Category: Politics

The Monarchy and Rangers – a Surf through two Nations

I am a regular reader of the ABC’s Drum – a fact that probably leaves most of you cold unless you happen to recall the occasional article that I have linked here for your amusement.

Most of the time the articles are too specifically Australian to be worthy of exposure on The Chariot, but today there is a beaut inspired by the imminent arrival of Betty and Phil in Canberra this evening for a short visit which will, at last, include Brisbane, and will culminate in the opening of CHOGM in Perth in ten days time.

Strangely, the piece – entitled “Long to reign over us – God save the Republicans” – was not written by an Aussie, but by an antipodean-savvy Brit; it’s a lament for the failure of republicanism in both countries, and a damning, but amusing, indictment of the movement’s shortcomings.

Having chuckled, I decided that I needed to learn more about this bilingual Brendan O’Neill, so I did a little armchair  surfing.   It turns out that the gentleman is the editor of Spiked, a UK web-site vaguely similar to the Australian Punch, a source that has also been linked here to the dismay of our more restrained members.

Now, this is where the story really takes off.

Now peruse the unexpected dénoument . . .

Man Jailed for Racist Internet Post

Man jailed for racist internet post


A man who used a social networking website to post sectarian comments about Catholics and Celtic supporters has been jailed for eight months.
Stephen Birrell, 28, from Glasgow, was also handed a five-year football banning order at Glasgow Sheriff Court for writing the comments on a Facebook page titled Neil Lennon Should Be Banned.
Sentencing him, Sheriff Bill Totten said the courts had to send “a clear message to deter others who might be tempted to behave in this way”.
One of the comments, posted a day before a Celtic v Rangers game on March 2 this year, read: “Hope they all die. Simple. Catholic scumbags ha ha.”
Two days after the match, he wrote: “Proud to hate Fenian tattie farmers.”

Unbelievable!

I have no idea if there is more to this story than meets the eye;  yes, the comments are not pleasant but one reads such things on the internet on a daily basis.

On the one hand I applaud a stand against this sort of idiocy, but a custodial sentence seems to be quite draconian.

Why?

Why does the USA continue to kill its own citizens?

The “Leader of the Free World” tries to spread its version of “democracy” beyond its borders; it physically attacks Libya for mowing down its civilians and verbally attacks Syria for the same crime.   It holds itself as a model for other countries to emulate, criticising, inter alia, the Chinese Human Rights record.

Yet it still murders its criminals, assuming the right of the nation to take life.   I don’t know if the guy was guilty.  There does appear to be at least reasonable doubt; more than a hint of having been framed by a racist police force.   But even if he was as guilty as Hell, what message does it send to the rest of the world?

America straps its people to a table, injects them with poison and ghoulishly watches them die in agony.   Bastards!

Juliar to put the High Court in its place

Look – and please do remember that I have a fervent dislike for our Prime Minister – there’s no way we’re going to go down the same limp-wristed route as the UK.

If our High Court decides to make an interpretative ruling that effectively negates the intentions of a law passed by our elected government, we’ll change the wording of that law to make it crystal clear to the judiciary who is actually in charge of our nation.   And it ain’t the Chief Justice.

Although the legislation has not yet been passed, Juliar has today convinced her cabinet and the Labor caucus to support her in the introduction of the requisite alterations to the Migration Act.

She has, sensibly and pragmatically, declared that the changes will not define any particular solution to our immigration problems, but will clarify the undisputed right of the current executive to take such actions as it considers necessary, irrespective of foreign legislation or the High Court’s view of our obligations under any foreign legislation to which we may be a signatory.   This should make it politically viable for Abbott and the opposition to support the amendments.

Continue reading “Juliar to put the High Court in its place”

Juliar’s getting rattled

Given the astounding success of my last post about Australian politics (2 whole comments on topic, 19 correcting my grammar), I feel duty-bound to engage you with the latest goings-on down-under. 😀

Our High Court, as High Courts are wont to do these days, has declared Juliar’s “Malaysian Solution” to the “Boat people” illegal – as being contrary to the complex legislation (The Migration Act and Regulations) that addresses, inter alia, our responsibilities as signatories to the Refugee Convention (UNHCR).

Gillard is spitting chips, and accusing the court in general and The Chief Justice in particular of changing the entire face of immigration, and of being inconsistent.   Her colleagues are undecided as to whether they should –

  • support her,
  • support her publicly whilst arranging for her political assassination,
  • ask one of a number of old has-beens to take over (including Peter Beatty, ex-Premier of Queensland, a very popular chap, now retired, and, would you believe it, even dear old Kevin Rudd), or
  • push the young Commissar Shorten into the rôle before his time, a behind the scenes factional power-broker so ghastly, so doctrinaire, that he makes Juliar look honest and right-wing.

What Gillard should do, of course, is call a general election, but the chance of that is almost vanishingly small since they all – her party, the Greens and the three Independents who side with her – like power far too much to give it up before they have to.

She has demonstrated her lack of integrity and incompetence many times over, and her attack on the Judges is now highlighting her inner petulance.   Pity us, for we probably have another two years of this before we can throw her and her hard left, corrupt and bullying cronies out.

The Terror of Facebook

I wonder if any of you saw this article in yesterday’s Telegraph concerning a photograph that appeared on Facebook that depicted a white man holding a rifle, kneeling over the apparently lifeless body of a black child. As may be imagined, the story still has currency in the South African press as investigations continue. Leaving aside the unpleasant nature of the photograph the incident has some ramifications for social networking here and possibly elsewhere around the world. Continue reading “The Terror of Facebook”

Gillard threatens legal action …

… and an article is immediately withdrawn from The Australian, and a cringing apology published.

Strangely, however, follow-up articles in other papers have (apparently) published the text that raised Juliar’s ire.   As a quotation, which they can (apparently) get away with.

When a Prime Minister threatens to sue a journalist for defamation, Boadicea and I usually reckon it’s tantamount to an admission of guilt – but this time we could be wrong.   What is undeniable is that this spat has spotlighted a grubby episode in Juliar’s earlier life; one that was in the public domain but played down, at the time, to such an extent that many of us had never heard of it.   Even if today’s accusation is completely false, it’s a reminder of the sort of crim that she used to knock around with.

The sleaze within some Unions and the ALP (Australian Labor Party) which has recently been revealed, makes me wonder just how corrupt Labor is.   Starting with Kev’s political assassination, we’ve seen WikiLeaks dob in Senator Mark Arbib as the Americans’ spy, we’ve seen Juliar unashamedly reverse her promise on the Carbon Tax and MP Craig Thomson finally exposed for spending many thousands of dollars of HSU (Health Services Union) money on booze and prostitutes (admittedly a grand old Australian tradition) and now Juliar’s youthful indiscretions are coming back to haunt her.

What a barrel-load of corrupt bastards!   I can yet foresee the AFP (the Feds) being summoned to arrest the entire chamber, and the Governor-General forced to order a second dismissal.   But her (the G-G’s) daughter is married to Bill Shorten, an ex-Union boss and Labor power-broker who currently holds the position of Minister for Financial Services and Superannuation.   No chance!

For a different slant on the brouhaha, try this article in Crikey.