Don't Shoot Me

Living in Australia, it's been hard to ignore the debacle that is called the Australian government.  Ok I might change that first line.

And you know me that I'm more likely to comment on the status of vermin infestations than politics.  But here's the thing....

There has been an outpouring of emotion on social media about the departure of our first woman prime minister, and don't get me wrong, yes she is a role model for our kids, and yes, she has made great steps forward  for breaking through political glass ceilings and all that.  Yes, I get that.  But fact is, she made some mistakes, she told some fibs (thinking carbon tax - see I do read the papers), and really she only scored a "satisfactory" rather than a "commendable" if there was such a thing as a Prime Minister report. And that may be a little generous.  So you know, you don't perform, you get the chop.  And it's not likely I'm dancing about her replacement.  Nor the alternative.

My pragmatism comes from where I've come from.  As a Kiwi, I'm proud of the fact that our teeny country can make such significant in roads into many things.  In fact I'm beyond proud.  Through size and attitude (I wanted to use the word "balls" but thought that a little provocative in light of the subject), we've given women the right to vote way back in 1893, a first world wide, we went nuclear free in 1984, we've introduced same sex marriage in 2013 and we've HAD a female prime minister, Helen Clark for 3 consecutive terms from 1999 to 2008.

So lets keep it real.

What we want is for sex not to be an issue (and lets be fair - SHE didn't make it a thing, the media and pundits did).  We want to have the same choices and chances irregardless of sex, sexual preference, skin colour, religion... watch out, I'll start spouting the "I had a dream" Martin Luther King Jnr speech  my friend Katie and I recited at a school assembly about 100 years ago. If you think of yourself as different, then you are different.

You get it? It shouldn't be about whether you wear a skirt or pants.  It's about how you do, if you don't do good, then hasta la vista baby.  And it's not a sad day for our daughters, their dream isn't lost, they just need to find another role model if they need a female one.  There are a gazillion out there and a gazillion in the making.

We just need to look for them.

You get it?