Because of persistent fluffy wuffy campaigns over the last several years, Christmas is even more angst-riddent than it used to be. As well as the stress of buying all your pressies and cards etc, you have to worry about whether you've caused non-westerners some deep offense.

I have no problem with mutual respect. In my mind, when Ramadan is on, non-Muslims should try to understand this. When Christmas is on, Muslims should be sensitive to it. That is: respect should work both ways.

But in the tiny mind of the fluff, it's only ever westerners who have to do the adjusting. The implication: that only westerners are capable of it; that only westerners are sensitive, concerned, and responsible -- a truly Eurocentric, prejudiced point of view if ever there was one.

I had an experience related to this just recently. At my place of work there's this sweet Muslim woman. A few days ago we had a bit of an end of year get-together. I was about to say "Happy Christmas!" But then I pulled back, and said, "I hope you have a nice break" instead.

This clearly made her uncomfortable. Then she smiled and wished me well also. (I think she may have even wished me a happy Christmas. I was walking out the door, a tad flustered, so I can't recall exactly.) Anyway, I do remember her feeling of discomfort. In retrospect I think that she was more put out with my excessive caution than anything else. That is, I suspect that if I'd openly said, "Merry Christmas!" she would have been more comfortable. I think she thought it was more appropriate for her to defer to me, in a way, so when I turned the tables it put her out a bit.

My point: just as hate begets hate, so do shame and excessive caution.

Thanks fluffy wuffies, for putting yet another wedge between people with your patronising push for more "cultural awareness".

So to all non-fluffy wuffies reading this: Merry Christmas! To the pin-hearted, pin-headed, PC fluffs: I hope Santa shits down your chimneys!

I love the title of this piece by Janet Albrechtsen. The rest is a great read too!

It's also got one of the best summations of the true spirit of conservatism I've read: "Because at its core, conservatism values individual personal responsibility, a buck-stops-with-you, non-negotiable philosophy where government empowers people to determine their own success or failure and to assume responsibility either way."

Well put. And it's the secret to Howard's continuing success. The electorate knows that sanctimonious hand-wringing, sheltered workshop-ism and blaming "society" for all of its ills does buggerall good. Now we've just got to convince all those squittering fluffs in the media, academe, the legal professions, and the arts of this as well. (Either that or friggin' shoot 'em!)

Yet another flashbulb addict gets political! I can't get the link to work, but the New York Times tells us that Viggo Mortenson appeared on some silly talk show recently wearing a "No blood for oil!" t-shirt. He was determined to ensure that the new fantasy epic The Two Towers doesn't get used as war propaganda.

That's thoughtful of him. I'm sure that possibility has been occupying the minds of the Bush administration for yonks. "Gee, Colin, I hear tell that Tolkien film is real stirring stuff. Can you lean on the producers an' make 'em hold off the release date until just before we go in there an' whup Saddam's ass?"

Note to Viggo: Unlike your good, noble self almost all of the people who see these fillums can actually distinguish between reality and fantasy. Uh, they are actually aware that it's just a movie, okay?

Typical friggin' celeb. Thinks the sun shines out of his arse.

As I've slowly come to learn what a bunch of tossers lefties are, I keep asking myself these questions: How can they be so confident in their shoddy reasoning? Why do they continue to believe so childishly in utopias? I mean, they're adults, aren't they? Why are they so steadfast in their belief that democracy and capitalism are evil when the evidence is so clear that -- while not perfect -- they really are the best systems on offer? How can these peckerheads have it so friggin' arse-about?

Obviously the answers are manifold. But I think I've figured out one of the main ones: vanity.

See, I was walking down George Street tonight, on the way to the internet lounge within which I am typing these words. I saw this very distinguished-looking, slender, grey-haired bloke standing a little way ahead of me. He was wearing a very dapper white suit. Next to him was a scrumptious babe about half his age. He had a very definite aura of glamour about him. I couldn't see his face, because he had his back to me. I thought he was someone famous, perhaps a visiting mega-thesp making a fillum at Fox Studios. Then he turned round and I realised it was John Pilger.

I had a friggin'-epiphany: Pilger loves to be the "dissident", standing up to the big bad West because by doing so he becomes heroic; a media Lancelot, slaying dragons and making young maidens swoon. Of course he doesn't need to offer any proof of, er, dragonhood. The important thing is to play the role. Media organizations are more than willing to indulge him and the benefits accrue: fame, adulation, money, celebrity. He gets to travel all over the globe, get up in front of tens of thousands of adoring fans, quack on for hours and seem really important (kind of like that super-wanker Bono -- probably a mate of his).

Yep, vanity -- or egomania to be more precise -- that's what it's all about. This is why so many lefties act like friggin' movie stars -- and vice versa.

(I know this is entirely conjecture; I've got no footnotes to my thesis. Still reckon it's bang-on-the-money, but.)

Many people reckon that the term "politically correct" is out of date, because the power of the institutions perpetuating is waning. Maybe. But in Artsville, where I spend much of my time, it's still going strong (or should that be piss-weak?). Personally, I hope it kicks on for a while yet because I'm basically a lazy humorist and I'd rather just observe people being absurdly small-minded than actually having to make stuff up.

But re the phenomenon: Here's a great summary of its key idiocies all on one page. Hits the nail right on the head, I reckon.

I'm all for being politically incorrect and everything. But sometimes people can take it just a bit too far. Have a look here. Not unlike my nemesis Derek Sapphire, I found myself saying, "This is just appalling!"

(Pissed myself laughing, though, I'm ashamed to say.)