New Leadership. Fresh Ideas

Kevin Rudd won convincingly. This is no surprise. I don't really care any more. There are a few things that will change (Work Choices, Freedom of Information, parliamentary terms (hopefully)) but in reality it'll be the same complaints for the next three years.

The more interesting thing I did today is this:

This is about a Human Rights Act, specifically in Tasmania, though it could be generalised nationally.

In October the Tasmanian Law Reform Commission released their Final Report #10 on a Charter of Human Rights for Tasmania. The model is quite good in most respects. It is similar to the New Matilda Act in that it is a piece of ordinary legislation.

The proposed Charter would recognise the superiority of Parliament to specifically exclude a piece of primary legislation from compatibility with the Charter[1]. It would, however, allow the Supreme Court to declare any executive action or subordinate legislation to be incompatible, resulting in that action or rule being invalidated.

The inconsistency, as I see it, is that in Australia (and especially in Tasmania) the Parliament is controlled by the executive. The Cabinet in Tasmania can rule the party caucus (8 of 13 members in the HoA) and a backbench revolt in Federal politics is beyond imagining[2].

So we recognise that the executive needs to be controlled but give the power to do anything to a body controlled by them? It is absurd.

If the executive were separate from the legislature (something for which I have long argued[3]) then this would indeed be appropriate. But as long as Parliament is a tool of the executive, it should not have the power to exclude the applicability of human rights.

The report makes for interesting reading, or even if you're not up for that, just check out the summary and recommendations.

[1] Subordinate legislation could be enabled by an Act of Parliament (i.e. primary legislation) and primary legislation ruled not compatible by the Supreme Court would become inactive after seven months if not affirmed by Parliament.

[2] Petro Georgio is the exception that proves the rule here.

[3] I've been saying it for at least a month now ;).

the trouble with romantic comedies

So I'm not sure if I posted this or not, but one of the reasons I want a girlfriend is to be able to do those good-guy things you get to do as a significant other. Like sitting in the rain waiting for someone to forgive you, or getting them just the right present... The "awww" stuff from movies.

The trouble with all that stuff is it's kinda creepy most of the time. "I'll never stop asking you out until you go out with me" - that's stalker behaviour. Or the famous first date in Hitch - I'll just call you, despite that you didn't give me your number, then I'll look up detailed genealogical information about you. It's a bit weird. I'd never do that. I'd be way too scared - so I guess I'll sit here and rot in the damp.

garden state

This movie is fantastic, really. It makes me want to move to New Jersey. And it's incredible. It is just incredible.

Meeting people is all about finding key questions. Just those few questions that you can ask someone and it will get them to tell you those key things that define people. But they won't tell you that voluntarily, you have to push the button - you have to ask them.

There are people I know - and who I know quite well - to whom I have never asked these questions, for whom I've never found those questions. People I know very well. And maybe I got those questions once but I haven't found a new ones recently. It's troublesome.

I love this movie. And the soundtrack. And Zach Braff.

ignore this post

Depression has hit.

I don't want sympathy; I don't want anything. I want regular fucking nothing.

I hate the use of "proper grammar" with terms like "lol". It's not "Lol" at the beginning of a sentence. It's a different dialect, doing that would be stupid.

I saw a brochure in my car and my thought wasn't "wow I was a candidate" (as it had been before tonight) but "fuck that was a massive waste of time, money and effort, and would be even if I did get in".

But now I'm pot committed I have to run again.

Fuck.

not having a girlfriend

Pros:
- Nobody to complain if you decide today might not be a day for pants
- Nobody concerned for your health if you decide today might not be a day for vitamins
- Nobody asking you what's wrong if you decide today might be a day for DVDs and silence
- You don't need permission to read until 4am
- Nobody bugging you for sexual contact when you're really not in the mood (e.g. it's 3am and you're at the dénouement)

Cons:
- Nobody to hug
- Nobody concerned for your health
- Nobody to bug for sexual contact when it's 3am and you really want a dénouement
- You don't have encouragement to go out
- Nobody with whom you can giggle about xkcd 335

PS: Linky to an abandoned blog that used to belong to TLC, just to appease her ;).