It's happened - 'Our Julian'

Now that was much quicker than what I expected. The cover of the latest edition of the Spectator Australia - says a lot. So my post a week ago is no longer applicable. He's now 'Our Julian'!

Aussie soap 'Neighbours' - pushing Serb propaganda?

A favourite topic of mine is the power of parochialism and how the concept of 'local', no matter how flimsy that connection is, can immediately sway the opinion and views of a particular public. On the same token, the 'local' angle can turn what otherwise would be far from the attention of a certain society to centre stage, usually accompanied with an exaggeration of the prowess and influence of the circumstances. All societies do this so as to enstill some sort of influence, grandeur and, above all, honour upon themselves in the competition between the nations. The 'local' is doing well, so that means 'we' are good.

An example of this has been in an article recently published in Serbia introducing the public there to 'their girl', Valentina Novaković, who is the newest 'star' of the long-running Australian soap 'Neighbours' (for those who understand Serbian, it has been translated using the more colloquial Turkish-origin word 'Komšije' rather than the more proper 'Susedi'). Under the title 'The sisters Bojana and Valentina Novaković are ever bigger stars in Australia', the Serbian equivalent to 'Heat' magazine reports that the 19 year old Valentina, who has recently started appearing on Neighbours as the character of Natasha Williams, has decided after 'successfully completing her first year at university studying architecture' to follow in the footsteps of her older sister Bojana (described as a 'popular Hollywood actress') and head into the world of acting.

In an interview she gave to Australia's multilingual broadcaster (most likely on their Serbian language radio programme), she said that she would eventually like to make it big in the USA. So her projectory is not much different as many of her predecessors who started on Aussie soaps such as Kylie Minogue, Heath Ledger, Russell Crowe.

What is interesting is that a little film has been showing on Qantas international flights, part of their 'As Australian As' series, where the younger Novaković describes her Serb upbringing in Australia. The clip can be seen in the link above to the article itself.

Now this wouldn't be the Balkans without a conspiracy. Some among the ex-Yugoslav community in Australia see this new Serb on Neighbours is all the work of the show's head script writer - Laura Radulovich, who is of Serb background. Some believers that Valentina got the job solely due to 'veze' (Balkan connections) point out that under Radulovich's watch Neighbours has seen characters with Balkan names come on to the show, such as Liliana, which could only mean that this is part of a subliminal 'pro-Serb propaganda' campaign.

However, Valentina is not the first Serb to appear on the show. Do you remember Holly Vukadinović? I didn't think so - you might better know her as Holly Valance. She was on Neighbours before releasing her one-hit wonder 'Kiss Kiss' which was a cover version of the hugely successful 1997 Turkish pop hit by Tarkan 'Şımarık'. Since then she has sunk into obscurity, just getting occasional guest spots on TV shows. We'll see if this is the fate also awaiting Valentina. Let's hope she doesn't display Valance's level of enlightenment with quotes such as when asked her opinion on Australia becoming a republic. Valance said that she wasn't for it because then Australia wouldn't be able to compete in the Commonwealth Games anymore. Yes dear, try telling that to republics like South Africa and India then, Holly.

Support for the Aussie Assange!

Well, it seems that parochialism is winning to a degree. Despite the efforts of Australia's government and a low level of reporting by Australia's main commercial TV networks, the word is getting out among ordinary Australians that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is an Aussie. This, plus his fight against authority (much admired in Australian identity mythology) has helped grow support for Assange in his homeland. Even Murdoch-owned websites such as news.com.au are now cashing in on this public sentiment by posting news such as the report below. But I do have to point out that this was posted on their website without much fanfare at 1:43am Sydney time - not exactly high profile to grab your casual user's attention. Still, it's better than the other tactic that is also being used - ignorance. Just like how Big Brother and X Factor contestants wither to obscurity once they are no longer in the media limelight, if the media ignore WikiLeaks, then the whistleblower website would lose its teeth. This tactic of complete ignorance is employed by interest-led media worldwide. Anyway, have a read of what the current implications surrounding Julian Assange and WikiLeaks could have on Australia and its core principles of freedom:

AUSTRALIA'S political leaders are risking long-term damage to the nation's freedom of speech by accusing WikiLeaks and its founder of breaking the law by releasing US diplomatic cables on the whistleblower website, a human rights lawyer says.
Last Thursday, [Australian] Prime Minister Julia Gillard condemned the leaking of 250,000 classified documents on the Wikileaks website as "illegal" and "grossly irresponsible", while [Australian] Attorney-General Robert McCLelland on Saturday promised to support any law enforcement measures taken against founder Julian Assange.

Australian Lawyers for Human Rights president Stephen Keim says accusations of criminal law breaches levelled at Assange undermine free speech principles.

