The Iron Fist and the Velvet Glove

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The Iron Fist and the Velvet Glove episodes

November 01, 2018 Episode 172 – Certificates for Birth and Consensual Sex
A birth certificate without gender. A confirmation certificate without religion. A competency certificate for sexual consent. All will be revealed in episode 172.
Bible Lessons are back on the agenda in Victoria
2:59 From The Age:
Religious instruction classes will be reintroduced into the Victorian state school curriculum if the Coalition wins next month’s election.
…
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Mentioned in this episode:
Website
1 hr 16 min
October 23, 2018 Episode 171 – An Australian Ex-Mormon
In this episode, we interview Brother Joseph who describes his experience as an Australian Mormon.
1 hr 11 min
October 23, 2018 Episode 171 – An Australian Ex-Mormon
In this episode, we interview Brother Joseph who describes his experience as an Australian Mormon.
…
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The post Episode 171 – An Australian Ex-Mormon appeared first on The Iron Fist and the Velvet Glove.
Mentioned in this episode:
Website
1 hr 14 min
October 16, 2018 Episode 170 – The Ruddock Report in a Nutshell
Finally, a good week for secularism.
It’s fair to say that the playing out of the Ruddock Inquiry saga is irony at it’s best.
Ironic – happening in a way contrary to what is expected, and typically causing wry amusement because of this.
So, in summary, the marriage equality law caused the religious right to feel persecuted which caused the Prime Minister to placate them with the Ruddock Inquiry which was stacked with religionists causing it to produce recommendations which the Prime Minister didn’t like which caused the report to be shelved which then upset people who wanted it exposed which caused it to be leaked which didn’t worry the new Prime Minister too much because he liked the recommendations but the leak caused the public to be aware and angry at previously unknown discrimination laws which caused a risk of a by-election loss which caused the Prime Minister to bow to public opinion and announce a new law which, of course … has caused the religionists to feel persecuted.
Ultimately, the religious nutters don’t get anything they don’t already have but the publicity surrounding the report and the timing of it means that people are finally looking at this issue and saying “WTF – I had no idea – We need to change these laws!” As a result, Scott Morrison caved and agreed to remove a privilege that the religious schools previously enjoyed and that the panel recommended. An inquiry designed to expand religious privilege has caused a contraction. Oh, the irony.
What Did He Say?
Since we last podcasted …
5:28 The Ruddock Report was leaked and Morrison was asked: “So you’re comfortable with a school expelling a student because they are gay or lesbian?” The Prime Minister replied: “It is existing law.”
So I wrote a letter to The Editor of The Australian which of course, did not get published. Here it is – Gay bashing used to be done in the dark behind the toilet block. Now it is done openly in press conferences by our Prime Minister.
Backlash
When the public hears Morrison there is an uproar. Then when he feels the backlash he flips. This guy has no backbone. He is that bully full of bluster who will run when punched on the nose. Like all Christians, he picks and chooses the pieces of Christian morality that suit him at the time.
An Ipsos poll confirmed the backlash.
The New Law to be passed in the next fortnight
10:50 So now he is willing to change the law to stop discrimination of students but not teachers.
Mr Morrison’s half-pregnant bill says discrimination against LGBTQI people is unacceptable for children but fine for adults.
Morrison has previously said that he believes in “a fair go for those who have a go”. Except if you are a gay teacher wanting to have a go at teaching.
A Quick Refresher on Hierarchy of Rights and Discrimination
11:54 We need to recall a previous discussion (in episode 110 on the 22nd of August 2017) about identity and discrimination.
Some of our characteristics such as skin colour, gender and sexual preference are innate. Others such as political or religious belief are acquired or maintained by our choices and rely on values and ideological content.
Innate characteristics are beyond a person’s control[i]. They cannot be criticised for being good or bad and therefore always deserve protection from discrimination. It would, for example, be absurd to praise or blame Martin Luther King Jr for being black,
1 hr 31 min
October 16, 2018 Episode 170 – The Ruddock Report in a Nutshell
Finally, a good week for secularism.
It’s fair to say that the playing out of the Ruddock Inquiry saga is irony at it’s best.
Ironic – happening in a way contrary to what is expected, and typically causing wry amusement because of this.
…
Read more ›
The post Episode 170 – The Ruddock Report in a Nutshell appeared first on The Iron Fist and the Velvet Glove.
Mentioned in this episode:
Website
1 hr 33 min
October 08, 2018 Episode 169 – David Gillespie
If you are considering what school to send your children to then this podcast is essential listening.
In this episode, Trevor interviews David Gillespie, the author of “Free Schools – How to get a great education for your kids without spending a fortune.”
As many of you know, Scott Morrison recently announced that the Federal Government will be providing an extra $4.6 Billion dollars to private schools. In previous podcasts, we have explained the history of government funding for private schools and we have tried to expose the unfairness of the current model.
Many people agree with what we have been saying but still feel that their child will almost certainly be better off by attending private school. David explains why that is not necessarily the case and debunks many myths about education.
You can purchase his book at his website.
Below is the article mentioned in the podcast.
School performance in Australia: results from analyses of school effectiveness: report for the Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet

