Friday 20 November 2009

A Question?

Question:
When you apply for Welfare in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Vietnam, Somalia or India, what does that Government give you?

Answer:
A map of Australia.

18 comments:

Kirsten Lesina, Cairns Regional Councillor said...

Mike,

I must say that I am very disappointed to see you running anti-asylum seeker stories on the blog.  That latest joke in particular was very distasteful.   Many of the asylum seekers trying to enter Australia (I believe that over 90% of 'boat people' are genuine refugees) are being unfairly persecuted by their respective governments and some face death or torture, so of course they are not going to ask their governments for welfare.  We should be compassionate to these people and offer them a better life.  Some of my ancestors left Ireland to escape the potato famine, which in its way was a form of persecution
by the British government, and I am glad they found a ready welcome in this country.

CairnsBlog said...

I welcome your input and respect your opinion.

Coming from NZ, where we have a far more welcoming and respectful relationship with refugees, I find Australian laws extreme and unfair.

However your assumption that I have run anti-asylum seeker stories, is not at all true.

Mike

nocturnal congress said...

As Pauline Hanson and John Howard found, stroking the racist underbelly of Australians is a highly successful, vote catching ploy.

Thaddeus said...

Pity the aboriginal people of Australia didn't fight off the boat people who arrived in Sydney Cove in 1788.

Kirsten Lesina, Cairns Regional Councillor said...

I am aware of NZ having a much better asylum seeker policy than us, and it is one things that Australia should be 'stealing' from NZ rather than stealing Russell Crowe!

I had a look back through the blog and it was the squirrel and the grasshopper story that I was also thinking of as being anti-asylum seeker, but on re-reading it, it is just basically anti-welfare I suppose. So my apologies, the recent joke was the only anti-asylum seeker item I could find.

Unknown said...

Would there be the same debate, if the refugees were white Northern Europeans ?

Say if a full-on civil war broke out in Ireland or Scandinavia was exposed to massive radiation from rusting Russian sub-marines or leaking nuclear reactions ?

Would people still call for the navy "to blow them out of the water ?"

So is this about refugees and "queue-jumpers" or is it about the race and nationality of the refugees ?

Of course refugees from Northern Europe would be more likely to arrive at airports (as is the case now with the majority of asylum seekers to Australia) and would not make front-page news.

Finally, why would they give these people map of Australia ? Canada, the European Union and the USA take in far more refugees than Australia.

Poor African countries and third world countries like Pakistan are hosts to hundreds of thousands refugees.

I really don't think we have a lot to complain about here.

Bert said...

Well Kirsten, times change. Australia has an immigration quota which allows for refugees in a regulated and controlled way. However, you try to jump my queue at the movies and I'll give you a piece of my mind. I have ancestors who fled their homeland because of persecution too. The bottom line is, there are 60 million waiting to get on a boat. Do you want to open the flood gates? Ask any Pom about what the UK is like now they have been inundated by Muslims. Their salvation is the local pub. They know they can go there meet and their own because Muslims don’t drink. Of course, when the first pub gets blown all hell will break lose just like in your home country Ireland..

Thaddeus said...

Unfortunately what Bert says is true. We have to balance our sympathies for the people trying to escape miserable lifestyles and brutal Governments with the hard reality that if we make it too easy for refugees, we will be inundated. I look at the USA which has allowed millions of Mexicans and South Americans into their country with the resultant loss of working conditions for Americans. Australians simply will not tolerate this.

Kirsten Lesina said...

Unfortunately Bert, some of the world's asylum seekers are unable to even join the 'queue'. In some areas of the world, it is impossible for the refugees to go to a neighbouring country to seek resettlement with the UN (ie join the 'queue') as the neighbouring countries are not signatories to the relevant international laws that would ensure their protection or they would face the same persecution in the neighbouring countries. Thus they are unable to join the 'queue' and are forced to go directly to countries who do recognise the refugee convention (eg Australia) and seek protection once there.

The truth is Australia is never going to be flooded like some European countries may be because we are so hard to get to. You can't just stroll across the border or jump on a truck to take you across the tunnel into Britain.

Anderson St Hoon said...

In light of the very immature comments made by Kirsten Lesina I thought you might like to post this.  By the way she foolishly mentioned her Irish Ancestry and the Potato Famine.  She needs to wake up and realise her stupid
paddies are still blowing up Police Stations and Car Parks this last weekend all in the name of Religion without any compassion or care for the innocent people they are killing and maiming.  I need to Blog about her stupidity
over our lack of compassion.

Bert said...

Anderson St Hoon said Kirsten made immature comments and nailed her with the state of Ireland right now. Australia has been relatively untouched by secular violence until the influx of Muslims over the past 10 years. We have been introducing people who have a religion that is diametrically opposed to ours. In case you haven’t noticed this religion separates the Christian ethic from Islam. Muslims consider it is not only a
Religion but also a political system that must override our own. But I wouldn’t panic because we have millions of acres to turn into a concentration camp the moment the radicals decide to start blowing up the Opera House or heaven forbid, the Cairns Regional Council Chambers.

