Miranda’s friend arrested during APEC clampdown!
Odd things have happened during our few days of living under a police state — what else can you call it? — here in Sydney, and while I managed to emerge unscathed from Chinatown yesterday it seems that the day before one of Miranda Devine’s best mates was swept up there by over-zealous boys and girls in blue. And what was the worst thing about it? Why, he isn’t even a Leb! The NSW Police are incapable of stopping the real criminals – the thugs who launched the 2005 revenge attacks on Cronulla, for instance. Furthermore, despite the fact the gigantic overkill was the result of Federal, State and City authorities working together, Miranda opines This is what happens when you appoint underwhelming neophytes, David Campbell as Police Minister and Andrew Scipione as Commissioner. It’s a sign of an emasculated, rudderless police force, with systemic small-man syndrome, acting like bullies in an attempt to cover up weakness, and chronic dysfunction.
I fully understand Miranda’s anger, of course, and think the whole episode was gross. As the news report said: Jailed for jaywalking. It is disgraceful that a man simply going to Yum Cha with his eleven-years-old son would be treated so brutally and have to spend close on 24 hours locked up. I trust he is talking to his lawyers.**
However, if he had been from Macquarie Fields, or was a testosterone-addled Lebanese, I don’t think Miranda would have been complaining…
Not arrested that same day were the following. What interests me, aside from any opportunities it may provide to get a glimpse of some nice cheeks, is the guy near the end of the YouTube dressed in full SBHS prefect gear… I wonder who he is?
WARNING: Those who find butt cheeks more offensive than dead children please refrain from pressing the “start” button. Why they did it.
I love this comment from a patriot (who has, nonetheless, good taste in music, I see): …obviously dont know jack! Rabble rousing minority. I’m amazed the police didnt arrest them all for indecent exposure and throw them in jail. Australia has gone to the dogs!
GOOD OVERVIEW
I put the following YouTube from Shire resident William Le on Journalspace yesterday, but it is worth putting here too. He is a very clever, and very funny, man.
Life in Sydney last Thursday
See also Regrettable Quotes on Denys’s blog. Jim Belshaw has also written about the Greg McLeay story, adding that “Opposition Leader Rudd almost did not make it to the Opera House lunch for Russian president Vladimir Putin at which he was to support Mr Howard’s speech of welcome” (according to Laurie Oakes) because security stopped his motorcade!
**MONDAY NIGHT
Many of the currently 177 views of this post have come from a thread on ZGeek.com which referred people here. One contributor (who is also referenced in a new comment over on Jim Belshaw’s blog) claims to have been only about fifteen metres away from the arrest of Greg McLeay: “I saw this event happen firsthand. Start to finish.”. Go and judge for yourselves. Given the circumstances, I cannot really express a judgement, except to say now we have Miranda’s version and someone else’s version, whose name may not really be Elvis…
Miranda Devine says:
“Greg is just a nice, normal father-of-three, who plays golf and has a successful accountancy practice in Pitt Street.” What if that person wasn’t a “nice” or “normal” person or a father or a “successful” accountant. As you say Neil, what if the person arrested had been from Macquarie Fields, or was a testosterone-addled Lebanese. Imagine that.
Miranda again:
“He has worked in the city for 20 years and has every right to walk through it unmolested.” Don’t we all.
What I find offensive is our piss weak media who find it hard to ask the tough questions. A commonly asked question by journalists to arriving leaders, “So, what do you think of Australia”. Umm. I haven’t left the airport yet, you twit!
I like the William Le vid too.
Maybe the police thought Rudd was too friendly with The Chaser and was trying to smuggle them in
Denys, good call on “normal”. Police states are like mine-fields for the mentally ill, especially those without treatment. I wonder how sympathetic the likes of Miranda would be for them.
PS. Neil, should I stop calling you “Ninglun” and start calling you “Neil”? Which do you prefer?
Bruce, depends whether you prefer English (or is that Scottish?) or Mandarin. Kevin knows me as “Ninglun” of course…
Denys: exactly my point. I sympathise with the guy who was arrested, and even with Miranda’s anger — but what happened is remarkably like what she wanted at and after Cronulla!
One little-publicised good point about the lockdown, by the way, is that the policy was to leave the street people and the homeless alone. They avoided trucking them out of the city.
One little-publicised good point about the lockdown, by the way, is that the policy was to leave the street people and the homeless alone. They avoided trucking them out of the city.
Well that’s a much needed piece of heartening info.
I bet the homeless weren’t inside the fence though. Someone told me today that the police had a shoot to kill policy. Is this true?
According to City’s homeless will not be disturbed (SMH 10 August):
The Police Powers NSW Bill specially for APEC mentions “reasonable force”. I think the “shoot to kill” powers come from a controversial part of the Australian Anti-Terrorism Act 2005.
“However, if he had been from Macquarie Fields, or was a testosterone-addled Lebanese, I don’t think Miranda would have been complaining…”
Exactly! Hypocritical ghettoism…
Is it just me, or would John Howard never have gone through the same sort of hassle as Kevin Rudd if he’d been in that situation?