Andrew Bolt and The Grand Mufti

Andrew Bolt was in full flight over the weekend attacking the Grand Mufti. Bolt is right in pointing out that Dr Ibrahim Abu Mohammad has lived here for close to  20-years but chooses to deliver most of his addresses through an interpreter. Bolt pointing out the Grant Mufti  doesn’t speak English. In fact, he does but not well. Dr Ibrahim has also explained why when making a public statement he doesn’t use English. You either accept his reasoning or you don’t. His explanation sounds reasonable to me. That said, it is disappointing. 

Dr Ibrahim he isn’t the only import who struggles with a foreign language. I know many from other parts who do. Italians, Greeks, Lebanese and Egyptians as an example. People who have lived here for much longer than 20 years. It doesn’t mean they can’t participate or integrate because they do. In fact it has been the source of great mirth at times. The same when I’ve been with locals in foreign countries and can’t speak the language. 

Not everyone finds learning a foreign language easy. I speak from personal experience having struggled to learn foreign languages and given up every time. I’m simply rubbish; as they say ‘no ear’. I envy those who find it easy. My late hubby was a wiz. He found it so easy. He spoke five languages. 

Now to the point of this blog. When people like Bolt become fixated on attacking people, and Bolt is a master at it, they lose all sense of balance and fairness. But I guess if Bolt didn’t stir up certain sections of his audience and feed their bias he wouldn’t have an audience. 

It’s a shame that Bolt doesn’t (byway of balance) share other addresses by Dr Abraham. I stumbled across this on Dr Abrahim’s Facebook page. I check there from time to time to see what he and his community say about certain events. The following is his address to Year 12 students who graduated from Unity Grammar this month. Dr Abrahim’s references to country, loyalty abiding by laws and warnings over extremism were very strong. We need to see more of this stuff in the news media. It might make people feel a bit more comfortable. 

The address: 

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. All Praise is due to Allah, Sustainer of the worlds. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon Muhammad, the most noble of creation, and upon his companions. 

To the esteemed Mr Waleed Ali, the noble teaching staff, and the board of Unity Grammar. The parents and guardians of the students here, those who really deserve to celebrate. Also to those students whom we are celebrating their graduation today. Peace and blessings of Allah be upon you all. 

Allah says in the Quran: “Say: ‘in the bounty and mercy of Allah, let them rejoice. Verily, that is better than what they amass.’”You students are privileged on a number of levels. Allah has provided you with parents who have worked hard and sacrificed their wealth and their lives, all in order for you to gain an education. They spend their nights awake and toil in order for you to succeed. 

They sacrifice out of love for you, taking care of all your needs. We praise Allah that He has facilitated for you half the journey. We also ask Him to make easy for us the second half which is perhaps even more important. That is, the Bachelors, Masters and PhD levels of education.

We thank Allah that we are celebrating as students, as a school, as parents, as a nation, that He has made easy this stage of our journey. We hope that He completes the greater joy for us later on. You are privileged in that by the grace and mercy of Allah, he has prepared for you a school that excels in its management, morals and teaching staff. 

Your leader bears the spirit of a true leader, the mind of an intellectual, and a heart that beats. His emotions are filled with contemplation, great energy, true determination and noble goals. He is greatly concerned in raising the future generations of this land. These qualities have without doubt been passed onto all those connected to Unity Grammar, helping them to succeed academically and being distinguished in their morals and manners. You have been raised to cling tightly onto brilliant love, rejecting all forms of discrimination and bigotry. The spirit of noble character has spread amongst you, causing springs of generosity and love to surface. 

Secondly, you have been privileged in that by the grace of Allah and His mercy, He has prepared for you a land in which you have been brought up in. Remember, that Australia has presented to you, your parents and grandparents all good. You should respond to this love with love. Protect its security and safety. Abide by its laws. These laws were legislated to protect you and your families. 

Beware of extremist propaganda and terrorism. Such is a path to death and loss. Beware of the calls of extremism causing you to feel alienated. Otherwise, this could then lead you to actions that stain your religion and community. Do not learn your religion from ‘Sheikh’ Google or ‘Sheikh’ YouTube. They are imposters and untrustworthy. Take your knowledge from reputable sources and scholars who are experts in their field. Know for certain that Australia is your country, and that of your children. Return the good of this land by your positive contributions, loyalty and affiliation. 

