Coming back to the blogosphere has always been temporarily exciting and permanently depressing. One cannot dig beneath the surface of situational politics without soon hitting pants-wettingly upsetting bedrock.

I’m currenly looking at a press release from Jullia Gillard’s office regarding the Coalition and Senator Fielding’s refusal to pass increases to student income support. Kat Henderson, student activist and next years QUT Student Guild president sent me the release and attached a request that we spread the word that people need to contact those involved and make something happen. Given the extremely limited sitting days left in parliament this year, I jumped to it and spread the word.

Still, my bullshit detectors are screaming at me that something is wrong here.

Obviously I’m in favour of said increases both because I’m a student and because I think it’s economically sound (vis. automatic stabilisers – look it up). I would love to demonise anyone that gets in the way of accessible education. I know that Fielding’s votes are tied directly to punishing or rewarding whoever backs his own policy agenda and that the Liberals’ economic politics are very unfriendly to students. All this considered though, the press release wreaks of spin and I can’t help but think that there’s something in the proposed legislation that would have sucked for students.

Here’s what I’m going to do:

• Google it; the media and blogosphere may shed light on the right questions to ask more reliable sources.
• Check the Lib’s and Fielding’s websites for press releases about the bill, maybe they have reasons.
• Contact Minchin’s and Fielding’s offices for the official spiel.
• Put those three together, form an initial hypothesis and then start speaking to people working in politics.
• Blog it.

I don’t expect this process will take longer than a few hours. Stay tuned.