40 min
October 08, 2018 Episode 169 – David Gillespie
If you are considering what school to send your children to then this podcast is essential listening.
In this episode, Trevor interviews David Gillespie, the author of “Free Schools – How to get a great education for your kids without spending a fortune.”
…
Read more ›
The post Episode 169 – David Gillespie appeared first on The Iron Fist and the Velvet Glove.
Mentioned in this episode:
Website
42 min
October 05, 2018 Episode 168 – Mormon Bonus
A few people enjoyed our recent discussion about Mormons so I’ve cobbled together some extracts from episodes 28, 29 and 30 to create a little bonus episode.
Cheers
Fist
26 min
October 04, 2018 Episode 168 – Mormon Bonus
A few people enjoyed our recent discussion about Mormons so I’ve cobbled together some extracts from episodes 28, 29 and 30 to create a little bonus episode.
Cheers
Fist
…
Read more ›
The post Episode 168 – Mormon Bonus appeared first on The Iron Fist and the Velvet Glove.
Mentioned in this episode:
Website
28 min
October 03, 2018 Episode 167 – Ignorant politicians and an honourable thief
Our Australian podcast gives Education Minister Dan Tehan the Dan Quayle Award and we introduce an honourable thief.
5:33 David Gillespie gives some more analogies regarding our government’s funding of private schools. He says that it is the equivalent of an avid reader suggesting he is saving the local library by buying his own books and then expecting his collection to be paid for by the taxpayer. Or the chap installing a pool in his backyard to be expecting it be paid for by the government because he is taking a load off the public pool.
13:27 Meanwhile Dan Tehan gets the Dan Quayle award for Geography and 18:06 as Scomo prays for rain he gets the … well, he gets the Scomo award. 22:23 The whole prayer thing reminds The Fist of Marty and Cohle from True Detective as they watch a similar scene. But, say what you may, the Hillsong group knows how to run a business. Apparently, Hillsong has become a denomination
27:28 Listener Craig Sankey got a letter published in The Age. Speaking of The Age, how about this article “Atheists certainly can be, and often are, as good as Christians – but only thanks to God, to whom they owe their understanding of good and their moral will.”
29:34 Mormons have posthumously ‘baptised’ prominent Australians, including former prime ministers Robert Menzies and John Curtin, bushranger Ned Kelly, cricketer Don Bradman and well-known Indigenous people.
We received a nice 5-star iTunes review from Mattock Man.
37:29 The clinic of last resort gives a good summary of abortion law and practice in Australia.
41:11 Trump was laughed at by the UN. That was before he declared that he and Kim had fallen in love and before he met with the President of The Virgin Islands. It shows the importance of ridicule and mockery and why ridicule should not be banned by anti-discrimination laws.
45:37 The Kavanaugh Senate hearing. What is it all about? Story follows character, as the Greeks knew, and what we’re seeing now with the Bonfire of Republican Vanities is the predictable outcome of those who enabled the amoral presidency of Donald Trump.
50:01 Trump has turbo charged power. Previously, power had to consider backlash and ramifications from the powerless.
1 hr 9 min