Blame John Howard. Blame our great national complacency. For what have we done as a nation since the 2000 Olympics.
Relaxed and comfortable doesn't win on the world stage.
Australia has ridden on the resources truck for the past two decades, and the consequences are not all good.
We squabble over how to share the bounty, while the rest of the joint rots.
Our universities are under-funded and under-performing. We no longer have institutions that rank with the best in the world. We are slipping down the league tables.
Our urban transport systems are a joke.
Urban housing is ludicrously expensive.
Ditto health, ditto.
Et tu, Qantas?
Our FIFA presentation was a great emblem of our national sloth.
Pulling together a bunch of faded celebs from a different past. From Elle to the ATO's pin-up boy.
Our PM instructing someone to catch a blow up Kangaroo. It was so 1982 and the Brisbane Commonwealth Games.
Our pitch: "Come downunder and be complacent with the rest of us".
We like to think well of ourselves.
World's best economy, everyone knows it wouldn't be without our good fortune in being a small population sitting atop of a vast amount of valuable stuff.
And our PM is now an avowed fan of a smaller Australia. Be careful of what you wish for!
Multicultural. Sure, but our national conversation is dominated by an ugly obsession with a few thousand boat people.
Independent. Proud. Yeah, right, and slobbering over the latest royal wedding while our leaders beat a well-worn forelock tugging path to Washington. Conga lines anyone? We live in the safest region in the world, and we're timid and fearful.
Get real guys. Forget the whinging about vote-buying, corruption, shady deals and so on. That's just the course you have to play on. Making it easy for everyone to dismiss our bid doesn't help.
One vote! The real message from FIFA's snub is that we need to smarten up and get serious or forget about the global stage.
And we need to realise this is a symptom of a wider national problem.
Great stuff, mate. Enjoyed it and agree wholeheartedly.
Posted by: Jesse Fink | 03 December 2010 at 10:26 AM
Thanks Jesse I liked your piece (http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/jesse-fink/blog/1034501/Decisions-from-the-twilight-zone) very much too; especially about FIFA's lack of concern for the fans and the fan experience. Unfortunately, in too many of these professional sports fans who actually attend the games are taking a backward seat.
Posted by: Trevor Cook | 03 December 2010 at 10:58 AM