The Nation Turns Its Back

"Journalism is a young man's sandpit
And an old man's quicksand."
Anon

They bled tens of billions of dollars off the general population and made it impossible for the toiling masses to get ahead; and wonder why they are on the nose.

It's not the thousands upon thousands of stories that I have done; fascinated or in grim toil; but other scenes that recur in my haunted head.

As a teenager, 15,16, the same age as my own kids now, I would get bottles of grog and drink them till I was unconscious, passing out in the streets around Sydney. I looked young for my age; and my state would sometimes evoke sympathy from complete strangers. I remember once, have always remembered for some weird reason, up around the Coca Cola sign at the top of William Street, swaying, no doubt glassy eyed, on the edge of consciousness, and someone saying, cutting through the fog, "He should be at home with his mother".

I remember, too, one day, passing out in the gutter at Circular Quay, the major transport hub for Sydney Ferries. People in their hundreds, or so it seemed, stepped over me in the five o'clock rush home from their offices to their comfortable apartments and grand houses on the north shore. Eventually some old queen stooped down and helped me up, asking if I was OK. He took me home to his apartment on the north shore, gave me a shower and a feed and $20 for services rendered. Life was like that, back then.

THE STORY CONTINUES

"'Anything special goes on there?' he asked.
"'There are booths and a live sex show. Every now and then a bit of straight trade gets there, really spunky guys. Football players. They're gorgeous. So naive. So randy. They just love having their dicks sucked, their girlfriends won't do it for them. I've had some good times there, it's the luck of the draw.'
"So they walked on down to Love Art."


THE BIGGER STORY:

Fundamental shifts in the nation's psyche and expectations are taking place:

The Age Howard to win battle, lose war
The Australian, Australia - 5 hours ago
JOHN Howard would win a High Court battle against Victoria for control of the Murray-Darling, but end up with a dog's breakfast of partial powers, ...
Howard Plans Federal Takeover of Australia's Biggest River Bloomberg
Howard defends water plan NEWS.com.au
PM not expecting Vic backlash over water The Age
The Age - Melbourne Herald Sun
all 258 news articles »

The Age Rates time bomb ticking for Howard
The Age, Australia - 5 hours ago
Prime Minister John Howard and Treasurer Peter Costello united yesterday in a low-key response to the figures, using almost identical words. ...
Howard plays down rates hike fears ABC Online
Prices up - your home loan is next Sydney Morning Herald
It's now, not on Cup Day Melbourne Herald Sun
The Age - The Australian
all 157 news articles »

Earthtimes.org Howard to spend birthday in E Timor
NEWS.com.au, Australia - 1 hour ago
PRIME Minister John Howard will spend his 68th birthday today visiting Australian troops and police helping maintain security in the fledgling nation of ...
Australian PM, 68, says age not election issue Globe and Mail
Count my policies, not years The Australian
Australia's Howard to visit East Timor and Indonesia Monsters and Critics.com
The Age - International Herald Tribune
all 97 news articles »

The Age Costello defends Howard treasurer attack
Melbourne Herald Sun, Australia - 8 hours ago
TREASURER Peter Costello says his comments on Prime Minister John Howard's record as treasurer were intended to contrast the performance of the Howard and ...
Fitness for office is not a question of age The Age
Pragmatism is not just for governments The Age
Howard stumble mimics party's slip in polls Times Online
Melbourne Herald Sun - NEWS.com.au
all 154 news articles »
Howard warns Work Choices could disappear
Sydney Morning Herald, Australia - 4 hours ago
JOHN HOWARD has issued an unusual warning saying that Work Choices laws would disappear forever if he was voted out at this year's federal election. ...
Howard admits to addressing Australian Parliament when drunk NewKerala.com
House prices to leap 3% under Labor, PM warns The Age
Labor would bury IR reform: Howard The West Australian
Sydney Morning Herald - ABC Online
all 34 news articles »

The Age Howard, Rudd differences in spotlight
Sydney Morning Herald, Australia - 22 hours ago
... its economic management and national security credentials but voters like federal Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd more than Prime Minister John Howard. ...
Kevin Rudd, arrogance personified The Australian
PM to spend 68th birthday on the road The Age
Kevin gets biggest break yet The Australian
The Australian - NEWS.com.au
all 136 news articles »

The Age Slip-up turns Howard into Rudd
Melbourne Herald Sun, Australia - 16 hours ago
THE wrong name came out during another of John Howard's radio interviews today but this time it was the interviewer who got the Prime Minister's name wrong ...
Howard dismisses heckling at building site The West Australian
Readers' Comments Howard heckled at Perth site Sunday Times.au
Howard trips up in Perth Sydney Morning Herald
The Age - NEWS.com.au
all 52 news articles »
John Howard gets back on his feet
Melbourne Herald Sun, Australia - 4 hours ago
John Howard fell, bounced back immediately and looked extremely fit and agile because of it. The media excitement about the symbolism was not shared by the ...

Demise of unions made homes cheaper: Howard
ABC Online, Australia - 15 hours ago
Prime Minister John Howard says Labor's housing summit has been exposed as a farce by a new report showing that a demise in unionism on construction sites ...
PM: Labor's housing summit a farce ABC Online
PM: Labor's housing summit a farce ABC Online
all 5 news articles »

NDTV.com No pressurea on minister over Haneef visa: Howard
Herald Publications, India - 14 hours ago
MELBOURNE, JULY 24 (PTI) — Australian Prime Minister John Howard denied his immigration minister was pressured into cancelling Mohammed Haneef’s visa or ...
Howard denies leaking Haneef information Melbourne Herald Sun
PM Howard denies pressuring Andrews to cancel Haneef's visa DailyIndia.com
Haneef Visa: PM denies pressuring min Economic Times
The Australian - The Canberra Times
all 58 news articles »