The 'Durban Disaster'

As it was dubbed in Oz was Germany's trouncing of the Australian Socceroos 4-Nil in their World Cup opener in Durban, South Africa.

And then the knives came out.

Forget about kicking the team when they were down, this was a blood bath. Incompetent coaching, unfit players, poor training, ill discipline, lack of spirit, you name it and the team was guilty. Radio talk shows poured scorn on the Socceroos, callers lambasted them and their World Cup merchandise was knocked down to 50% off in the shops. The team had not so much lost a game as disgraced a nation. Australia had been mortally wounded on the international stage, nay, far more importantly, on the international sporting stage. How, people asked, was this possible for the 'Lucky Country'?

Most telling was that for the first time in two months the 'Super Profits Mining Tax' proposed by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd [who as I write this has been removed as PM by in a backroom coup and the Super Profits tax has now been dropped] was knocked out of the top news spot.

Surely Australians didn't actually think they'd beat Germany? And surely they have more important things to worry about such as why mining companies virtually run the country, dictate policy and believe they should pay less for the people's resources? Or for that matter even the appalling quality and price of beer in this vast nation of thirsty people?