Dutchie said...

Yeah, Bert, your comments are mature and you are very well-informed, we can tell...

Thornton On Spence said...

Young Kirsten has demonstrated her lack of worldly experience and immaturity by firstly criticising you posting a joke that the majority would have laughed at. Secondly she is making sweeping statements about the number of genuine refugees which is not substantiated by any genuine facts. I agree on the issue of the Irish and how their ridiculous Religious War continues in spite of the so called peace treaties.

Now let's give young Kirsten another lesson. In the UK where any so called Refugee is welcomed to boost the Labour Party voters the people who are pensioners and were involved in WW2 struggle to heat their homes and feed themselves on the pittance that is provided to them while the so called refugees obtain housing, social security, health and anything else they can claim with no arguments. No wonder they all want to flock there. And while they are there they create ghettos and continue their Religious Wars which have no relevance to the "compassionate" British who have let their politicians open the gates to any low life that wants to get in.

Another lesson young Kirsten is in our own backyard. Have you been to Sydney lately? More specifically Auburn. Take a visit you will be horrified at what was a once middle class suburb now housing Somalians, Lebanese and every other religious fanatic and what is happening they are fighting each other. In Melbourne we have Indian Students being beaten up by ....yes you guessed it your Refugees which we showed great compassion to allow them into our Country.

Come on Kirsten grow up. Mike posting a joke does not mean he has no compassion or is racist. He is doing what we Australians inherited from the English and that is laughing at ourselves and the World. You have demonstrated what many have blogged about and that is you are not experienced enough or Worldly to hold down a role as Councillor let alone pick up a pay cheque bigger than you could ever earn with your experience. You and Jim Turnour should get together as you are both in roles you don't deserve to be in and are both a complete joke.

Thornton On Spence said...

Young Kirsten has demonstrated her lack of worldly experience and immaturity by firstly criticising you posting a joke that the majority would have laughed at. Secondly she is making sweeping statements about the number of genuine refugees which is not substantiated by any genuine facts. I agree on the issue of the Irish and how their ridiculous Religious War continues in spite of the so called peace treaties.

Now let's give young Kirsten another lesson. In the UK where any so called Refugee is welcomed to boost the Labour Party voters the people who are pensioners and were involved in WW2 struggle to heat their homes and feed themselves on the pittance that is provided to them while the so called refugees obtain housing, social security, health and anything else they can claim with no arguments. No wonder they all want to flock there. And while they are there they create ghettos and continue their Religious Wars which have no relevance to the "compassionate" British who have let their politicians open the gates to any low life that wants to get in.

Another lesson young Kirsten is in our own backyard. Have you been to Sydney lately? More specifically Auburn. Take a visit you will be horrified at what was a once middle class suburb now housing Somalians, Lebanese and every other religious fanatic and what is happening they are fighting each other. In Melbourne we have Indian Students being beaten up by ....yes you guessed it your Refugees which we showed great compassion to allow them into our Country.

Come on Kirsten grow up. Mike posting a joke does not mean he has no compassion or is racist. He is doing what we Australians inherited from the English and that is laughing at ourselves and the World. You have demonstrated what many have blogged about and that is you are not experienced enough or Worldly to hold down a role as Councillor let alone pick up a pay cheque bigger than you could ever earn with your experience. You and Jim Turnour should get together as you are both in roles you don't deserve to be in and are both a complete joke.

cutting hedge said...

Kirsten when you grow up , you will learn to see the real aussie humour .
I think some of the mud from your spud growing ancestors is stuck in your head.
I think it is not only funny mike but true hhaaaaaaa

Unknown said...

I fail to see the humour in this joke.It is neither witty nor clever.

As for 'real Aussie" in this context, I think that is an insult to the intelligence of so-called "real Aussies"( many of whom have Irish ancestors by the way...). I don't see what is particular "Aussie' about this joke, except of course its racist undertone. I'm not sure if that is something to be proud of.

The fact is that the majority of asylum seekers arrive by plane and more than half of them are rejected. A minority arrives by boat and more than 90 % of those are found to be genuine refugees. So why are people so hysterical about those boat people ?

Australia is a signatory to the Refugee Convention. So either we abide by our obligations or we stop being a signatory. You can't have it both ways.

As for refugees being on welfare.. this city is full of useless,"real Aussie", able-bodied white trash on welfare or disability pensions, so maybe you should make some funny "real Aussie" jokes about that.

nocturnal congress said...

Thornton on Spence, if you travel overseas, you will find most major European and British cities have particular suburbs where ethnic groups have congregated. It certainly isn't unique to Australia. When I was in Bayswater, London a few years back, I noticed the large proportion of Middle Eastern peoples, and spoke with many of them. I found them pleasant, friendly, and I wasn't aware of any racial violence or unrest when I was there.

Unknown said...

Aussies are known to congregate in certain parts of London and Bali....