Posted on 01/15/2006 9:19:12 PM PST by naturalman1975
GEOFF Gallop will resign as Western Australia's premier, and from Parliament, to fight a battle with depression.
Dr Gallop, who advised cabinet of his decision after returning from leave today, said his resignation came after he sought advice from doctors about his illness last week.
"Living with depression is a very debilitating experience which affects different people in different ways," he said.
"My doctors advise me that with treatment, time and rest, this illness is very curable.
"However, I cannot be certain how long (it will take)."
Dr Gallop was first elected premier in 2001 with a record 14-seat win. He earned a doctorate from Oxford University in 1983 and was previously a Rhodes scholar. He is also a noted sporting enthusiast.
Dr Gallop, who is less than a year into his second term as WA premier, said it had been an enormous privilege and pleasure to serve the state but his condition had placed great pressure on his family. "What has made this announcement all the more difficult today is that I love being premier, I love the work, I love the state, and I love its people," he said.
"My commitment to politics has always been 100 per cent plus, I now need that time to restore my health and wellbeing."
Dr Gallop's family members and cabinet colleagues were by his side as he announced his resignation.
He refused to take questions, and said he would not do any further media interviews.
WA Treasurer Eric Ripper, who was acting premier while Dr Gallop was on leave, will continue in the position.
God only knows what Eric the Ripper will do to the West!
I'm embarassed to say I don't know much at all about WA politics, but what little I do know suggests you may be right.
What a wuss.
When I was kid I was a socialist. And I was depressed. For me, anyway, they were related. I was brought up in a home that taught if you got any benefit of ANY kind from anything you did, it was selfish and therefore evil. So I became a socialist because it professed to be an unselfish position. Eventually, however, I realized that making a living and taking care of myself was evil according to the super-altruism I was taught, and so, depression set in. It's all very logical, and not physiological. To me, anyway.
Try living with socialists some time,,,!
| "I am feeling quite depressed, and so have decided to retire to my country estate effective immediately. The war is in your hands now, gentlemen. Farewell." |
| —Winston Churchill in 1942 ...in an alternate universe that really sucks |
Spoken like a true thickhead.
Australians of all political stripes are coming to recognise that depression is not just 'for wusses' - but a debilitating disorder that, if not dealt with, costs the country dearly.
BTW - the head of 'Beyond Blue', the national depression awareness campaign is Jeff Kennett - the one-time premier of the state of Victoria.
And unlike Dr Gallop, he is a Conservative.
Many experts believe President Lincoln suffered from depression.
They called it "melancholy."
It is amazing how many commie/pinkos have become depressed since Bush has been president. The amazing thing is that other than tax cuts his policies have been right up their alley. (McCain-Feingold)
I am in the U.S., so I am not be aware of the depression crisis facing Austrailans. I do wonder what so many people in Austaraila have to be depressed about. Be thankful you don't live in Africa or Asia. Everyone on the planet is depressed, but most of them do not quit their jobs and feel sorry for themselves like this wussy.
What message does he send to other depressed people by quiting his job? Some people have families to support and cannot quit their job. He is obviously rich, powerful, and successful but is depressed. I suppose the depressed teachers should commit suicide.
Is thickhead an Austrailan compliment? If it is thank you.
A lot of lefties here in the states are in deep depression too.
It's all Goroge W. Bushs' fault.
And I am offering free straight razors to any lefties whose depression is just too much. You just run a warm bath and well you should know the rest.
I grieve for them.
The NSW Premier should do likewise. Perhaps the editorial in today's "The Australian" will encourage him to resign:
"Iemma talks tough
But he must ensure the law is universally enforced
MORRIS Iemma has perpetrated a con on the people of NSW in the way he has tried to spin his way out of strife following the beachside riot at suburban Cronulla last month. From the start, the Premier talked tough and acted as if his state was on the verge of invasion or insurrection. Police cordons were thrown around whole suburbs and ordinary Australians were ordered not to go to the beach. This week, Mr Iemma reviewed a riot squad that he said was part "of our efforts to take back control of the streets". That the Premier is prepared to admit that the police cannot keep suburbs safe from rioters will come as a shock to most Sydneysiders. And they will need to see more than publicity stunts before they believe his commitment to law and order extends beyond his own political advantage.
The law applies equally to all in Australia and it is perhaps the most important task of any state government to ensure the police enforce it. Yet the aftermath of the Cronulla riots certainly provides no cause for confidence in Mr Iemma. Granted, prominent members of the boorish mob who rioted at Cronulla have been charged and now await trial in prison. Good. There seems no doubt Cronulla, and other city beaches, have been terrorised over the years by bands of young thugs of Middle Eastern background. But nothing could justify the December rampage. Certainly Mr Iemma's advisers have made sure the fate of the Cronulla rioters was clear. However, they have been much less forthcoming about action against the gangs who mounted retaliatory raids in the hours after the affray. There were attacks at three Sydney beaches, vehicles were vandalised, a man was stabbed and convoys of cars roamed the streets, making it plain that they were looking for trouble. It was a show of strength intended to intimidate the whole community – which the police chose not to challenge. With the exception of two men charged with having a petrol bomb and a fool who burned an Australian flag, no one involved in the counter-attacks after Cronulla has faced the courts. Police say evidence has not been easy to find. Mr Iemma should instruct them to look harder. It is essential that as many as can be charged over the riot and subsequent violence hear how unacceptable their behaviour was from a court.
If Mr Iemma does not do this, people will only listen to Opposition Leader Peter Debnam, who has suggested the Premier is soft on ethnic crime because he does not want to upset Labor supporters of Middle Eastern origin. In response, Mr Iemma has come over all outraged, announcing all are equal before the law. It is time he shows he means it. Sydney does not have a crisis of ethnic hatred as much as a problem with gangs that have an inflated idea of their power. Mr Iemma must show them they do not have that power, and fast. The test for the Premier is whether he can demonstrate that in NSW the law applies equally to all. It will take more than tough talk for him to pass."
By the way, if it's 6:00 AM Monday in Sydney................. what time and day is it in New York City?
Seriously............. is it still Sunday in NYC?
Yes
"Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is" --- CTA
It is currently 4.04 PM on Wednesday in New York. However it is currently 8.04 AM Thursday in Sydney and Melbourne which are on daylight saving time.
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Here is the reason I asked:
I just went through a very tough playoff game as a Steeler fan this past Sunday.
I can’t take the heavy duty, heart pounding drama again this coming Sunday. Last week’s game in Indy was just too hard to take......... almost killed a lot of us. So I have a solution.
About 9:00 a.m. Sunday morning before the Denver game, I’m going to call my buddy in Sydney, Australia. It will be 1:00 a.m. Monday there, he will already know how the game came out ................ voila, he can tell me who won. Save a lot of heart attacks. What do you think?
;-)
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