A number of people have enquired about local NHJ! groups for their area or, more generally, what to do. The most recent is Steliano Cusmiani, who queries:

I want to help start up some 'Grass Roots' action in support of 'Not Happy John' and against John Howard.

I live in Leonay, NSW - in the Lindsay electorate - Let's get rid of Jackie Kelly as well!!! How do I go about this? Any guidance? I've never done this before.

Please help.

I sort of brainstormed a reply, which I published under his query. But it seems to me that for many individuals who have read Margo's book, 'What do I do, like NOW, to defeat this bastard?' might be a prescient question. So I republish my thoughts here and invite replies and additions, from my collegues and from anyone else. Just post them as a 'Corrections/More Info/Queries/Direct Action

For many years I've felt like a leper whenever I've tried to talk about the Aust political system. I read 'Pedagogy of the Oppressed' several years ago & wondered how the author actually got the people interested enough to attend lectures/workshops & then take action. I have attended functions of or belonged to the main political parties (the Greens being the exception) in Aust and am dissillusioned with the experience.

However, I'm a person who can't shrug it off & say there's no hope. So if you have any contact in the outer Eastern Melb metro area, that isn't going cost an arm & a leg to join, please forward the contact details to me.

NHJ!(HA): On ya Gaye. What electorate are you in?

Does anyone have any suggestions for Gaye? Post them here.

The bastion of economic conservatism, The Economist, has this week featured NHJ in its city round-up. International coverage has arrived:

'With a general election looming, John Howard, Australia

Tex Murdoch and his tabloid propogandists love and respect the Australian people and our democratic processes very, very much. Why, so deeply does he love his former fellow Citizens that he regards it as his personal responsibility to ensure we're all well aware before the election date that that well-known Nazi Bob Brown intends to provide crack cocaine free to our pre-school kids...among many other 'kooky' policies:

- LAWS to force people to ride bicycles more often and eat less meat; [Oh, but do go and check for yourself, voters];
- DRIVING farmers from their land; [Oh, but do go and check for yourself, voters]
- MEDICARE funding for sex-change operations. [Yes, do go and check for yourself, voters]
- CAPITAL gains ta

A-a-a-a-a-h-h-h-h!!!!! Well done Margo!!

I have long been an admirer of your passion which results in an uncommon directness.

Now you have thrown light on the current erosion of our democracy what will we do about it?

This remains to be seen, of course, but I hope your 'laying it on the line' so eloquently may stir the mob, us that is, to further scrutiny of the Canberra lot (this includes those journalists who fail us.).

My feeling is that as you have provided the diagnosis; we need to seek out the solutions without expecting you to come good with the prescription.

Look after yourself as Australia needs you for a long while yet.

A.

The extreme Right has taken hold largely because they have control of talkback. Talkback creates a community of thought for Right wingedness to fester and blossom. Righties backslap and encourage each other to go further.

We in the Left or the sane Right need to speak on a level that ordinary Aussies can understand and will get them excited.

I think if Australia had a left wing shock jock, that would help get the word out. Someone who is perceived as firmly opposed to JH, possibly insulting, but clearly rational. Humour is important to get people to relate.

I have started a weblog mainly in an attempt to oust John Howard. It was free and the more left wing bloggers, the more our community grows and will whoosh people along with us. Right Wingers are quickly taking hold of the blogging community too. Without wanting to sound like a plug for my own blog, it is at http://champas-socialist.joeuser.com and I will

Site by a group of mischievous small businessmen seeking revenge for the G.S.T., hand making puppets of John Howard that perform back flips and acrobatics when a little pressure is applied.

Click here.

Hi

I'm from the United Trades & Labor Council of SA - we are getting queries where people can obtain the Not Happy John stickers.

Could you please advise.

We have also begun a website called - www.getridofhoward.org.au, you may be interested in having a look at it.

Thanks

Yasmin Pettman

UTLC

The waiting is finally over. Election day will be October 9. It's game on. The most important election of our generation is nearly upon us.

The Not Happy John campaign in Bennelong today launched a website.

Let's take the fight to the Prime Minister's doorstep.

Wollongong needs some Not happy John stickers. Where can we get them? The more dissent out in public areas the better chance we have. Thanks Darrell Rigby

http://johnhoward.blogspot.com I'm not pretending to have written this, I just thought it was funny enough for sharing. There are entries stretching all the way back to mid 2001. It's fun to see/hear an alternative view of what John Howard just might be thinking.

WARNING- may offend some readers

www.johnhowardlies.com

NHJ!(HA): Also try www.getridofhoward.org.au. Thanks to Janet Giles for this one.

Dear Margo, thankyou for having the determination to write this book. I finally feel as though I have an understanding of what really goes on in Canberra, and unfortunately it seems to have very little to do with the governing of the country and a lot to do with people in power desperately striving to increase their wealth and power base.

I would like to make the point that I think that a vital ingredient to building a firm democracy is educating our youth as to what it really means. My education (private Catholic school) was sadly lacking in this regard - I vaguely remember a lesson back there somewhere, but I am sorry to say that I spent most of my voting life not really sure about what the difference is between the House of Reps and the Senate, and not really caring either. If you don't know how a democracy is supposed to work, how will you notice when it starts to be dismantled?

There must be a way to educate young people and at the same time generate enthusiasm

Thanks for the book Margo - I enjoyed reading it and found it a powerful and compelling read.

Ever since he was treasurer under Fraser, Howard has been known as a liar and someone who will do whatever it takes to acheive his own ends - this is not something new. Now, however he has, through his unquestioning following of the half wit in the White House, put us all at peril.

This is it then. Drop everything not essential to life because we need all hands on deck. This is a mobilisation of decent human beings to end an ugly era. People have alluded to Whitlam's 'It's Time' campaign to describe the exent and the fervour of this mobilisation, but I think we have something before us today which is at once more desperate and more interesting.

More desperate because there is far more at stake. If the people of Australia actually vote for this government again, ignorance will be no cover - we will be consciously, popularly, voting for our country to move in the wrong direction. It is a direction social democracys have taken before, and the popular ideology behind it is simple - you need ruthless, distant, elitist government in order for the trains to run on time. To defeat Howard, and the Howards of the future, at heart is the need to defeat this ideology.

This mobilisation is more interesting and more hopeful because unlike, 'It's Time',