The residents of lowly Footscray in Melbourne’s west have a saviour. But do they know how lucky they are to have Greens candidate Janet Rice wanting to represent them in State Parliament?
And do they care? I doubt it.
Janet doesn’t live in Footscray (well it’s a bit beneath her you see) but nonetheless wants these people from ‘the wrong side of the track’ to protest the State Government’s proposed WestLink tunnel because she thinks it’s just a sooooooo bad, um, you know … motor car … carbony … thing.
But the problem is the poor Footscrayians are just too stupid and uneducated to even think – let alone speak up – for themselves.
So that’s where Janet steps in:
“They are poorer and less articulate than Yarraville and Seddon residents,” she said. “There are a lot of refugees and people who haven’t had an opportunity for such a good education and don’t have the skills to stand up for their rights.”
Yes, that’s what the poor buggers and fools of Footscray need, someone as patronising and as academically qualified as good ol’ Janet to tell them what’s good for them. Heck, some of those numb brains don’t even realise how soooooo baddy, baddy, carbony this tunnel thing will be!
Which brings me to the point:
Apart from the handful of people who will unfortunately have their homes acquired to make way for this underground bypass, who exactly in Footscray will be worse off by having less traffic choking their heroin-ridden and often violent streets? Wouldn’t that actually be a good thing for Footscray and make it a more enjoyable place to live?
If I were living in Footscray (and I reckon I could find the place, unlike Janet) I think I’d tell her to f*ck off back to trendy Yarraville or Seddon with the rest of her inner-city, up yourself, we-know-what’s-good-for-you types and go f*ck yourself.
Well I guess she’d have to, seeing as though ‘hubby’ has, er, changed teams’ :
- Janet Rice’s husband Penny (formerly Peter) Whetton. So cute!
BY THE WAY:
Iain will know who I mean but, for the rest of you, ‘Penny’ actually bears a striking (and unfortunate) resemblance to a rather notorious Internet identity. Guess who.
Iain Hall's SANDPIT 
Yep, you are spot on Socky , the joke is that she still thinks that she is anonymous !
That is what peoples with their heads so far up their own behinds seem to think Iain. Its like Janet who is so cocooned in her own world she has no idea how easy it is to spot her for the phony she is.
Janet sounds like your typical fruit loop Green candidate and her err “partner” is just bizarre
You obviously haven’t been anywhere near Footscray, or you would know that our streets are not “heroin-ridden and often violent”. If you bothered to inform yourself, you might be surprised to learn that Chapel St in charming South Yarra, the City of Melbourne and a large number of country towns top the bill in these stakes.
Also, I can’t understand why you link the issue of Janet Rice’s recent comments with her partner’s sexual identity? Have a go at Janet by all means about her ill-considered comments, but what’s with the snide attack on trans-gender people? In living openly as they do, Penny Whetton and Janet Rice are hugely more honest and courageous than any number of big-mouth bloggers.
And before you start with your assumptions about me, let me tell you that I’m a Footscray resident and I’m no fan of any of the political parties.
Hi Nick,
I have not been to Footscray for a while but I can read:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/02/19/2824998.htm
I haven’t “linked” Janet’s comments to her husbands sex change. I said that might be a reason why she she might have to f*ck herself. Not nice I know, but just a little joke. Besides, the photo of ‘Penny’ looks like someone I know and that’s also part of the reason I put it there. Sorry if you didn’t get it.
Nick
I think that its tragic that some people are driven to have their bodies mutilated so that they can pretend to to be a different gender, the result is never that convincing and as much as I support everyone’s right to do as they please with their body it does not seem like a wise thing to do to me.
The ‘survey’ you quoted was typical of the West-bashing that goes on. I don’t deny that there is drug dealing going on in Footscray, but it isn’t surprising that 1 in 2 arrests relate to drugs when the police conduct dedicated drug crackdowns here. Figures can be skewed to represent anything. All I’m saying is that, as someone living in the centre of Footscray, it’s not the Bronx these silly stories would have it to be. For some more interesting reading, you might want to look at the Victoria Police statewide crime stats, particularly in the category of crimes against people, or violent crimes. Footscray rates, but not as highly as all the places I mentioned before.
