The attitude of the 'bush' is changing rapidly in its attitude to our politicians. The LAND newspaper recently published two opinion pieces that demonstrate this change of mood. The first and most recent is below. The second will follow in another NATIONAL WATCHMAN UPDATE; this (the one to come) is perhaps the most remarkable as I never expected the expressed thoughts would ever appear in a conservative mainstream paper. Kerry Spencer-Salt B.E., LL.B (Hons) The National Watchman Australian Community Organisation P.O. Box 136, Surry Hills NSW 2010 Phone : (02) 9360 0610 E-Mail : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Website : www.rockroll.com.au/watchman ====== TEXT OF LAND ARTICLE FOLLOWS ======== Why Denis Burke can rest his case? By John Carter. The Land 13/4/2000 The Northern Territory's Chief Minister, Denis Burke, recently annoyed the nation's senior legal people by suggesting Australia's legal system was corrupt. He could have added the political system and got agreement from any thinking Australian. There are some good individual judges and politicians, but Australia's law is being created and applied differently for those of different wealth and political persuasion. Like Thomas Keneally, I believe Pauline Hanson has joined a handful of leaders over 50 years to change Australian thinking. However, whether one admires or detests Hanson is irrelevant in this exercise. The vicious persecution of her is a frightening example of what could happen to any one of us under the imbalance of Australia's scales of justice. Her electorate was altered to exclude her. The major parties - and the Democrats (to their everlasting shame) agreed to change our system to compulsory preferential voting. This occurred with no media coverage on July 17, 1998. She achieved 33 percent of the primary vote, but lost to a Liberal candidate with 19 pc of the primary vote. Our history has no parallel for the million Lower House voters giving their primary vote to her name. A current Liberal Cabinet Minister is alleged to have promised $10,000-$20,000 to the disaffected One Nation candidate who unsuccessfully prosecuted Ms Hanson before four magistrates before finding a sympathetic one. That magistrate - on a technicality - ruled her party's $500,000 contribution for electoral expenses was invalid. The technical breach sees Pauline Hanson (who went guarantor for her party) threatened with the sale of her small farm and being barred from politics through bankruptcy. Imagine John Howard going guarantor for the financial woes of the NSW Liberals or Tim Fischer putting his farm on the line for the Nationals! The media has reached new lows in vindictiveness, led by the Murdoch press whose journalists had little to say when their operation was so close to insolvency in 1987. As well, a former Liberal Party leader accused of absorbing $66 million of company funds by the NCA is free from prosecution because a judge appointed by his Victorian colleagues made a judgement that was subsequently ruled to have no legal basis by three Court of Appeal judges. Former Senator, Mal Colston, the man whose Telstra vote was necessary for the Government, receives a huge superannuation and any legal or political investigation into his use of travel allowances is forgotten. Senior National Party figures, with their noses in the same trough, walk away with pensions for life or are returned to Cabinet. A Labor Shadow Minister has the same treatment. Abide by National Competition Policy and start a political party to increase competition and look out! The scales of justice will quickly fall on your head. The case made by Denis Burke rests. ---------------------------------------------------------------- This is the Neither public email list, open for the public and general discussion. To unsubscribe click here Mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Subject=unsubscribe To subscribe click here Mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Subject=subscribe For information on [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.neither.org/lists/public-list.htm For archives http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]
