getup!

The GetUp Mob

Posted by hil

I’m not usually especially affected by multiple-celebrity-cause videos, but this one knocked me for six this morning. It’s a mashup of Kevin Rudd’s apology to the stolen generations and the iconic Kev Carmody/Paul Kelly song From Little Things Big Things Grow, devised by GetUp’s Brett Solomon and inspired by the Will.I.Am video made in support of Obama in the US. I guess it tapped straight into my happiness that many things that would have been unbelievable a year ago are starting to happen.

I’m also happy to see Paul Kelly endorse that idea that recognises that zealous copyrighting impoverishes creativity and cultural well-being. Kev Carmody did the same at the From Little Things concert that we went to in the Sydney Festival in January:

From Little Things Big Things Grow has its roots in songs like Woody Guthrie’s Deportees and The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll by Bob Dylan. And those songs grew out of the soil of other older songs. The Get Up Mob just added another branch to the tree. Long may it fruit

Background details and promotion at GetUp!

Pollies masks

Posted by hil

The GreensBlog has some politician masks you can download and print. They were intended for halloween, but, you know, they might come in handy in the next few weeks!

Here in Canberra this time around we have a unique opportunity to alter the balance of power in the Senate immediately. The Coalition parties hold 20 of the 40 seats in the Senate, and it only requires the loss of one of their seats to a progressive to bring some accountability back to the Senate. In the ACT we can do that immediately if only 11,000 people change their vote to a progressive one in the Senate. GetUp! is running a campaign and unique multi-party ad to this effect.