Thirdly, O students and youth. You are privileged because you are a vital part of this Australian society. You are not a foreign element. Today, we have come to celebrate your graduation. Respond to this with beauty - to your families, school and land. Be mindful of the greater celebration. This will be the joy of the Prophet of Allah, the Master of all human beings - Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. This joy of his with you will be realised when you cling firmly onto your Islamic identity. That will be the day which you make your Islamic identity the source of your glory and pride. That will be the day which you, O young person, will know that our glory and salvation is not far from your Islamic faith. That will be the day on which you bear great hope for others, as your Prophet did. He saved them from their loss, comforting their loneliness, and preparing their return to Allah. 

Fourthly, know O my beloved child, that your upright character and abiding by the morals of your religion will restore to this religion its lost representation in this age. It will change your presence amongst non-Muslims to a source of mercy, granting humanity a great insight. This will not be realised except through good character, purity of heart, and freedom from its diseases such as bigotry and hatred. Your mind must be clean from extremism. Beware, O son, of being influenced by those who desire you to be the enemy of your land. They call you to extremist ways and hatred. They deceive you with words about manhood, paradise, and women. They call you to perform actions that harm your religion and society.The great joy shall occur when you are positive and true to your nation. Protect it from evil and harm. Your land is the vessel that protects your faith, providing you with civil liberties. This allows you to freely practise your religion. Respond to love with love. Respond to generosity with generosity. Present your land of Australia with what it deserves of service and loyalty. 

Fifthly, you should realise O Muslim student, that the power of the mind supersedes that of the weapon. The power of noble character is greater than the waves of immorality and bigotry. Love is the key to changing intellects and societies. To be in the service of others is the quickest route to gaining people’s love. 

Sixthly, O my child, you should take care of your life. You should be motivated to bring joy to the heart of your Prophet, as well as your family. You should seek to bring joy to your nation through your generosity and academic success. Be amongst people as an ambassador for your Prophet. In this way, the world will be happy with you, and existence, the universe and life will all be happy with you. 

I call you to a bright future. I leave you under the protection of Allah. He will guard you. May the peace and mercy of Allah be with you.

I think this piece from Dr Abrahim’s address sends a  very good message. “Remember, that Australia has presented to you, your parents and grandparents all good. You should respond to this love with love. Protect its security and safety. Abide by its laws. These laws were legislated to protect you and your families. 

Beware of extremist propaganda and terrorism. Such is a path to death and loss. Beware of the calls of extremism causing you to feel alienated. Otherwise, this could then lead you to actions that stain your religion and community. Do not learn your religion from ‘Sheikh’ Google or ‘Sheikh’ YouTube. They are imposters and untrustworthy. Take your knowledge from reputable sources and scholars who are experts in their field. Know for certain that Australia is your country, and that of your children. Return the good of this land by your positive contributions, loyalty and affiliation.” 

Of course Bolt won’t publish that. It doesn’t serve his purpose. Such a shame. 

What Happen To The Fair Australia?

The headline that grabbed me today was this one from the Australian written by Adam Creighton and Sid Maher. “ONE IN TWO VOTERS IS FULLY RELIANT ON PUBLIC WELFARE.” 

I posted the story on  social media and I received a number responses. The one that really struck a cord with me, came from Nellie. Nellie is one of the more responsible political posters on Twitter and she made a simple statement. So unfair. 

If you are one of the thousands of Aussies who believe in a fair go, you would be hard pressed to disagree with Nellie. It is unfair that 50% of Australians are carrying the other 50% or paying the other 50%. We are frequently reminded our population is ageing.  Whilst pushing the pension entitlement age up will have some impact it’s reasonable to assume that at some point the 50% who are carrying the load becomes 45% then 40% down, down, down. Where does it end?

“Analysis by The Weekend Australian has revealed that more than 44 per cent of voters, almost 6.4 million people, are ­either public sector employees (1.89 million) or wholly dependent on federal government pensions, allowances and parenting payments (4.48 million). The figure grows further when private sector workers who receive more in welfare than they pay in tax are added.”

1.89 million public servants equals 7.9% of the entire population. Sure some are essential services rightly so, but a huge percentage aren’t. 

Scott Morrison has been sending very strong signals that expenditure has to be controlled. Rating agencies have been sending the same signals. We better start listening the old “she’ll be right mate and I’m OK mate” isn’t cutting the mustard. 

