Getting Burnt in a Water Fight

Water is the current hot button issue in Australian politics. It doesn't have the moral outrage vs. moral panic of the asylum seeker issue, it doesn't have the national security implications of the Afghanistan, but what it does have is a bunch of sweary farmers going ape shit and burning government reports at public meetings. I suppose that's entertaining, but it's mainly because the people on the government side of things have absolutely no idea how to deal with the insane levels of feralness the people to whom they are attempting to explain themselves are exhibiting. They sort of just shuffle their feet, claim to agree with the crowd and get the fuck out of there.

I suppose that's what I would do as well. I mean saying "We're taking this as a guide and will take all factors into consideration" does not really compete with "Fuck you, we will burn you and your treasonous report. You killed my farm, prepare to die." I know that they're angry because they think their communities are going to die, and that's a legitimate fear to have, but I think that they went from normal citizen to report burning-effigy making-farm warrior rather quickly. From what I gather, it happened within hours of the report's release. How can a reasonable debate occur when public meetings involve an over-flowing swear jar and the smoudering remains of the issue at hand? How is anyone going to learn anything?

As the government types mumbled unconvincingly, the report is a guide. It's not policy, and it was commissioned to find out what would be required to save the river system. Interestingly, what was lost in all the smoke and noise was that a significant percentage of the cuts that are recommended in the report have already been made. In some cases, they're more than halfway through the process. Maybe the government didn't explain this properly, or maybe no one could hear them above the F-ing Cs and the crackle of the report fire, whatever.

In any case I think everyone should agree to just take a deep breath and read the report before people go burning something they themselves just recently photocopied. Do you really have to burn it? Read it, at least, make sure that no one else wants to read it, and then, if you're still angry, go to an area that contains no other flammable material, make sure you have a fire extinguisher on hand, and burn the report to your heart's content in the privacy of your own home.

The fact of the matter is that the irrigation party has been over for some time, and the cuts will have to continue until we hit a sustainable level. Going all pyro and screaming like an akubra wearing banshee, unless it's some sort of rain dance, is not going to help anyone.