On Jacqui Lambie’s complicated legacy

John Richardson writes: Re. “Jacqui Lambie, ‘darling of democracy’, was hemmed in by her narrow views“ (Friday)

The tortured picture of Jacqui Lambie painted by Kara Schlegl seems to me to dangle somewhere between Joan of Arc & Mother Theresa.

For my own part, I couldn’t possibly judge Lambie, simply because I don’t know her & haven’t walked a mile in her shoes.

Having said that, it was apparent from the outset that, like most of her political colleagues, she was only too ready to embrace the self-serving theatre that is the sum of our federal parliament & it was that behaviour alone that gave rise to my doubts about her authenticity.

I was brought up to believe that it was simply “not done” to pump-up one’s own tyres, let alone paint oneself as a victim. To the contrary, earlier generations of Australians were renowned for their stoical acceptance of their lot, always ready to acknowledge that there were plenty of others who were worse off than they. In typical fashion, they often managed to make a joke out of their ordinary circumstances by self-mockingly boasting about having to walk miles to school through the snow … without shoes.

But when I reflect on earlier generations, including the generation of Australians who experienced real & genuine hardship through the great depression, they did not try & use that experience to somehow make something of themselves in the eyes of others: no, they just accepted the reality & got on with doing something to try & change it.

I mean no disrespect to Lambie, as I’ve already acknowledged that I don’t know her, but I am uneasy about those who these days too readily paint themselves as victim & I wonder about their motives … be it the pretty young thing pretending to be a cancer victim, a petty criminal attempting to justify their behaviour because of their upbringing, the university student attempting to justify their plagiarism on the basis that everyone does it, the child abuser whose excuse is their own alleged abuse or a member of the privileged elite, including too many politicians, who routinely attempt to justify their great crimes by claiming they “can’t recall” or they’re just “misunderstood” … everyone, from the lowest sewer rat to the grandest of Kings seems to have an excuse; someone to blame & it’s never themselves.

I do wish Jacqui well & my only regret is that more of her former colleagues won’t be keeping her company.

Some homework for the IPA

Meredith Williams writes: Re. “Pateron’s ‘religious freedom’ bill was typical IPA twaddle” (Friday)

With all this talk about equality, civil liberty and protection, indigenous disadvantage, and religious and other freedoms, and with Australia soon to take up a seat on the UN Human Rights Council, perhaps the next most important move for our country is to start debating a long overdue human rights bill, to protect the rights and freedoms of all Australians, equally.