There were a lot of comments to the Australian article, some more worthy than others. This one is worth sharing. I hope Richard doesn’t mind me using it. 

“What are you all doing this weekend?

Personally, the wife and I are doing our BAS so the GST can be paid on time for our small business.Then payroll reconciliations so the PAYG withholding taxes can be paid on time.Then PAYG installments so the company tax can be paid on time.Then reconciling superannuation so the 

superannuation can be paid on time.

There are no public servants on hand to answer queries on difficult issues from complex legislation, so we will battle through the weekend on our own.

To all those who enjoy living off welfare handouts .... please enjoy our weekend for us. We are too busy supporting you and battling the red tape to enjoy it for ourselves.”

Hard to argue with that. 

When I’ve raised these points in the past I’ve received the “I paid my taxes I’m entitled” rebuttal. Well, no you aren’t. Your taxes aren’t your savings fund. You pay taxes for services you receive through out your whole life. It's not a fund where you pay and receive services and then you line up to withdraw what you paid for services you received and will continue to receive until you drop dead!! Whew that was long. Seriously, we need a change of attitude if we are to prosper in the future and not end up like Greece. 

When I get push back I’m reminded of a friend of mine who migrated here from Malaysia 7 years ago. He didn’t have much when he arrived with his wife and three children. He had a job. But it wasn’t the highest paying job in the world. Still isn’t for that matter. He works unbelievable hours at times. But the family scrimped and saved and after 2 years they had enough for a deposit on a modest house. It was cramped with five people; three growing teenagers. Last week he showed me the extension they have completed. He has a plan, and that is not to be a drain on the public purse of the country that has given him a new life. If he can do it why can't others? I think we know the answer to that. 

They say democracy exists up until the time voters discover they can vote themselves more and more generous gifts from the public treasury and that irresponsible governments keep appeasing them. Maybe I don’t know. But it sounds plausible. 

I wonder how different the system would be if receivers of welfare or employees of the tax payer didn’t have the right to vote. Only tax payers who don't take from the public purse and self-funded retirees could vote. If nothing else it would be interesting and I bet it would be fairer. I suspect if this was proposed regardless of how off the wall it is, it would receive support. 

So back to Nellies comment. No Nellie, it isn’t fair, and it isn’t sustainable. In so many ways it's unbelievable that parents and grand parents feeding from the public trough are happy to burden their children and grand children with such an unsustainable future for a bag of silver now. 

Sadly the "Fair Australia" has been replaced by the "Everyone For Themselves Australia."  I hope and pray we have a government with the guts to take this head on.  But I fear even if they do and they are reelected we'll end up with another unworkable senate. Unless of course we wise up and give the LNP the mandate and the senate to get stuff done. The alternative is Shorten and you can bet your life he'll be maxing out the credit card. We simply can't afford that and neither can the future generations who will carry the burden.

The Taxi Driver

I met a very interesting man on Friday. He is a taxi driver, but was previously a restauranteur. As it turns out I know the restaurant. He sold it to enable him to focus on his family, which will become clearer. 

My taxi driver is an Afghani by birth. He was eight years of age when he arrived in Australia.  He’s also a Muslim. He’s well educated and successful. It was obvious he came from a good family. He considers himself a ridgy didge Aussie. 

Like me, my taxi driver is an LNP supporter and like me he isn’t impressed with our ex PM Abbott or our current PM Turnbull. He will continue to support the LNP (with some reservations). We have that in common. As a legal immigrant he is very committed to keeping our borders safe. He worked for a period of time (during the Labor years)  as an interpreter on Christmas Island and in WA. This experience seemed to strengthen his support for stopping the boats. 

We talked at length about the ‘Afghanistan’ he remembered as a child. His family had wealth. His father ran an airline, but not long after the Russian invasion of 1979 they arrested his father and jailed him for three years. He was very critical of what was happening in his country. His father was just one of thousands rounded up and jailed. Upon the release of his father, the family applied for asylum. They were accepted by Australia. They had to leave everything behind to make a new life where they could be safe from persecution and war. 

My taxi driver worked hard, studied and made a successful life for himself in the country he loves, Australia. He married and has children, the eldest a son. As a father, he’s worried about his son and radicalisation. He said he feels like a spy constantly on the alert for any signs that his son is being influenced by radicals. He shared his fears that despite the efforts made by himself and his wife, his son may still be ensnared in the web of radicalisation. The thought of this happening understandably fills him with horror. 

