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Vindaloo against violence

Posted by: Michael Smith | 24 February, 2010 - 1:29 PM

I think the Bligh Government is a little bit envious of some problems that other states and countries have. Just a bit.

Today’s culinary proceedings in The Parliament of Queensland have been dedicated to the support of the Vindaloo against Violence campaign.

Queensland's Multicultural Affairs Minister has told the House that, while we don’t have the violence that Victoria has, we need to get behind the campaign.

Audio link to the Vindaloo against Violence report

What a great idea! A campaign against a problem that we don't have.

The best problems for a government are those that are manifestly not of their own making. Good problems originate from a source outside the control of the government, with government delivering the solution.

You’d have to put natural disasters at the top of the list. Unless you're as useless as George Bush (think Hurricane Katrina) it’s pretty hard to stuff up a good natural disaster. They're 'good' political problems to have with lots of photo opportunities with grateful victims.

Good political problems have these features.

A villain - or problem. Could be a natural disaster, could be terrorists, could be mindless thugs who bash Indian students - even better could be the greatest moral challenge of our time, like climate change.

A victim - bigger the group of victims the better.

A hero - needless to say it’s the Premier in Queensland.

We do have real problems, no doubt about that. Queensland has a big problem with crime - but that's going to take expensive jails and a bigger police force to fix. But the Bligh Government is more focused on trendy responses to crimes we don't have. Vindaloo against Violence was apparently irresistible - a non-response to a non-problem in Queensland.

100,000 Queenslanders say they were the victim of assault last year (source, ABS report). What we don't have is any evidence that more Indians are victims of those assaults than any other group. But that hasn't stopped the Queensland Government from jumping on the flavour-of-the-month - Curry Bashings.

We need your help with suggestions for other non-problems that the government could turn their attention to.

All the better if you could link the problem to a day, a walk, a food or some other campaign. We'll read the best ones out.

If you and I can do the jokes and come up with the time-wasting stuff like this, perhaps we might free Anna and her pals up to focus on the things that really affect us.

Blog comments

Michael,
How about "spatchcocks against shock jocks"?

bigfella Thursday 4 March, 2010 - 11:08 PM
How about a 'No more Bullshit from Bligh' day. Queensland has had enough of the lies!!!!

Darryl Tuesday 2 March, 2010 - 10:55 AM
Pistatio Againt PC!

Liberator Saturday 27 February, 2010 - 11:01 AM
They had a 'vindaloo against violence'. What about a pizza against privatization or a schooner against glassings or a laksa against 'lectricity prices.

Tony Wednesday 24 February, 2010 - 3:04 PM