STORIES FROM PASCOE VALE

RACISM ALIVE AND WELL IN PASCOE VALE

I was at Coburg railway station putting up signs and handing out material. I sat down to have a drink and a kid about 18 or 19, was ripping up and pulling down my signs. He was shouting, "I wanta kill this fucking Arab- Hickey," I was sitting down, laughing in the background. I then went up to him and explained, "my name is Alf Hickey, how are you doing, last time I checked, Hickey is an Irish name." All his friends cracked up laughing.

When handing out literature, I noticed that "Anglo men," tended to reject it, while women and people with seemingly non-Anglo heritage accepted it. I had gone to a church once in Coburg, where there was a distinctly anti-Arab feeling.

A few weeks ago, an anti-racism rap group called "Arab," played at The Brunswick Town Hall, their performance was incredible with spontaneous creation of poetry/rap with random words given by the audience.

THE LYING PRIEST

Was handing out literature in a Catholic church car park. The local Catholic priest came up to me and said, "I do not allow political advertising on this church property." He then threatened to call the police and said, "this property is mine."

I explained to him then, that the land is God's, not his.  I then reminded him about Peter Kavanagh's DLP promotional literature, which He had placed on the entrance table to the church. Parishoners in the car park were quietly amused. I said, "sorry if I offended you."

POLICE & TRAFFIC CAMERA REVENUE

Was at Preston Maccas at 2 or 3 in the morning during the campaign. I asked the police about their attitude to traffic cameras. They explained that they understood them to be for revenue raising. One constable explained, that it might be better, if they knew what the money was being spent on. He said police hate speed cameras, "we think they do nothing to prevent speeding."  I made and put up a few signs around the area after they told me this emphasising "Let's end traffic camera revenue raising."Probably should have added, "parking revenue raising."

After the police explained that they understood traffic cameras to be revenue raising,
I put some of these signs up around Pascoe Vale.

The police explained how they were understaffed. That in one night there are only two police officers on duty in any one district. This contrasts to previous decades when I was a kid, where there were two police stations on Bell St alone. They explained how response is coordinated in major incidents. Several people in the Pascoe Vale district were complaining about police issues and response times.

See: Top cop warned to ignore faulty cameras for revenue
See: Carr.org on cameras
See: Police agree speed cameras are for revenue raising

ON RED HEADS

Was competing with Christine Campbell in Pascoe Vale for votes. She made a comment about the superiority and coming of red heads, I responded, "Red heads are so successful, that they almost create a double dissolution (DD) in Parliament." She didn't get it. I explained that Julia Gillard, our red headed prime minister, may create a double dissolution in parliament. 

Christine Campbell and he father at a school in North Coburg.
My father manned the booth for an hour or so at Pascoe Vale Primary.

A double dissolusion is where both houses of a parliament are dissolved and a new election is held, because the parliament does not function. There has been talk, that there will be a DD in federal parliament under Julia Gillard. There is a strong possibility that Victorian parliament will not function, if the parliament is hung.

See: Rangaism isn't racism
See: Seeing red over Ranga Clangers
See: Melbourne redheads see red on climate