The family isn’t overly religious. But he explained that he spends a lot of time trying to educate his son on how radicals use the Koran to manipulate the gullible. Like so many others who use religious text in an attempt to frame an argument radicals don’t provide the context. My taxi driver tries to do that. He believes he is winning, but admits it's a constant battle between parents and the lure of master manipulators. 

His story reminded me of the struggle one of my family members had with their heroin addicted son. Their constant vigil. The guilt they felt in searching his room. Reading his emails, etc. Despite their efforts, their son still managed to obtain drugs. This went on for years. It almost destroyed the family and the scars still remain. Nothing changed until the son decided he had to get off drugs. Thankfully he eventually did break his habit and he is now leading a productive life. 

It also reminded me of Hitler and how he was able to manipulate millions of people. He was charismatic, and he found the lure to suck in people. The reasons why people followed Hitler were many and varied.  From all I’ve read about the subject it's the same with ISIS followers. Some are certainly disenfranchised, others are idealistic (creating their own state). Peer pressure plays a role. Ignorance I suspect is up there. Just plain gullible perhaps. It's reasonable to assume there is a good smattering of just plain evil amongst the recruits. But many come from good families and that's the biggest challenge. Thousands who followed Hitler didn’t believe what they heard about his atrocities. You hear much the same from radicalised youth about ISIS. 

I guess the message for me was. Unless you have been in the situation of managing what this man is trying to deal with, we really can’t appreciate just how hard it is. There are parents who are prepared to give up a lot in their efforts to protect their children. That includes Muslim parents. My taxi driver certainly has. I hope he and his wife are successful in keeping their son on the ‘straight and narrow’. He told me he isn’t the only one in their circle of friends trying to protect their children from the evils of radicalisation. Who would be in their shoes. It's must be simply awful. 

They do say “Sometimes people comes to your life for a moment. It matters not how much time they spent with you but how they impacted your life in that time.” True. My taxi driver was one such person. I learnt something important from him. That is, don’t be so quick to judge. We never know what others a trying to deal with. 

UNITED NATIONS: We Are Not Going To Leave So What Do We Do?

I read far more than I am posting on social media of late. Locally, we are consumed by either attacking or defending the government depending of what side you are on; Conservative, Labor, Greens, exLiberals or pushing a new start-up. Attacking Muslims. Even climate change has lost some focus, albeit people are concerned about the upcoming Paris meeting. Anything associated with Malcolm Turnbull does generate a lot of chatter. The Middle East conflict and ISIS have, to some degree been pushed to the ‘back burner’. It’s all rather mundane and more venting than anything else. It’s one of the reasons why I’ve pulled back on posting. I’m not that interested in small talk. However, I read to gauge what interests and occasionally a gem of information pop up.

However, one of the topics that does get a lot of air play is the belief the #UN is a highly questionable and largely ineffective organisation. Their inability to deal with conflicts, reports of widespread abuse within peacekeeping forces in Central Africa (which was covered up) and the inclusion of countries like Saudi Arabia in positions of power within human rights groups alarms people. Add to that, UN criticism of Australia whilst turning blind eyes to endemic abuse elsewhere, their insidious Agenda 21 & Agenda 2030 and their stance on climate change adds to the concern. I think it would be fair to say that the  is a widespread opinion that the organisation borders on corruption (in some areas) and that it is far too politically motivated is not without good reason. But it seems to me that whining about it gets us nowhere apart from stoking the egos of a few people who like to hear the sound of their own voice on social media. The repetitive chants of the UN must be closed down, we should tell them where to go etc are futile.

Australia was one of the 51 founding members of the UN when it was formed in 1945.  We have been associated with the organisation for the 70-yrs since foundation and we have contributed both money (lots of it) and manpower to UN activities. We are in fact the 12th largest financial contributor. Not all of that investment has been wasted. Millions of lives have improved as a result of our efforts and the efforts of the organisation in general.

We have nominated and been elected a member of the UN Security Council on 5 occasions the latest being 2013 – 2014. That isn't a huge reward for the service we have given; both contribution and manpower. We have also fulfilled the role of President of the UN General Assembly back in 1948. In addition 7 Australians have commanded or led multinational peacekeeping operations.

