The day before I left Dunedin there was a lunchtime rally and march in the city.
At the moment the South Island has 6 neurosurgeons. 4 are located in Christchurch with a population of 370,000 and 360 km away. The other 2 are in Dunedin with a population of 120,000. The Government wants to put all 6 into Christchurch and the people of Dunedin are up in arms along with those living in the regions of Otago and Southland, much closer to Dunedin than Christchurch.
Over 10,000 people marched through the city at lunchtime on a Friday which I thought was a good number for a city of 120,000. We then joined hands to encircle the hospital. Being Dunedin, the march was of course led by a piper. Some of the people I was with said they had never attended a demonstration before. I told them I was a veteran of many anti-Iraq marches but am afraid I omitted the many more Gay rights marches. A video of the march is at
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/119608/neurosurgery-protest-video
Yesterday I attended a rally and march here in Sydney in support of Same-Sex Marriages. There were rallies in all major cities. They are held every year at this time to recognise the infamous date in 2004 when Parliament passed the Marriage Act which defined marriage as "the union between a man and a woman". This year it has more emphasis as being a week before the National elections in which both major parties have come out against same-sex marriage. While it is to be expected from the Coalition who were in Government when the Marriage act was passed and whose leader, once a Roman Catholic seminarian, says homosexuals make him feel uncomfortable, it is unforgivable from the Labor party whose leader (current prime minister) is in an atheist living in a de facto relationship. She has lost my vote.
It will be my last vote in Australia as the rule is that if a person leaves the country for 6 years (or intends to leave for 6 years or more) one is ineligible to vote. I registered at my sister's address when I left in January but will tell them I have left permanently after this election.
1 comment:
Yes the Australian Prime Minister might not choose to marry but she has the RIGHT to be married. She shows very little insight, compassion or courage in her decision to refuse equality to all. She's lost my vote too.
Sydneysider
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