rebellion. I celebrate the fact that I wasn’t born in Iran, Saudi Arabia, North Korea or Cuba.

This isn’t self satisfaction. It amounts to seeing what is in front of my eyes.

Tomorrow I won’t even consider the hateful anti-Australianism that left wing blogs and Melbourne’s Pravda parade this day each year. I had my say last year.  At first sight their postings disgust me but it really is mainly false consciousness and stupidity.