My heart was heavy when I learned that today's column in the Sydney Morning Herald was Alan Ramsay's last. Alan has been a fearless critic of all that was false, pretentious and immoral in our society. He was virtually alone amongst Australian mainstream journalists in criticising Israel's vicious and inhumane treatment of the subject Palestinians. For this he was pilloried and denigrated by the Zionist lobby. Still, he held firm and would not resile from his beliefs.
Where does this sort of courage and integrity come from? I wish I knew. But he had it in abundance. And now, the light that he shone on this most important arena of human rights abuses is dimmed. We, as a nation, are the poorer.
2 comments:
Very sad news indeed. Is he retiring or has he been forced out?
Alan Ramsey is one of the most gifted of Australian journalists. Without his column in Saturday's SMH the paper is hardly worth reading. He has the capacity to delve into issues which are commonly unknown and often unpopular. His insight and courage make his columns significant to readers who are not content with the status quo and who wish for a more compassionate and just world.
May I suggest that the Fairfax organisation not only implore him to continue writing, but also honour him.
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