Nevertheless, Hicks didn’t do anything to abrogate the basic right to be tried for his crimes, rather than held in indefinite detention, and he had a reasonable expectation - as does every citizen of this fair land - that his government will seek to protect his rights at the hands of foreign governments, rather than turn its back on him, which is exactly what Howard and Downer did for so long. The Coalition’s abandonment of Hicks remains entirely mysterious, given our other dear ally in the splendid romp that was Iraq, Tony Blair, successfully demanded that Britons held in similar circumstances by the Americans be returned to the UK.

I suspect Howard and Downer thought that their own view that Hicks was beneath contempt and had got what he deserved wallowing in limbo in Guantanamo was shared by mainstream Australia. Maybe it was early on, but as in many other areas, mainstream Australia’s moral compass remained in something approximating working order, unlike those of Messrs Downer and Howard.

Now, for the true political tragics, I can inform you that Alan Ramsey was busy this morning cleaning out his office. Ramsey has a spacious office (aptly numbered Room 101) to himself that is mostly filled with large - I mean large - piles of paper. He had reached Pile 6 when I last strolled past. That means another 60-odd to go.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/letters/higher-bills-small-price-to-pay-for-the-environment/2008/05/08/1210131164681.html?page=3

The prose is young, perhaps our crikey V.A. is related to a certain namesake artist photographer 1935 - extant:

http://www.printsandprintmaking.gov.au/catalogues/artist/13023/venise-alstergren.aspx

Whatever, got to get the press and see what latest atrocity the Israeli February election has served up in combo with Dick Cheney’s last blood thirsty war mongering before Obama sacks him on Jan 15.

Stupidity is not a prerequisite for delusional insanity but, as your pathetic comments demonstrate so vividly, the admixture is a decidedly ugly compound.

A bit of a glib and lazy analysis, Bernard. I know you can do better (and usually do).

Shouldn’t Alan Ramsey’s office should be more suitably numbered 404?

Did his colleagues form a guard of honour-ably error-prone Dilbert’s?

Sorry …. I couldn’t resist…

7. Like Carr, Rudd is daisycutting his way through his support base. Carr left a party in wreckage because he literally sucked the sustenance out of it in terms of dishonest governance leaving a husk of ALP souless hacks. The structural damage is eye watering even as his polls started even, then high, then low. Rudd is burning chunks of staff and the green movement so far. How long till critical mass with say 10x the direct casualties feeling the loathe? Green groups represent about 1 million Australians directly. You say 2014. But that doesn’t account for enzymes: Like as you say Green Party critical mass with world best practise multiplier effect from same. You can sledge Shanahan but he got it right in his column today while you were making your deadline.

8. Your values based “good” and “bad” is not right - it’s all about numbers. Each of the majors is canalised into set positions by their history and support base. Both Howard and Rudd can argue any side of an issue. It’s in their skills set. They stopped being “good” a long time ago. Amoral is the word. Howard could champion refugees if he thought it would work for him.

9. Genuine reform agenda? - oh dear. Two words … me too. Rudd is opportunism like Howard, no more or less. I can hear a sucking sound BK like a backyard pool filter over time.

10. On Costello - his timing remains quite on foot, as he said to a Sydney audience at Seymore Theatre “it’s not the goal in politics to be the Opposition Leader”. Quite.

(cont)

Anything so long as you ‘prove’ JamesK wrong?

You could always try crafting an argument but that does require discipline and some intelligence….obviously. Perhaps you’re right…..feasibly your strength probably does lie with a lynching mob.

Ask David Hicks to join in. We already know he’s kindly disposed to indiscriminate violence to achieve his aims. Sam and David above would happily would join you in any angry leftist rabble.

Having betrayed its core election promise, the latter factor and its looming consequences are grossly underestimated by the current leadership.

JamesK: The condescension with which you deride anyone who happens to disagree with you-on the basis they are merely the lunatic left-is less than entertaining. Actually it’s unforgivably myopic and it is time you started to control your knee-jerk reactions. People are beginning to laugh. Not good! However, humour will deflate even the most pompous members of the rancid-right.

Bernard listed the year’s political events,; with precision and ‘He REASONED his points, rather than attempting to blow the people who express different views out of the water.

Where I find you quite insufferable is your never ending rehashing of the David Hicks case-on the basis that the man was, once again, a lunatic leftie. Are you really so mentally ill-equipped that you don’t know what was the real crime in the Hicks case?. It was for the Howard government to have allowed an Australian citizen to be locked up for six years in a jail run by a foreign country on foreign soil, WITHOUT A TRIAL. This
was the unspeakable crime. It seemed to illuminate the whole gamut of the existence of the sorry Howard government.

Sam: nothing deep here, but at least spoken from the heart. And you are accurate as well. Olé

Tom McLouhlin: you churn out comments which, to be be polite, show an astonishing lack of clarity. The syntax and lack of direction render them opaque. In short WTF are you ever trying to say?

Dr Harvey M Tarvydas: Another inept waffler. ‘A concluding soliloquy in a play that hasn’t finished’? More matter, less art please.

Do have a happy Christmas James, I mean it.

And an even Happier New Year to the guys who disagree with you!

And we heard Minister Wong clearly on abc 7pm news tonight - in effect any job is justifiable. A moral that doesn’t really bear analysis or extrapolation. Maybe she has a patent on soylent green as well?

It echoes the theoretically suspect notion in the article above of “good people do bad things” spin from BK above. It’s qualitatively very close to the totalitarian ethos of means to an end. Just following orders. All of that bunkum. BK may have been listening to too many self referential politician eulogies out selling the franchise. They would talk up their own role wouldn’t they.

Eight words all your own in a ‘Comment’ of approx 110, failing as usual, to express even a single original idea.

What’s the experience of mentation at a snail’s pace actually like?

Of course, that assumes that what goes on between your ears could reasonably be described as ‘mentation’ which is in itself, admittedly, dubious in the extreme.

Ahahahaha. JamesK for troll of the year. Brilliant.

No mention in this edition of Crikey in the midst of the very predictable drivel. It even passed Richard Farmer by……………

Perhaps in 2009?

A superbly accurate description of western democracy, particularly as it applies in two-party systems. Bloody depressing too. Well done Bernard, I don’t agree with you every day but I always read you and when you write something this intelligent I take my hat off to you. Merry Xmas to all at Crikey and to the Crikey army too.

ou frequently, I notice, insult Tom McLoughlin. Tom obviously would have different views to mine but I have congratulated him on occasion.

His posts often require a re-read. They are often dense but the reader is rewarded. His contributions are nearly always original. He provides reasoned arguments.

Both characteristics conspicuously absent from the usual inane opinionated diatribes on this board.

I thank Tom for his contributions throughout the year. I enjoy reading them.