Blame the bloody British

While it is fashionable and politically correct to tug the forelock and bow down to the Queen in John Howard's Australia, freedom of speech is almost entirely extinguished in Australia, thanks to the new sedition laws. But some things just need to be said. The bloody British stuffed the environment of Australia by their stupidity and narrow-minded arrogance. The idiots wanted to feel at home in this strange new land so they introduced foxes... and rabbits. Half the pasture vegetation in Australia that would otherwise be avaailable to sheep and catgtle is consumed by rabbits, according to Jared Diamond in his book Collapse. It took five attempts to introduce the rabbit! But the hardy British yeoman persevered and won... and the rest of us lost big time.
Other famous British legacies: the housesparrow and the starling, each displacing beautiful native Australian birds. The foxes have destroyed several species of small animal, on behalf of idiots in red coats who ride around chasing the odd fox. "The unspeakable in pursuit of the inedible", according to Oscar Wilde.
Over-clearing of the land has produced salinity which renders the productive value of the soil void. "[British] settlers cleared the land of vegetation partly because they didn't like its appearance... [They] felt uncomfortable among Australia's eucalyptus and acacia trees, so different in appearance, color, and leaves from British woodland trees," says Diamond. This legacy lasted a long time. Until 20 years ago, the federal government not only subsidised land clearance, it insisted upon it from farmed leasing crown land. The original stands of trees have largely disappeared and along with them many species of plants and wildlife.
The dopey British couldn't see past their addiction to tradition and conservative values to realise that the soil types out here required an entirely different approach... that they were farming in 'brittle' environments using 'non-brittle' farming techniques (more in a later blog). Their stupidity can be seen in one incident from the life of Michael Lahy, the pioneering convict/farmer who established our property "Uamby" in the early 1800s.
Transported for 14 years for his part in an uprising against the British who stole his land and forced Irish Catholics to pay taxes to support the Protestant Church, Michael Lahy appears to have adapted rapidly to the natural rhythms of his new land. In a few short years he learned how to ‘read’ the landscape. This skill enabled him to play a significant role when the site of the township of Mudgee was chosen. The location chosen by the British colonial authorities was below the flood line, a danger even the British surveyor was unable to see. Lahy convinced the authorities to move the town and Mudgee was sited on higher ground, spared the problems of flooding that afflicted many other inland communities. (Both the sites for the Uamby homestead and the Uamby cemetery itself are located just above the floodline, as close as is safe to the Cudgegong River.)
So strike me pink and call me Lucky, I curse the bloody British for what they did to this country. They stole the land, exterminated the blacks, flogged the male convicts*, raped the women convicts, desecrated and destroyed the soil, poisoned the rivers and streams, then took their profits and went "home".
I have nothing against the descendants of British settlers. They are welcome to stay. But what we should transport "home" to Mother England is the Union Jack from out of our flag, the agricultural practices that still persist in degrading the soils today, the pests and varmints, and the class system that sees John Howard's white bread racist conservative establishment followers look down their noses at refugees, immigrants, the poor and disadvantaged, ordinary workers, Aborigines and anyone who believes this nation should stand proudly on its own two feet, without the need to cling to the apron strings of a decaying monarchy or to the hand of some protective Big Brother, global bully.

*One third of all convicts transported were Irish political prisoners, ordinary farmers and labourers struggling to win back their land and possessions. Don't get me started on the criminal acts Britian committed during the Famine. Genocide, such sa we saw committed against the Aboriginals in Australia. God save the Queen.