Speakers' Corner, Sydney

Speakers' Corner, Sydney Listen to the soapbox speakers every Sunday, from 2pm until 5pm. Opposite the NSW Art Gallery.

Two wolvesA native American grandfather was talking to his grandson about how he felt. He said "I feel as if I have two ...
17/08/2026

Two wolves
A native American grandfather was talking to his grandson about how he felt. He said "I feel as if I have two wolves fighting in my heart. One wolf is the vengeful, angry, violent one. The other wolf is the loving, compassionate one."

The grandson asked him, "Which wolf will win the fight in your heart?"

The grandfather answered, "The one I feed.”

The News for Speakers' Corner, Sunday 16th August, 20261. I arrived on time today to discover that not only were the cha...
17/08/2026

The News for Speakers' Corner, Sunday 16th August, 2026

1. I arrived on time today to discover that not only were the chairs not set up in readiness for the afternoon, they weren't even at the drop off point! I eventually received an email from Mr Bashful, Bringer of Chairs, and he informed me that he had let his car battery go flat again and the chairs would be late. Oh dear.

He asked me to forward that information on to you all, in the form of a post. So, I did. (Not that I ever get any thanks from you lot. No 'Gosh, thank you Mr/Ms Scribe for being so diligent.' No 'Thank you Mr/Ms Scribe for all your informative and highly entertaining posts.' No, nothing like that. All I get from you lot is bu**er all, or the occasional smart-arse comment from Anonymous.

Not that I would ever complain about that, of course. You won't find me whinging.

But I digress. The fact remains: Mr Bashful let his car battery die again. He would forget his head if it were not bolted on. (That's what my mother used to say.)

I wonder if Mr Bashful's poor form had anything to do with his recent birthday. Gentleman Mick produced something for the occasion, and with Mr Bashful's permission I present it here. We hope you had a Happy Birthday, Mr Bashful! (But for goodness sake, Man, don't let your car battery drain again!)

2. The speakers who did bother to take the trouble to turn up on time were Vladimir, Eddie, Giovanni, Helmut ,John Augus...
17/08/2026

2. The speakers who did bother to take the trouble to turn up on time were Vladimir, Eddie, Giovanni, Helmut ,John August and Angry Pete. (Neither Alex nor Steve Maxwell appeared.) I stood around and listened to what the speakers had to say, but without the chairs it was tiring.

I do remember Angry Pete talking about the trial of Luigi Mangione (the fellow who shot the Health Insurance CEO).

3. Vladimir asked, 'Should people get special treatment simply because they are part of a minority?' Vladimir told us ho...
17/08/2026

3. Vladimir asked, 'Should people get special treatment simply because they are part of a minority?' Vladimir told us how Jason Arday, of Cambridge University, got his job through the University's Equality and Inclusion Working Group, and that recent events suggest that Jason wasn't truly qualified or ready for the job.

4. Mr Bashful arrived eventually with the chairs, so I sauntered over to hear his apology for being so late with them. H...
17/08/2026

4. Mr Bashful arrived eventually with the chairs, so I sauntered over to hear his apology for being so late with them. He didn't give one! Instead, he talked about how some people dream of someone dying, and then next day find that the person they dreamt dying did indeed die during the night. He said it was not any form of clairvoyance; rather, it was all mathematics. He said that in seventy years (an average person's lifetime) there will be 2,400 people in the world who, by mathematics alone, will dream of someone dying who does actually die during the night.

He said it's the same with people dreaming about aeroplane crashes. Even if only one person in a thousand dreams that the plane they are to catch the next day will crash, there are so many flights, and so many people dreaming, that it would be amazing if no person ever correctly 'predicted' a plane crash with a dream.

The News for Speakers' Corner, Sunday 9th August, 20261. Throughout the afternoon it drizzled and sprinkled and dripped ...
09/08/2026

The News for Speakers' Corner, Sunday 9th August, 2026

1. Throughout the afternoon it drizzled and sprinkled and dripped and spat, but it didn't actually rain. Despite the gloomy weather, and despite having no chairs for a long while, it was still a good day.

Quick question: 'What do you call two straight days of rain in Melbourne? Answer: A weekend.

2. Giovanni and Vladimir each had a good crowd, as did Alex. At one point, Giovanni kindly handed his 'pulpit' to anoth...
09/08/2026

2. Giovanni and Vladimir each had a good crowd, as did Alex. At one point, Giovanni kindly handed his 'pulpit' to another Christian speaker, who managed to hold the crowd given to him. Your diligent scribe will soon examine these other Christian speakers further (if they appear again).

Both Eddie and Steve Maxwell were present, but didn't speak.

3. Mr Bashful finally arrived at around 3.30pm, with the chairs. He had either lost his way, or had trouble getting past...
09/08/2026

3. Mr Bashful finally arrived at around 3.30pm, with the chairs. He had either lost his way, or had trouble getting past the Fun Run barricades the police had set up. Whatever the case, it was good to see him. Or rather, it was good to get the chairs.

As soon as he alighted his ladder, he told us that during the week he had met a Christian speaker in a busy street,. The man was holding up a large sign which featured a photograph of an aborted foetus. Mr B said that when he conversed with the the dead-eyed man, that man expressed no compassion for people who experience capital punishment, regardless of their upbringing and mental health, and he had expressed no compassion for the mentally and physically disabled children he cared for in his job, and he had no compassion for any woman who might be re-traumatised by his photograph of an aborted foetus. Mr Bashful concluded that if there was anyone evil in the conversation, he (Mr Bashful) wasn't the evil one.

Mr B then made it clear that he was not criticising Christians or Christianity when he spoke of that encounter. Rather, he suggested that perhaps some evil people resort to becoming 'servants of the Lord' in order to hide their evil nature - from themselves mainly. And he said that such people give Christianity a bad name.

4. Later in the day, camera-shy Angry Pete got up to speak and he quickly drew a crowd. He talked his usual geopolitical...
09/08/2026

4. Later in the day, camera-shy Angry Pete got up to speak and he quickly drew a crowd. He talked his usual geopolitical nonsense and was appreciated for it.

Last week I daringly presented to you a photograph of his feet. A fan left a comment asking to see a photograph of Angry's elbow. Well, of course I would receive that request. What else should I have expected? (Weird people read this blog, it appears.)

As it happens, I can comply.

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Art Gallery Road
Sydney, NSW
2000

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2pm - 5pm

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