Thursday, December 7, 2017

THOUGHTS ON THURSDAY

Something that has had Phil and me pondering about of late is all this confusion in Federal Parliament about whether members of parliament are dual citizens or not.  It is to do with a section of our Constitution that says member of Federal Parliament must be Australian citizens.

Two members of the Green Party resigned after they realised they had both been born overseas one in New Zealand and the other in Canada.   Fair enough as legally neither were Australian citizens.  This began a landslide of people quickly checking if they were indeed Aussie citizens as many had parents born overseas which automatically makes them citizens of their father's country of birth.

No my birth mother was born in Australia to Australian born parents although my birth father was born in London. My adopted parents (my legal parents) were both born in London so I am a dual citizen both ways.   I would never consider revoking my English citizenship as I was always in my mind, and proud to be, a British citizen until, in the 1970s, the Labor government decided that was no longer the case and we then needed an Australian passport to travel overseas.  I believe I could have acquired a British passport had I desired to do so as could Phil of course as he was born in England athough he became an Australian citizen back in the 1970s.

Today was the deadline when parliamentarians were supposed to supply proof that they were 100% Aussie citizens by, I thought, presenting their birth certificates and those of their parents and grandparents.  It seems some supplied documents showing they had received confirmation of revoking citizenship of other countries but one side of politics had said this was not sufficient evidence when the other side did it but now their members have done just that...it is all right.

Honestly, don't politicians make you laugh?  Talk about confusion.  Actually Phil and I both feel if their dual citizenship is of a Commonwealth nation then what's the problem.   One can perhaps understand it if the other country involved is not a member of the Commonwealth but......not so.

That's enough of that for now.  Hopefully the same-sex marriage bill will be passed before the end of the year and all this business about citizenship will be too.  The former will delight so many people whereas the latter I am certain will concern very few outside parliament.

By the way I think the injection in my finger has worked to a certain degree.  There is still some swelling and I can't bend it completely but it is much less painful (or are my morphine patches beginning to work?)   Speaking of the patches...I think there is some effect but my stupid back seems to be stopping me walking properly.  I am not complaining.....just mentioning it.

My dear old Phil is now 88 (last Saturday).  No big celebration as part of the family was tied up all weekend but Aimee and Caitlyn came to afternoon tea on Saturday and Karen and her hubby on Sunday afternoon.  Also B was kind enough to replace our 2 smoke alarms which Phil had not been able to do and also changed a kitchen curtain that needed doing.  Phil is OK up a ladder to do ordinary things but not having to look up with his arms above his head.  He reckons it's something to do with getting old.  

I found a birthday card that made Phil laugh...it said  AGE is MIND over MATTER and inside it said "If you don't mind then it doesn't matter".  Phil said he is just so thankful that he is still here to enjoy getting older.

This has been a muddled up post but I'm feeling a bit muddled up right now.  Not sure why but this weather is not helping.   We get 3 or 4 days about 30C (86F) and then a couple in the high 20s and so on.   It is warming up as the next seven days are all forecast to be above 30C with warm nights.  I watch how our eastern state cousins are getting more rain than they want in many places and much cooler weather.  Never mind you can be sure some of our heat will make its way across in a week or so, particularly to South Australia if not beyond.

8 comments:

  1. Hari Om
    the citizenship debate seems ridiculous; I am an Aussie citizen because I swore and oath, signed up and received a certificate and carry the passport. Despite my Scottish birth and retention of that birthright, I consider myself Aussie. I guess if my foray in politics had landed me in parliament, then it might now be an issue. Sigh... then again, at that level, I guess there does need to be some kind of measure.

    Belated greetings to the young man. Yours is also fast approaching if I recall correctly. Hope that summer weather doesn't weigh too heavily. We are being hit by a major winter storm at the moment. Wanna trade?! YAM xx

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    1. Two of the Green party resigned as they had actually been born overseas but it has gone on and on since then and still it goes on and one. All so ridiculous when you think of the other dreadful things that are happening around the world.
      Will pass on your greetings to the old chap and yes in a few weeks I shall be 86, unbelievable.
      Seems the UK has now been hit by lots of snow which is causing chaos everywhere. Cousin of Phil's who lives in Coventry sent email today showing the area where he lives covered in snow.
      Phil still says the place for snow is on Christmas cards and I guess he knows from experience and I don't.
      Keep warm and dry. xx

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  2. I'm not looking forward to the heat at all, I'm enjoying this cooler weather and wish it would last all summer.
    Happy Birthday Phil :)
    I'm sorry to hear your back is troubling you, can you sit with a hot water bottle against it to loosen the muscles a bit? If the tendons relax with the warmth maybe the bones will move a bit easier.
    I don't understand the dual citizenship thing clearly. If a parent is born overseas and then naturalised as an Australian, doesn't that make the children Australian citizens if they are under 16 at the time? My dad was naturalised when I was six, so I automatically became an Australian.

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    1. Unfortunately we have sent lots of heat your way...sorry about that. Our days are cooling down a tad and we look forward to it. They say we are in for a hot summer!!!
      The back is past having anything that can be done for it,,,even a few years back a pain specialist wiped his hands of the problem. Just have to get around as best I can. Not sure the patch is helping but perhaps a teeny bit.
      This citizenship debacle has become ridiculous and the sooner it is over and they get on with governing the country the better. Labor is doing its best to find Libs or Nats where there may be some doubt so they can rid of some in the lower hour. When you've only got a majority of one it's hard work to make anything work but I'm so glad the go the Marriage act changed.

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  3. Happy Birthday to Phil.
    The citizenship debacle has been infuriating. Not least because it has certainly shown that the people who make our lawa are a little lax about following them.
    Sadly Centrelink recipients wouldn't be afforded the same leniency our politicians give themselves.
    I am thrilled on the same sex marriage finally getting up though.

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    1. Thanks EC and message passed on.
      The one thing that has Phil and me really angry is that Mark Dreyfus (of Jewish origin) is trying his best to prove that Freydenburg is Hungarian. His mother had her nationality removed during WW2 but apparently many years later their nationality was re-instated. To me that is pure spite on the part of Dreyfus. Labor (I keep wanting to spell it labour as we were taught) is doing its level best to get rid of MPs because of the majority of just 1 Libs/Nats have in the lower house. So much fun, not.
      We were delighted when the Marriage Act was finally changed and that again should have been done months ago instead of wasting so many milliions....both sides I feel are responsible for this debacle. No-one ever wants to give in.
      I see you have heat on its way...we've had our share recently and I am not looking forward to the summer.

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  4. Happy belated birthday to your Phil!
    I am American, don't even ask me about politics! :-)

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    1. Thanks Kay and the greetings will be passed on to Phil.
      As far as politics in the USA is concerned I think everyone is tired of it except the diehards The wea that man is going about upsetting all and sundry anything could happen!!

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