My Idea = Add 'banishment' to prison sentences.

[Sundae]

Originally Posted by bluesdave

Because they like to keep their heads in the sand. It makes the Yanks (and the Poms), feel good to continually say that we Aussies are all descended from convicts, in spite of the fact that this is not true - as you know, convict descendants are a minority of the Australian population. All of my ancestors were free settlers - not that this matters. I don't hold people accountable for what someone did 200 years ago, and many of the convicts were guilty of being poor. Not being guilty of committing a serious crime.

Originally Posted by rkzenrage

Quite a bigoted post.
Thanks for showing us your colors.
Good to know.

I'm torn as to whether it was a bigoted post. Bluedave's only anti comment is about people who deny facts and/ or people who seriously believe that Australia is populated by Britain's offcasts. Personally I don't take offense because I know what the rest of the post states is true - there is a minority of convict descendants and even if there was a majority it's 200 freaking years ago.

Although Bluesdave, you seemed to imply that the people of two nations held this view and expressed it continually - untrue and pretty damning.

I've been unfortunate in meeting some pretty dreadful people from Australia, but I don't judge a country on them - there are dreadful people here too. And I certainly wouldn't judge a nation on what it's inhabitants were doing 200 years ago. Not even the French.