"Although the Attorney-General is entitled to disagree with - even protest - the actions taken, it is a particularly objectionable misuse of political hyperbole in these circumstances to make sweeping allegations of illegality," Mr Keim said.

"It involves a degree of intimidation that is likely to (and appears intended to) deter others from engaging in serious political debate on the possibility that it may offend those who hold the machinery of power."

Mr Keim criticised the Australian government's defence of Swedish prosecutors and its lack of protest over "what may well be misuse of sexual assault allegations by Swedish prosecutors for political reasons".

Instead, he said, "the government should be insisting that prosecutorial actions taken against Australian citizens should meet the highest standards of probity and objectivity".

The human rights lawyer said the government should not even consider cancelling Assange's passport.

"It seems entirely inappropriate that statutory powers of such seriousness should be contemplated because a person has placed political material of an embarrassing nature into the public sphere," Mr Keim said.

"The government's resort to hyperbole and heavy-handed use of state power detracts from its political message," he said.

"If the government wishes to argue that it is better for the Australian public to be kept ignorant of secret war advocacy by some allies and potentially illegal espionage by others, it would be better to make that case directly."

Australia's government seems extremely keen to withdraw the passport of a person championing freedom of speech and information, nor shows any interest in preventing any injustice or legal malpractice being applied to one of its citizens. Had Assange been a pretty, young drug trafficker in Indonesia though, then the Australian government would have been tripping over itself to ensure proper legal procedures are fully applied, and even insist on the virtue of his innocence.

Julian Assange - 'Australia's own'..?

Australia, like many other countries out there who are yearning for any sort of recognition, loves it when one of its sons or daughters makes it big worldwide. A true sign that someone has reached this pinnacle is when they are referred to by Australians (well, the Aussie media) in loving terms as 'Australia's own...' or, better still, 'Our...'. Such titles have been bestowed to luminaries as 'Our Nicole' (La Kidman), 'Our Kylie' (La Minogue), Australia's own Crowded House (even though they are from New Zealand) and Australia's own Bee Gees (even though they were born in Manchester, lived in Brisbane as teenagers for about 6 years, made it big in the USA and still speak in Mancunian accents). As you can see, being 'Australia's own' can be applied lightly. But is this rather special but parochial title applied evenly? Well, let's see...

There is one Australian who is making headlines and is the centre of attention worldwide. It happens to be none other than WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Born in the tropical, northern Queensland city of Townsville in 1971, a place more renowned for military, blokey, boozey bogans rather than well-spoken computer experts, I can only imagine what a tough childhood Assange had up there. To put it bluntly, Townsville is a place where if a guy reads a novel, he'll be labelled a 'poof'. To have made it to where he is now considering what Townsville is like is mind boggling. Such a rise to the top of the World's attention from such humble and adverse beginnings and circumstances is an Australian success story that would be very much worthy of a 'Our Julian' or 'Australia's own Julian Assange' title? Well, no. Australia's bogans have been indoctrinated to hate Assange for all the reasons the US government would want all of us to believe about him and his obscure rape charges. Without knowing exactly why they must not like him, and the fact that the Aussie media are not quick in pointing out that he is Australian, leads Australia's undereducated majority to not award him the same parochial honours as a redhead wooden actor who hasn't done anything good since she left Sydney for Hollywood (BMX Bandits, anyone?). So, much against the parochial rule book which will see even blatantly guilty locals portrayed as saints not worthy of punishment by foreign governments (such as Schapelle Corby and the 4kgs of marijuana she tried smuggling into Indonesia in 2004), Assange is vilified even in his homeland.

It does indicate a lot when a country will value actors of dubious quality and convicted drug dealers more than dissidents championing freedom of speech and information.

Mel Gibson 'back to Oz'?

That makes him 'good'. Australia's parochial, Murdoch-owned press is rejoicing over speculation (perhaps self-generated) that Mel Gibson could be 'returning' to Australia. This is, of course, being interpreted as a prodigal return, complete with total forgiveness for the vile comments and extreme views he has made. Even though he was born in the USA, Gibson was raised in Australia, with his first professional acting gig happening at the Festival Theatre in Adelaide. He cemented himself into Australian cinematic glory when he appeared in the 1981 film 'Gallipolli'. For many years after he was referred in the Australian media by that most honoured of titles - 'Our Mel' and 'Australia's own Mel Gibson', though as he became more identified with the US and made no mention of his Australian connection, so too did the honourifics disappear. However, now that he could be 'coming home', he is fair dinkum again, as no Australian could possibly possess such racist, homophobic or sexist opinions... ok, on second thoughts, he'll fit right in.