Send 'er down, Hughie!

And now Howard is slowly bringing religious language into Australian politics - 'We should all pray for rain,' he said.

Actually, that quote taken out of context looks rather idiomatic to me. Not necessarily more religious than "keep your fingers crossed" or the title of this post. Maybe I shouldn't be so quick to jump down his throat.

Yet Phillip Coorey at the SHM has taken him at his word, 'John Howard has urged everyone to pray for rain after warning that the millions of people along the Murray-Darling Basin will have only enough water for basic domestic use from the middle of the year.' I wonder whether or not he really meant it like that.

And I wonder why the SMH would assume that it was meant literally. Don't tell me that Australia is already losing its aversion to religious language in the public sphere. That's one of the defining features I tell Americans about Australia, that politics and religion are not for polite conversation, only amongst friends. (In Australia I was considered quite outspoken on my political opinions yet here I've had a friend tell me that I'm very reserved.)

As an aside, last time I gave that spiel to Americans there was a professor there who remarked that Oxbridge High Tables are much the same. Then he went on to say something like, 'You've got to get rid of Howard next time!' And then agreed with me when I said I thought Howard would retire soon. I'm yet to find out how an Italian, educated in the UK and living in the USA knows about Australian politics.