A Scythe Through the Broiling Dark

Lake Illawarra, April, 2019.

There had been an empath in the area and he had been beyond disturbed, entirely compromised.

A scythe had cut through the emissaries, those who gathered in their clouds when they sensed impending death. Clean out the old spirits. They have no power now. 

Australia was in election mode, but you wouldn't know it, so disengaged the public, so decimated the traditional gathering points. Standards of living were falling. That was a critical mistake. He mouthed platitudes. They all mouthed platitudes. And then it was gone. 

The last remnants of those fantastic trellises had been washed into the depths. A frail belief in participatory democracy had disappeared.   

The overlords were back. 

"What do you think?" he was asked.

"I think we're being sold One Big Lie," he responded. 

As other narratives ran through the cooling air, the changing of the seasons. 

"How good is mining?" the Prime Minister Scott Morrison declared in a fawning speech to the Minerals Council.

The Big End of town. The very big end of town. 

Needless to say there's no such expression in the Shire. Unless perhaps you're one of the top 0.1 per cent staring with delight at your latest dividend cheque.

To quote Crikey: 

According to Scott Morrison, we have a lot to thank the mining sector for.

In a speech at the Minerals Council of Australia dinner at Parliament House last week, the Prime Minister reaffirmed his deep commitment to the industry, and railed against the “noisy, shouty voices” that wanted to shut it down:

"There’s a Shire expression. For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about it’s that wonderful southern part of Sydney. We have our own language and if we like something, this is what we say; ‘How good is mining?"

Everything about this terrible election was already a farce. 
THE BIGGER STORY: 

The Easter Sunday bomb blasts at Sri Lankan churches and luxury hotels have killed at least 207 people and injured more than 450.

Key points:
A total of eight sites have been targeted, including Christian churches and luxury hotels
There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the attacks on a day of violence not seen since Sri Lanka's civil war ended 10 years ago
Sri Lankan Prime Minister declares a curfew with immediate effect, and shuts down social media sites and messaging services.

So far, eight explosions have been reported — three at church services, three at hotels, one outside a zoo south of the capital Colombo, and another on the outskirts of the city.
Police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekara said 13 suspects have been arrested in connection with the attacks.
He said police have a vehicle they suspect was used to transport the suspects into Colombo, and police have also found a safe house used by the attackers.
Three police officers were killed during a security forces raid on a house in the Sri Lankan capital several hours after the rash of attacks, some of which officials said were suicide bombs.

AUSTRALIAN ELECTION COVERAGE:

https://www.smh.com.au/federal-election-2019/falling-house-prices-threaten-tax-cuts-or-surplus-as-australia-s-economy-softens-20190414-p51e34.html

Doubts over the election promises made by the Coalition and Labor have been raised with new predictions the Australian economy is softening on the back of falling house prices and stagnant wages.
Ahead of a warning from shadow treasurer Chris Bowen that the Coalition's tax cut plans would drive the budget into the red if the economy weakened, forecasts from Deloitte Access Economics point to budget problems that may curtail expensive vote winners.
The Coalition is promising $290 billion in personal income tax cuts between 2022 and 2029 even after it was forced to write down expected revenue by $15 billion in its recent budget.
Labor, opposed to key elements of the Coalition's tax plans, hopes to raise billions from a string of measures including changes to negative gearing, franking credits and capital gains tax.