On the subject of Janet’s partner, the pair of you are like guffawing year-10 kids, or an average ‘Ralph’ reader. The world’s moved on a bit. You’re going to have to lift your levels of sophistication if you want to be as effectively provocative as Andrew Bolt. I suppose that’s why you are stuck writing a backwater vanity blog while Bolt is in the money.
Nick, my reference to Footscray’s “heroin-ridden” streets was merely a sub-description and not the main point or even an accusation or a put-down of the suburb. I didn’t say it was worse than anywhere else either but it is a fact that Footscray has a long history of heroin dealing. I was clearly referring more to how the tunnel would (obviously) relieve traffic congestion in Footscray, which already has enough social problems.
As for ‘Penny’, I haven’t “guffawed” over it and I’ve already explained why I included the reference & photo. And I have no desire to be “as effectively provocative as Andrew Bolt”. Speaking for myself I think I’d have to lower my level of sophistication to be anything like him (Iain might disagree).
Btw, if this is a “backwater” what the hell are you doing hanging out here? Not that I mind.
Nick
“guffawing” ??????????
certainly not at the poor unfortunate self mutilator but definitely at the the person to whom Socky alludes, and this is not a “vanity” blog its a bit of fun which exercises our right to free speech. Those who deride it as you do are usually incapable of doing any better.
Janet knocked on my door last Sunday whilst out campaigning in Yarraville. Janet was all smiles when introducing herself as the greens candidate for Footscray but that smile turned upside down when I pointed out the movement she was involved in was a cesspit of Marxists and socialists. She actually denied this to be the case however a 4 and a half second search on google [bless you broadband] dug up a speaking engagement she shared with the Socialist Alliance candidate for Wills and the Marxist Humphrey McQueen. She gave me a look of hate when I challenged her movement and wouldnt debate me on the fraud of global warming/climate change. No votes in my home for these commies! Had I known then about Miss Penny [My girl and I laughed for an hour when we saw her/his/its photo] I might have said something I might have regretted later. This woman needs to get her own house in order before she tries to save the planet. I mean their sons are going to need some serious counciling down the road and she’d better be prepared for that!
Some people say I should not have included the reference to ‘Penny’ in this post but I do not see why not. Even people with prejudices or dislikes of gender benders are entitled to vote and they are entitled – believe it or not – to look at all aspects of a candidates life and use whatever irks them or pleases them to put them first, second or last. Now THAT is what I call democracy – yes even “bigots” have a say. Someone needs to explain that to the Greens and that Adam Ant.
You obviously have nothing better to do that rant about things you don’t know much about. i live in footscray (great place by the way) and i’ll be voting for janet tomorrow. This blog is rather disgusting.
Beck (can I call you that for short?) I write a lot of cutting edge and sometimes I am a polioemic but one thing I never do is “rant”. That is what you are doing.
Now I do not know what part of my post you find “disgusting” because I have stood up for Footscray getting a bypass and some people (a lot of them) think that is a good thing. If you dont think its good then fine but it is not “disgusting” to say you are in favour of it and that you think Green snob Janet is being patronising to Footscray residents by saying they cant speak for themselves.
If you are saying that mentioning sex-changed ‘Penny’ (Janet’s, er, husband) is “disgusting” then you are just narrow minded. You see I do not care that Janet’s hubby cut his thing off and turned into a female – that is there busines. But lots of people DO think thats an important thing to know about someone who wants to represent them and be paid $100,000s maybe $millions from the public purse.
You might call *those* people bigots and some of them probably are. So what?
You see I have this strange view of democracy that all people – even bigots – are entitled to there opinions, entitled to vote and entitled to know about a candidate’s personal & professional life and background. Once they enter that big real world of wanting public support candidates give up a lot of there rights to privacy in lieu of what is called public interest.
And you are wrong about me – I have much better things to do than explain this basic truth to silly people like you.