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lyra
Joined: 21 Mar 2005
Posts: 64
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| Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2005 6:33 pm Post Subject: Australia reveals 'specific' terror threat |
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http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10353235
How Convenient for Mr Howard to release the news of the "potential terrorist threat” .just as his anti-terror laws are coming up against opposition from other members of the Australian parliament. On Checkpoint (National Radio) yesterday they had comments from various officials saying that the proposed laws needed to be amended (or at least delayed) as they were too far reaching and took freedoms away from the Australian people, and now the laws are to be rushed through because of a "potential terrorist threat” which he hasn’t got the balls to release any information on.
This is of real concern. Are we next to follow suit and start enforcing draconian laws against free speech? Its seems a logical step that were next in line – even though we are a small country. Maybe I’ve read one too conspiracy articles but for me this is just too much of a coincidence…. |
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Carus
Joined: 22 Feb 2004
Posts: 352
Location: Auckland
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| Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2005 8:05 pm Post Subject: |
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Hi Lyra,
| Quote: | | Are we next to follow suit and start enforcing draconian laws against free speech? |
My thoughts too. I made a comment to similar effect to my partner when I heard this. I felt a bit of the creeps as I watched Howard on television this evening - his manner is very...how would you describe it...vacant :?: :roll: |
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lyra
Joined: 21 Mar 2005
Posts: 64
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| Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2005 8:26 pm Post Subject: |
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HI Carus,
Maybe he's watched one too many of Bush's Speeches :)
Lets hope that our government makes a stand against these measures- like they did on the question of Iraq. We hopefully have more sense than to blindly follow those who mean harm to its own people. After all we were the victim's of terrorism when the role of the rainbow warrior was purely peaceful in intent...what can be more peaceful than standing against a weapon of mass destruction...America went to war (outwardly anyway) on the same premise.... |
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Melody Anderson
Joined: 05 Nov 2003
Posts: 814
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
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| Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2005 11:39 am Post Subject: |
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We groaned as we watched the announcement of the specific and 'credible' threat in Australia - apparently many people over there are pretty cynical about the timing of the announcement. Unfortunately however, not cynical enough, especially members of their opposition party, who helped to rush the legislative changes through.
It does feel at times that there is a kind of inevitability about things happening here, but I really hope that we can sustain our staunch stand without succumbing to what must be at times, considerable pressures to do so.
John Pilger recently had some high praise for NZ:
| Quote: | "Pilger praised New Zealand's opposition to the invasion of Iraq.
The New Zealand government's stand has been wholly admirable as well as totally sane. It must be comforting to be in a country whose government, for all its usual faults, has taken that position."
Pilger said the British public were overwhelmingly against the war. "Seventy-five per cent of this country, according to the major opinion polls, regard the prime minister as a liar, literally."
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3461286a12,00.html |
It's worth noting that the Australians did not inform the New Zealand government of the threat - they found out about it when Howard made the announcment on the news, just like everyone else. In fact I heard it said that a lot of people over there, the ones expressing cynicism, seemed to think that this 'threat' was quite different from those like it in the past in the way it was handled (more public perhaps?):
| Stuff wrote: | Clive Williams, a terrorism expert at the Australian National University, suspected a political motive in the timing of the legal changes. "Every so often we get these cases come up, but why the publicity? I think there's a degree of political cunning," he said.
"If terrorists watch the news, the Prime Minister's unnecessary announcement gave them an excellent warning." |
Helen Clark said in the Herald this morning..."Australian officials have confirmed that there is no imminent threat of terrorist attacks in Australia," she said.
Guess it's achieved its purpose then :? |
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Carus
Joined: 22 Feb 2004
Posts: 352
Location: Auckland
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| Posted: Sat Nov 05, 2005 10:04 am Post Subject: |
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Pilger's comments are certainly encouraging. We aren't as closely allied to the US as Australia and the UK. Let's hope we continue to stay that way.
| Quote: | Helen Clark said in the Herald this morning..."Australian officials have confirmed that there is no imminent threat of terrorist attacks in Australia," she said.
Guess it's achieved its purpose then |
That's quite incredible :shock: No democratic process would appear to have occured at all with the legislative change. |
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Deano
Joined: 22 Mar 2005
Posts: 741
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| Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2005 5:53 pm Post Subject: |
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| Yes Im surprised there havent been protests when Bushclone Howard presented the Australian people with his masters orders. Lucky National didnt get in or we would have been dealing with that as well. |
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lyra
Joined: 21 Mar 2005
Posts: 64
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| Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2005 8:05 am Post Subject: |
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Hi Deano,
I think will will still be dealing with this issue sooner rather than later. Perhaps faster under a National government but with Winston as Foreign Affairs Minister????
I heard an interview on National Radio (last Saturday ) where he was saying that we need certain measures in place to combat terrorism but didn't go into any great detail...
You just need to look at the changes to our passport system (to fall into line with what the US , England and OZ are doing) Sure It may make a passport more tamper proof but it also contains your unique facial coordinates so once the information is shared round the world you will be tracked and logged each time you walk past a security camera plugged into the Face-IT system (or what other system the people in power are 50 years ahead of us on…) |
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Melody Anderson
Joined: 05 Nov 2003
Posts: 814
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
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| Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2005 10:07 am Post Subject: |
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| lyra wrote: | Hi Deano,
I think will will still be dealing with this issue sooner rather than later. Perhaps faster under a National government but with Winston as Foreign Affairs Minister???? |
Quite possibly. I feel very uneasy with Winston in Foreign Affairs.
| lyra wrote: | | I heard an interview on National Radio (last Saturday ) where he was saying that we need certain measures in place to combat terrorism but didn't go into any great detail... |
Oh no! :(
It appears as though it may be the changes to industrial relations that are driving Howard's latest 'terror diversions'. National Radio's Australian correspondent was saying this morning that many, particularly the Labour party, also think that these announcements seem to come out during times when Howard's position is shaky. Apparently his approval rating is the lowest it's been in four years at the moment. The correspondent did say however, that police were busy raiding houses round the place. And that the laws provide for the arrest and detention on the grounds that you are 'thinking about carrying out a terrorist act' - no details required. They must have been reading Orwell for these ideas... :(
He also said that their anti-sedition laws have comedians and other artists worried that satirists could be arrested for sedition. I remember Rowan Atkinson expressing similar concerns about the anit-hate speech laws in the UK. |
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Carus
Joined: 22 Feb 2004
Posts: 352
Location: Auckland
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| Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2005 7:46 am Post Subject: |
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Paul Buchanan made some interesting comments this morning on the Breakfast show about the police raids in Australia. There would have been a process of evidence gathering by the police with regards to possible terrorist activity but that his opinion was that the changes in legislation were rushed through and premature.
Also that there is an enormous amount of media fanfare about the raids and that if the terrorists were really good they wouldn't have been found out. The suggestion of chemicals being found to be like those found in London is misleading as they could be just ordinary household chemicals.
The lawyer for the captured terrorists was shown on the news making a clear statement about there being no evidence of plans, chemicals etc. for these men to have been guilty. It will be interesting to see how this one develops. |
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Melody Anderson
Joined: 05 Nov 2003
Posts: 814
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
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| Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2005 9:09 am Post Subject: |
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| That is interesting Carus. Perhaps Howard was feeling the heat of criticism a little too keenly and needed something tangible to wave in front of the public? |
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