As the nuclear clock moves closer to midnight, Pine Gap exists on peppercorn rent, and the Prime Minister Turnball gets very excited about creating ‘jobs’ in Australia by boosting the arms race.
At the same time, some silly duffer in Canberra sends filing cabinets to an op shop, then along comes an oppy shopper who fancies the locked filing cabinet, buys it coz he’s got a good drill, breaks the locks, and goodness me there is a whole pile of highly sensitive Cabinet documents.
The oppy shopper then sends all of the documents to the ABC who in public interest notify citizens and the growing groundswell of oppy shoppers!
Then the Turnball govt. gets very ‘hairy chested’ sends in the spooks to raid the ABC.
What follows, new laws on minimising the rights of free speech (violating the implied rights of the Australian Constitution), this in turn limits the role of journalists and as such creates a greater culture of moral panic for Australian citizens.
This is a great script and as kid, addicted to Dick Tracy comics, Superman and The Phantom I would pinch change out of my Pa’s pockets (just the wee change) to buy these comics.
It also served another purpose as I did not have any sins to confess to the priest and this act gave me one.
On another level I wonder whether some of the old codgers in the spooks read these comics too. And now translate them thus socially. Sadly, there is however no Dick Tracy, Phantom or Superman to expose the dark side of the script.
Turnball exists because of a Faustian pact with old Conservative codgers and this is no doubt feeding his hubris, bugger the realities of war, bloodshed, suffering, refugees, children with no future, a dying planet, and who would really want a job facing the consequences of the arms race?
I search for the lost mould of Gough Whitlam who lugged Australia into the 20th century.
Upon assuming leadership his anti-war policy became one of his most powerful election campaign assets.
He immediately abolished conscription, extricated Australia from the Vietnam War and took the demonology out of foreign policy by visiting China; the old conservative codgers had refused contact for 24 years. They in turn labelled Whitlam a ‘Communist’ and returned to naval gazing.
The impact of Whitlam’s era forever changed and shaped Australia.
He was labelled the ‘Hippy Prime Minister’ because of the massive legacy of reforms.
I just pray that his first policy, ie abolishing conscription, does not return under the Turnball government! It seems that anything is now possible when Faust rises. It’s going to be more than a bumpy ride folks.
Jo Faith, Newtown
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
