"The Circle" can VC recipient.

[rocketronnie]

Revealingly, the Victoria Cross is a British medal of honour. We don't actually have one of our own.

This is from an Australian Government website:

"Victoria Cross for Australia

The Victoria Cross for Australia was instituted in the Australian honours system by Letters Patent on 15 January 1991.

It replaces the British or Imperial Victoria Cross. Trooper Mark Donaldson VC was the first Australian to be honoured with the Victoria Cross for Australia on Friday 16 January 2009, followed by Corporal Benjamin Roberts-Smith VC MG on 23 January 2011."

Yes but why continue aping the British by keeping it as the Victoria Cross? Why not the Australia Cross or something?

[rocketronnie]

For me the biggest issue isn't what Yumi and George said but the overreactions.

Honestly for a country that likes to consider itself laidback boy do some people get precious over nothing.

The problem stems greatly from the medias annoying and increasing habit of reporting of every single little minutia.

It's one of the major reasons why in this country our politicians are so bland and try to stick to script because they know any little slip of the tongue will be highlighted and blown out of all proportion.

Really good post there. Couldn't agree more.

Tut tut there David, don't you go a'thinkin different to what other folks are sayin'. Yer know that ain't allowed no more in these parts.....

[think positive]

Revealingly, the Victoria Cross is a British medal of honour. We don't actually have one of our own.

This is from an Australian Government website:

"Victoria Cross for Australia

The Victoria Cross for Australia was instituted in the Australian honours system by Letters Patent on 15 January 1991.

It replaces the British or Imperial Victoria Cross. Trooper Mark Donaldson VC was the first Australian to be honoured with the Victoria Cross for Australia on Friday 16 January 2009, followed by Corporal Benjamin Roberts-Smith VC MG on 23 January 2011."

Yes but why continue aping the British by keeping it as the Victoria Cross? Why not the Australia Cross or something?

you want to change the name of our state too?

maybe, because the Victoria Cross is "the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" and that recognition is worth hanging on to.

whats wrong with that?

Last time i checked Queen Elizabeth is still Australia's Head Of State, like it or not.

[rocketronnie]

Revealingly, the Victoria Cross is a British medal of honour. We don't actually have one of our own.

This is from an Australian Government website:

"Victoria Cross for Australia

The Victoria Cross for Australia was instituted in the Australian honours system by Letters Patent on 15 January 1991.

It replaces the British or Imperial Victoria Cross. Trooper Mark Donaldson VC was the first Australian to be honoured with the Victoria Cross for Australia on Friday 16 January 2009, followed by Corporal Benjamin Roberts-Smith VC MG on 23 January 2011."

Yes but why continue aping the British by keeping it as the Victoria Cross? Why not the Australia Cross or something?

you want to change the name of our state too?

maybe, because the Victoria Cross is "the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" and that recognition is worth hanging on to.

whats wrong with that?

Last time i checked Queen Elizabeth is still Australia's Head Of State, like it or not.

Obviously not. I'm happy our state is one of the hundreds of places named after the late British Empress. Last time we looked we are an independent country in most respects. We changed the titles in our honours system why not this and other medals? The Queen's status is irrelevant to this issue. The Victoria Cross is just another colonial hangover kept because the Government of the time didnt want to upset Ruxton and the rump of other arch conservatives in the RSL. This country is worth fighting for and our troops deserve a medal that reflects that. Not some vestige of when we tied to Great Britain's apron strings.

[David]

For me the biggest issue isn't what Yumi and George said but the overreactions.

Honestly for a country that likes to consider itself laidback boy do some people get precious over nothing.

The problem stems greatly from the medias annoying and increasing habit of reporting of every single little minutia.

It's one of the major reasons why in this country our politicians are so bland and try to stick to script because they know any little slip of the tongue will be highlighted and blown out of all proportion.

Really good post there. Couldn't agree more.

I'd love to see the commando get a hold of you for an hour or two!

Don't ask me why, I just think it would be entertaining,

My guess he would say shut up a lot!

I don't doubt it. Brute force is probably the easiest way to win an argument!

[swoop42]

^I'm not sure if fighting is what think positive has in mind.

[sq3]

Disgusting, thoughtless and stupid remarks by a 'has been' and a skank.

At least the soldier showed the correct mannerisms by laughing it off.

Only hope that I do get to see any of the panelists on the show at an airport lounge and offer them my personal opinion - and let's see how they like it.

[HAL]

What about the other ones?

[Culprit]

I want to know who actually watches the show so the complaint could be done? It''s the Kylie Sandilands approach. No one watches so let's make crude statements to get attention. The show has been talked about more in 24 hours since it started.

[The Prototype]

I want to know who actually watches the show so the complaint could be done? It''s the Kylie Sandilands approach. No one watches so let's make crude statements to get attention. The show has been talked about more in 24 hours since it started.

I was reading that it was the RSL that wanted the apology for the comments, I'd assume there are some women that watch it. I saw about 3 minutes of it when I didn't have Austar on when I first moved back to Hobart last year and decided never to go near it again.

I was either waiting for the news, or channel surfing bored...and came across it. Either way it wasn't worth worrying about.

The problem seems to be some thinking their juvenile jokes don't offend, and then try and blame others when they do.

Stui summed it up pretty well.

[Nick - Pie Man]

Bored housewives looking for an escape from their private hell I daresay

[pietillidie]

By the way, once you've consoled enough soldiers draped over bars in a pool of nihilism you know the tough talk is a load of Hollywood codswallop, too. Why people talk tough on behalf of soldiers who themselves don't talk tough is always beyond me.

Respect for doing a very tough job well, I say. Silly mythology not required.

[rocketronnie]

By the way, once you've consoled enough soldiers draped over bars in a pool of nihilism you know the tough talk is a load of Hollywood codswallop, too. Why people talk tough on behalf of soldiers who themselves don't talk tough is always beyond me.

Respect for doing a very tough job well, I say. Silly mythology not required.

Because nationalistic chest beating is always a good substitute for real thought my friend. Most soldiers loath it and always have. Its the sort of stuff reserved for self important civilians, newspaper proprietors, and those who have never seen action tucked safely away behind the lines with no intention of going anywhere near anywhere dangerous. Most civilians can't understand that most soldiers in combat are fighting for themselves. maybe for their section and that the rest of the eyewash, the regiment, the nation, the flag, the folks back home, do not matter one bit.

Most civilians have no idea of what war is actually like and quite frankly, they wouldn't want to either. Instead they are addicted to the notion of national service, flag and country. Most of them have no idea of the military history they espouse to respect so much. They are given a few myths in school and from TV and they think that's real. Most of it is crap. The pile of crap has got so high, you would think that being cannon fodder is almost the only thing we are good at (apart from sports of course). The populist histories that have deluged our bookshop's shelves over the past few years haven't helped either. Most of them are worthless apart from one or two gems. They only add to the crap pile instead of reducing it.

Such is life I guess.....

[stui magpie]

Bored housewives looking for an escape from their private hell I daresay

There's an opportunity for you right there

[OEP]

Irrespective of your feelings about soldiers or the nature of the Victorian Cross the comments made were completely unnecessary, personal in their nature, highly insulting, and made on a national stage.

These comments were always going to picked up by the media network and broadcast over and over again, a seasoned professional like Negus must have known this yet he still chose to make his comment. Yumi is immature and inexperienced and it showed.

The private apologies made to Corporal Roberts-Smith were half-hearted, as alluded to by him during a morning show interview, and in any event a public apology should be made by both of them. The insulting remarks were made on the national stage and so should the apologies.