Good Old Europe
To be around a people with history and a government that really fears its people, more than its people fear it is so refreshing.
Being in Berlin, and now Prague, makes you realize that Australia is so restrictive, so many fucky laws about nothing. Here dogs come on the train, and a smoke and a beer is permissbale for a long trip across the boarder.
Entering Germany the guard barely looked at my passport, no questions, and straight though. None of the new- McCarthyism’s that you get at the American / Australian borders to see if you’re a terrorist. This from a country that experienced catastrophes far more extreme and for a far longer period than America or Australia.
It seems that Europeans have seen it all, war, fascism, communism, and terrorism, but somehow it hasn’t become an excuse to restrict freedom and free expressions. Being here it becomes obvious that we Australian have gotten a raw deal; our government has its hands in our pockets, and minds. (I mean seriously every second ad in Australia is some government something).
I think that instead of modeling Australia on the United States we should emulate the European sensibility. More or less, life is short, shit happens, but god knows that no bureaucrat is going to prevent me from smoking a cigarette, or hold me up at the boarder, after all, we pay them with our taxes. (alteast this is the feeling I get)
Right now I am in Prague, its so fucking amazing, it is a beautiful city, and you can feel its history weight down on you. I love it so much. Too much. I am falling out of love with Australia, I hope that with a change of government things might get better but if they don’t. Well it might be time for a move.
