We don't even have a bill of rights.
It's all implied that our free and democratic society will remain.
When in fact it just requires enough numbers, numbers that can be bought if not won.
We are lucky howard was a warrior for industrial relations not law and order.

We do live in worrying times, and the erosion of individual rights, so hard won, by centuries of struggle, seems to be going by with scarcely a murmur of dissent.
Why is this so?
I think it is primarily because we have become so complacent about such personal rights and liberties, that it is outside our field of experience or even, imagination, to expect these freedoms to not always be accorded us.

The current case of Julian Assange is another example, where he must protect himself from falling prey to the new US government drive to be able to decide who it will exclude from accessing a fully free, and fair, legal process, whereby like Guantanamo detainees, they can just declare you an enemy of the state, and apparently do whatever they wish.

The only thing these people are likely to fear, is scrutiny from an informed, and active public, which I guess is why they act as if they have nothing to fear, while the organs of public record have emissaries like the Fox network in the US, and to a lesser extent, Fairfax here in Oz.

The crazy extremism of politics nowadays sees so many people choosing to dismiss warnings about losses of freedoms, as just more rhetoric that can be safely ignored, but I fear this trend to make central government more powerful, whilst at the same time, far less accountable, is a trend that will not be limited to the USA, and one BAD PM here, could easily see us following suit.
I am thinking here, how much safer, our personal freedoms would be, if Turnbull was the alternative PM, and not that other one.
God I hope the Libs decide to put up a decent man for leader for once.

freediver wrote on Jan 31^st, 2012 at 7:32pm:

Sorry got it wrong, its:

NZ food bill to make growing food a government privilege rather than a human right
http://www.westender.com.au/news/1253

what really sucks is how the norm for most peeps is disengagement of the local council politics. It could be - at least here in Brissy - because of the right to vote in council elections only being accorded to rentors as late as the mid 1980's. Seems incredable doesn't it? But that remaens the truth of the  matter...

Quote:


Ahh..no time for that sort of rot ol' chap, we're far too busy being self-centred, ignorant and apathetic.
Besides, even I find it far too hard to locate the allocated revolution grounds on the government website.

Surely there must be a place somewhere where we can stage a revolution without bothering anybody too much? 

bobbythefap1 wrote on Jan 31^st, 2012 at 6:35pm:


pity that your interpretation of this law is complete crap garnered from some redneck extermist website.

you really are an idiot.

bobbythefap1 wrote on Feb 1^st, 2012 at 6:19pm:


so you really think a bill to legalise torture and indefinite detention of uncharged americans would pass without any comment by america (and the worlds') media??? did the absolute silence not make you wonder??

you belive anything - just like wharfy and bll-crany and the rest of the insane conspiracy theorists.  SOPA (a real bill) that is far less draconian that this nonsense received massive opposition and was defeated.

you ARE and idiot because you are more gullible than shoudl be legally allowed.