Approximately 65,000 Australian personnel have been engaged in more than fifty peacekeeping operations, in approximately 25 different conflicts. That engagement has included the such operations as the very important task of clearing landmines, humanitarian aid and repatriation and monitoring cease-fires.

Not everything the UN does is without merit. They help feed well in excess of a 100 million people a year in 80 countries. They feed people in war zones, natural disaster situations, health emergencies, and just plain poor countries. The scale of this is enormous. Today they provide protection and assistance to nearly 55 million refugees, returnees, internally displaced and stateless people. A further 5.1 million registered refugees are being looked after in the Middle East by the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees. The UN was and still is the leader when it comes to the global battle against HIV/AIDS.

In a world as troubled as ours, I believe there is a need for an organisation like the UN, however changes are needed. This organisation needs to be run by people of the utmost integrity, to help address the many global issues that we face and to work toward the lofty objective of global peace among other things. Despite the social media chorus that we should bail out, it won't happen. Even Tony Abbott didn't go that far and he supported us participating as a member of the security council during his tenure as Prime Minister. Mr Abbott was right to tell the UN we would not be lectured to by them. Like many Australians I am angry about their constant sniping at us over the treatment of refugees when countries like China (a permanent member) and Saudi Arabia the UN’s new ‘best friend’ blithely carry on killing people in their own countries. Furthermore, in the case of Saudi Arabia slaughtering people in the Yemen. I won’t start on western support of terrorist organisations or this would turn into war and peace.

There is a lot of angst being voiced over our declaration that we will nominate for a seat on the Human Rights Council 2018 - 2020. I personally think we should. I can not see us surrendering our membership and despite our last two Conservative Prime Ministers; Howard and Abbott having a tense relationship with the UN they never walked away or surrendered membership. So if as I believe we will continue to be a member of the organisation and we agree it needs to be cleaned up and less politically motivated (and I'll add interfering) then we need a 'louder' voice; a council voice. We need more voices like ours to drive the necessary change.

So rather than complaining, perhaps we should be lobbying as hard as we can to push the government to demand more of a share of voice and perhaps to even push that as far as a permanent member seat along with China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. When you look at the world map there is no permanent member of the Security Council from the Southern Hemisphere, despite the fact that we make up approximately 12% of the world's population. Given our record and our contributions we are in my view the best placed representative below the equator.

As stated, I can't see us walking away despite our desire that we do. So the next best thing is demanding a more permanent role where we can hopefully exert more influence to clean this organisation up and to help control the interference in activities such as ours and to redirect the focus back on the countries with appalling human rights records like so many Middle Eastern and third world countries.

Australia: Are We Becoming An Increasingly Intolerant Society

Australia the country of tolerance and of a fair go, where people are respected for who they are, not what they are. Where diversity is embraced and where the richness of the culture of the people who make up this great nation blend together to form a uniqueness that is found nowhere else. Perhaps it's just the world of social media, but post after post that pops up in my timeline presents a very different face to the world. It speaks of intolerance and bullying. Of fear and over reaction. Of divisiveness and hatred. In fact, in many posts of late the most used words appears to be the words hate and hatred. 

I have a personal dislike of the word hate and I rarely use it. I think it is such a destructive word. Martin Luther King Jr. Once said, “Hate destroys the hater…” I believe that. 

However, if you go back in our history, we have usually found someone or something to turn against, sometimes with good reason but most often not. Just ask the first Italians, Greeks, English and Asians (as an example) how they were treated in the early years.  People were often abused in the streets, but mainly the hate discussion was restricted to the dinner table, the pub and around the water cooler and overt discrimination. The fear and suspicion stemmed from any number of biases, but as time moved on people were accepted into society and, many have made significant contributions in all walks of life. As a country we have benefited from that and as individuals, our lives have been greatly enriched. 

In more recent years, the attention has turned to Africans and Muslims. A couple of years back an African friend of mine and her two children were accosted in a shopping centre car park and spat on by a woman who should have known better. My friend just walked away comforting her two crying and frightened children. When I asked her why she didn’t retaliate, she said, “I have witnessed first hand what hatred of others does to a nation, that’s why I came here. To escape that and to live in peace. In retaliating, I would have only inflamed the situation.” My friend and her family are Australian citizens. Her husband is a university professor and she works as an accountant. Her two children are doing very well academically and will probably follow their father into a future career in science. Model citizens in every way, but that still didn’t prevent a hateful woman from making a snap judgement and showing that in the most graphic way to humiliate. 

