Hey guys. Happy Sunday night. Hey mum, Elody’s going. We’re about to leave Brussels and head to Scotland and I can’t do accents very well. Can you give me a Scottish accent, Elody?

Scottish.

Scottish.

We’re going to Scotland.

See the land of my father’s birth. Anyway, that’s not what this Live is about. I said it was about armchair activism. And why I talk about that today is A, I’ve been guilty of it. And B, at the moment, if you look on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, everywhere, especially in Australian news, and even sitting here watching worldwide news on the television. Everyone’s talking about the fires that are going on in Australia.

And everyone wants to dump Scott Morrison, which he should be dumped by the way. And there’s a lot about pouring of negativity and we’ve got to get this done and get this done and get this done and get this done. And what worries me about… Not worries me. Wrong term. What I want to discuss is quite often when we have these moments where we all become immersed in something that’s going on topically at the time, and we get really heated about it. And we talk about it and we’re going to get this done and this done and this done. But we talk about it, we’re keyboard warriors, we go… And then when push comes to shove, we actually don’t do a lot.

Pinterest - One child, one teacher, one book, and one pen, can change the world - Samantha LeithSo, what I want for everyone that voted liberal on the last election, I’m not going to have that conversation, use this heat and this energy and this fire. Oh God, worst term to use. This feeling that you have about what’s going on with climate change, the environment, politics, all of those things that are really forefront in our minds at the moment and do something about it.

So for this year, if you have a chance to vote in an election anywhere in the world, make sure you do your research. Don’t just listen to the press. Don’t just read the papers that have all been bought by somebody. Actually do your research on what their policies are and what they really are going to do for where you live. Whether it’s a local election or a federal election, whether it’s an America, US, America, Australia, New Zealand, anywhere. Really do your research.

If you’re wanting to make changes environmentally, say no to single use plastic. Elody takes straws and cutlery everywhere she goes. I’m going to start taking a leaf out of her book. It’s not hard. Buy less, eat more locally grown. When those neighborhoods that have been completely decimated start getting back on their feet, go there and support them. Don’t just talk about how bad it was that Scotty didn’t get out there with a hose.

You know what I’m trying to say? It’s just we’re all getting so vocal at the moment. And I’m feeling really bad that there’s F-all I can do on the other end of the world, apart from donating, which I’ve done. There’s really not a lot I can do at the moment. But when I get home, I can assure you I will be hitting the ground and actually doing something that is of use. And you can make damn sure next election comes around I’m going to be paying more attention.

No, I didn’t vote liberal. But yeah, don’t let this all go away. When the news dies down, please keep it going. How often has there been really big things happen in the world? And the minute it stops being front page news, we all stop talking about it and we stop doing anything about it. And it’s really sad.

So I’m hoping, fingers crossed, Australia is really sitting up and taking notice and going to do something about it. And for any of you that have small businesses that have been impacted by any of the stuff that’s going on, feel no shame about asking your friends to support your business in this time of need. Don’t get all shy. We tend to go, “Oh, no, I can’t ask my friends for help.” Yeah, you can.

And if you think someone needs help, help them. Okay. Don’t just sit in your keyboards and go blahblahblahblah on Facebook. Okay, guys. That’s what my message is for you today. So try, in the next 24 hours, to do something physically helpful. And I know so many people are, and it’s fricking awesome. But do some research on who you voted for last time and question whether you were to do it again. Okay. Bye.