People said …

Brendon O’connor, Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Feb 24 on Ten Networks “Meet The Press” …

People said we weren’t going to price carbon and bring in a very important market-based approach to reducing carbon emissions; it was done.

Quite so. For example Mr Swan on Meet The Press, August 15, 2010, said …

What we rejected is this hysterical allegation that somehow we are moving towards a carbon tax …

and on August 15, 2010 …

No, it’s not possible that we’re bringing in the carbon tax. That is a hysterically inaccurate claim being made by the Coalition.

And Julia promised on Channel 10, August 16, 2010 …

There will be no carbon tax under a government I lead.

Yes, Mr O’Connor some lying bastards did indeed say “we weren’t going to price carbon”.

 

Gillard’s greatest sin …

James Allan, Garrick Professor of Law, University of Queensland is on sabbatical at the University of San Diego School of Law and writes …

I tried a little experiment here at my sabbatical university in California. I asked a few members of the law school (from across the political spectrum) to guess which country in the world wanted to: stop speech that offended, insulted or humiliated some people; that for other matters applying to more potential people, just humiliated them; that reversed the onus of proving when this had happened so that the self-proclaimed victim could basically just sit back and force the accused to prove he hadn’t done this (good luck on that); that makes defendants pay their own legal bills, even if they end up winning, and more.

I got guesses ranging from various South American countries through African ones, and on to Singapore and godawful authoritarian countries in Asia and elsewhere. Not a single one of them guessed Australia. It presumably never entered their heads.

When I told them they couldn’t believe it.

As I said, it’s embarrassing being an Australian right now. And what we all need, all of us regardless of our other political views on other issues, is to fight this awful government proposal tooth and nail.

Sure, there’s been a partial backdown. But it’s only partial. And sure, Ms Roxon is now gone. But even what remains is an egregious attack on free speech. Mr. Abbott and the Coalition need to do more than just oppose this bill. They need to promise they will go to a double dissolution election if necessary to rid us of an outrageous mess.

And that cannot be all. For there already exists s.18C of the Racial Discrimination Act and all of that needs to go too, however much certain lobby groups that matter to the Coalition might be opposed to its repeal. This is about a key matter of principle. Mr. Abbott and Mr. Brandis, seeing where complacency on free speech has led us, need to be firm and make it clear that the whole proposed and existing edifice must go.

If anyone complains that that’s an extremist position, you can tell him or her that in California there would still be much more scope for people to speak their minds than in an Australia purged of these odious Nicola Roxon proposals and purged of s.18C. Even then you would be more constrained in what you can say in Australia than anywhere in the US.

The entire article can be read <HERE>.

Owned and operated …

If you ever harboured any doubt that the ALP was owned and operated by the unions for the unions her are Ms Gillard’s own words …

”I’m not the leader of a party called the Progressive Party, I’m not the leader of a party called the Moderate Party, I’m not the leader of a party even called the Social Democratic Party.

”I am leader of the party called the Labor Party – deliberately because that is where we come from, that is what we believe in, that is who we are.”

Her own boast is that she is not there to serve the people of Australia, she is there to serve the unions.

Behead all those who insult the prophet …

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Wilhelmus Simon Petrus Fortuijn, known as Pim Fortuyn was a Dutch politician, civil servant, sociologist, author and professor who criticised Islam. On 6 May 2002, at age 54, Fortuyn was assassinated.

Theodoor “Theo” van Gogh  was a Dutch film director, film producer, columnist, author and actor. His last film was loosely based on the assassination of the Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn. He was shot dead, stabbed and an attempt was made to decapitate him, as he cycled to work 2nd November 2004.

A third Dutchman, Geert Wilders, who lives under police guard, is presently in Australia to tell us why we should fear Islam. Freedom of speech encounters many obstacles. This article is lifted from the Australian …

DEBBIE Robinson measures freedom of speech by the number of hotels and other venues that have agreed, then abruptly refused, to provide a stage for anti-Islamic Dutch MP Geert Wilders on his Australian speaking tour.

As deputy president of the Q Society, the Australian group hosting Mr Wilders in Melbourne, Perth and Sydney this week, Ms Robinson reckons the latest count is about 30. Most cite damage to their reputation, others the potential damage to walls and windows from protesters. “We are afraid we may offend people,” she said. “It is this huge fear factor.”

As recently as Friday night, the venue where Mr Wilders was booked to speak in Melbourne tomorrow night called Ms Robinson to cancel. Another venue has been found but the location will not be announced until 7pm today, 24 hours before the speech.

The Q Society is still trying to find a hotel in Sydney willing to make available a room for a press conference on Friday.

“He is not being allowed to speak freely,” Ms Robinson said. “It is being shut down. Whether you support or whether you differ, to me the big issue is he should be able to speak.”

The Q Society is a firm supporter of most of what Mr Wilders says. It opposes the “Islamisation” of Australia and, like Mr Wilders, it sees Islam primarily as a political ideology rather than a religion, one that is incompatible with liberal democratic traditions and the Judeo-Christian ethic.

The group is frustrated by what it says is the failure of Australian politicians to talk seriously about the threats posted by Islam and the limits that anti-vilification and discrimination laws place on public debate. “Our politicians think it is just another religion; the man on the street thinks it is just another religion,” group spokesman Andrew Horwood said. “When you actually understand it, it is substantially different.”

Julia Gillard yesterday described Mr Wilders’ views as abhorrent. Former immigration minister Chris Bowen, when he granted Mr Wilders a visa in October, said while his views were offensive, Australian society could “withstand the visit of a fringe commentator”.

I think assassination is abhorrent. I think attempts to stifle free speech are abhorrent.