The biggest game changer for the ‘hate industry’ is the Internet. The haters now have the ability to garner support from not just a few friends and working buddies, they can now rope in dozens of people. They gather on social media like the clans of old gathered at their favourite watering holes and they share their rage and they plan their attacks on the perceived enemy for the slightest indiscretions. Just voicing an opinion can result in a tirade of abuse. Others jump on board and RT and so it goes. Even blocking people doesn’t end it some continue to try and blacken the names of others. It’s bullying at it’s worst. 

This is a piece from — “Loving Your Enemies,” It was delivered by Martin Luther King Jr on the 17th November 1957. It reads: 

“There’s another reason why you should love your enemies, and that is because hate distorts the personality of the hater. We usually think of what hate does for the individual hated or the individuals hated or the groups hated. But it is even more tragic, it is even more ruinous and injurious to the individual who hates. You just begin hating somebody, and you will begin to do irrational things. You can’t see straight when you hate. You can’t walk straight when you hate. You can’t stand upright. Your vision is distorted. There is nothing more tragic than to see an individual whose heart is filled with hate. He comes to the point that he becomes a pathological case. […] Hate destroys the very structure of the personality of the hater. […] When you start hating anybody, it destroys the very center of your creative response to life and the universe; so love everybody. Hate at any point is a cancer that gnaws away at the very vital center of your life and your existence. It is like eroding acid that eats away the best and the objective center of your life.”

We only have to look at other parts of the world to see that demonstrated most graphically and on a much lesser scale we see that same illogical behaviour manifested on social media.  

Of course now we have multifaceted twitter hate. It’s hate based on supporting any cause the haters hate. It’s hate based on politics. It’s hate based on immigration. It’s hate based on religion. It’s hate based on the colour of your skin. It’s hate based on someone taking a dislike to you. Simply anything thing that takes their fancy. For exercising my right to remain a member of the Liberal Party (regardless of the change of leadership) I am now a target.

The following is a great example of how things are twisted to enable the attacker to turn the tables and to weave into their assault their current vendetta. I have whited out the names of the people involved in these exchanges with me yesterday, for obvious reasons. 

Yesterday our ex Minister of Defence, Kevin Andrews took to Twitter with multi-tweets following the announcement of a defence contract. Mr Andrews was extremely unhappy to have lost his portfolio following the recent leadership change. Many viewed Mr Andrews twitter blitz as a negative attack on the new minister who happens to be a woman. I sent this response to Mr Andrews. Which resulted in the following. 

The responses: 

This exchange ensued because I voiced my dismay that the Prime Minister was being attacked by exLiberals for the crime of taking public transport to the Grand Final. Now remember one of our biggest beefs during ex PM Abbott’s tenure, was the puerile attacks on him by the opposition. Conservatives were extremely critical of those attacks and now we have conservatives doing the same.

This continued despite blocking the poster. 

As a conservative Australian, the country and the people I know and love have in the main shown only love and acceptance. Whilst we may not have always agreed, we respected a broad spectrum of ideas and the rights of others to hold and express a different opinion. We try to sell our ideas and hopefully get others on side but if they choose not to, we don’t turn on them. But, if someone does turn on me, I will fight back but I will do my level best to do that in a constructive way. 

I am the wife of an immigrant and my husband holds a different opinion, having been on the receiving end of overt discrimination himself. That said he is the most loyal Aussie you will ever meet. Many friends from overseas who have visited here have expressed their opinion that we are just as intolerant as any other nation. I’ve always leapt to our defence. Whilst it saddens me to say it, I think our detractors might have a point and recent events have sheeted home to me just how intolerant we have become as a nation. Of course the champions of hatred will no doubt rip into me for saying this. I've been on the receiving end of an ample share of their vitriol over recent months. I expect it will continue because I will continue to express my opinion. I’m not telling anyone else how to live their life although a few of my detractors have levelled that accusation at me. I will however try to persuade conservative voters to give the leadership change a chance and to judge on the results. I will try to convince people that wrecking and splitting the conservative vote based on a vendetta isn’t in the best interests of the country. But, if they decide that is their path, fine but don’t attack others who have chosen a different path. 

So on reflection, perhaps we always were an intolerant nation and having not been on the receiving end of the intolerance and to my shame, I simply didn’t see it.