Happy Australia Day!

[Brian]

You really are an idiot...

The PM's personal protection people did a great job, they were calm and swift in their response...most importantly they summed up the threat level accordingly and their response was cool and measured and the situation wasn't allowed, nor given the opportunity to escalate.

I think you have absolutely no idea about the professionalism and how highly trained and experienced the people charged with protecting our leaders are.

With every post you try to out-do your personal best in stupidity.

It is not Australian culture to carry a gun, ect, and assassinate a leader (eg 'little Johnny' on his morning walk meeting and shaking hands with a young man fixing his bicycle with screwdriver in his back pocket), otherwise she would be cactus like being in a goldfish bowl. But that's beside the point.

An area around the restaurant should have be cordoned off so they could never get that close in the first place - even a well aimed stone could have done the trick - but then again, lucky we live in the 'Lucky Country'.

[Phoenix]

With every post you try to out-do your personal best in stupidity.

It is not Australian culture to carry a gun, ect, and assassinate a leader (eg 'little Johnny' on his morning walk meeting and shaking hands with a young man fixing his bicycle with screwdriver in his back pocket), otherwise she would be cactus like being in a goldfish bowl. But that's beside the point.

An area around the restaurant should have be cordoned off so they could never get that close in the first place - even a well aimed stone could have done the trick - but then again, lucky we live in the 'Lucky Country'.

What you're suggesting has no real place in the democratic system. We don't cordon off large areas around our elected representatives that create unrealistic levels of inconvenience to the general population.

Those 'layers' of security were around the PM but were relatively 'invisible' to morons like you...as they should be.

[Bill77]

Waiting for someone to cue Whitney Houstons song from the movie Bodyguard lol.


Now that they are using Gillards shoe as a trophy. Mabe Gillard should give them back their country as an exchange
I think its a fair trade.

[George S.]

Bill the abos are claiming they never wanted julia gillard it was mainly abott they wanted for some explaining.THey didn't want julia for anything.I do think they should chuck the shoe in the rubbish bin as juliar is a liar.

[EgejskaMakedonia]

But then some people think the land was invaded.Do people know what terror nullis means.All lande vests with the crown.I don't mind the govt giving them recognition as the indiginous people but i don'e like our money to be wasted.Some aborigines don't want the whitemans way.They want freedom etc.We seem to be pandering to them supposedly correcting rights.How can someone today be held for what happened hundreds of years.
Some people simply want to make money.We have watched billions being poured into a bottomless pit & their own people squandering the money.A lot of people are questioning about ehat's happening to indigenous affairs.Being sorry but then trying to find restitution.The aboriginal population is dwidling being caught by a vicious circle of diseases etc.

The settlers believed that the land belonged to nobody, simply because there was no signs of civilization. In other words, the whites considered the Indigenous people as savages and unworthy of the land. Many convicts were then given the opportunity to find a piece of land and claim a territory several square kilometres in size.

People may not necessarily be held responsible for what happened a few centuries ago, but they can certainly do something to somewhat rectify the situation. If we adopted that attitude, how can we possibly expect to strive for Macedonian human and land rights in the occupied territories? It's the same principle, yet the Australian Government has done far more to assist Aborigines than the Greeks Government for example has done to help the Macedonian population.

The money is squandered because it isn't being used correctly. These people were expected to conform to a western society, and this has largely contributed to their own demise over the last few centuries. We've already seen the opening of Koori Courts at both Federal and State levels over the last decade, and these have proved quite successful. These are the type of initiatives that must be started.

As for the protest, I don't think the Aboriginal people will gain support through things such as this, partly due to both political leaders being involved. It was nowhere near a riot, and seems to be massively exaggerated. If it weren't for the ALP and Liberal leaders being present, this would've been lucky to get 5 seconds on the news. Yet now, it's been blown out of proportion and some type of 'assassination attempt.'

[julie]

Tony Abbott looked like he was wearing a bullet proof vest under his white shirt, like he expected repercussions for his big mouth.
The speed of the security team in getting Gillard safely away is to be commended. Her cutie bodyguard I would not mind wrapped around me like that

[Bill77]

The speed of the security team in getting Gillard safely away is to be commended. Her cutie bodyguard I would not mind wrapped around me like that

I think it was over the top, unnecessary, and embarrassing. I kept on watching the incident all day yesterday, and if you get a chance to see it again, please look and show me just one protester anywhere near Gillard from the time they were in side the restaraunt, till she gets disrespectfully thrown like a rag doll in the car. There were camera men thrown around, even police were pushed and shoved by each other, it was ridiculous and blown out of proportion.

I agree with a post made by someone on FB and i quote,
"The various media reports in the demonstration and the over the top "security " response is the real face of racist paranoid guilt ridden Australia......
Nothing happened other than a noisy heartfelt protest against the on going injustice of a racist culture and a nation that still refuses to acknowledge it's shameful treatment of it's indigineous population. But with pernicious editing by a sensationalist media and the total overreaction of a self righteous police force it was blown into a "security" incident whereas in fact nobody was in any danger other than the protesters. It's a perfect example of the growing intolerance of dissent by the western authorities of anything that challenges their power and their version of socio political reality".

As for the cute thing......No comment.

[Phoenix]

I think it was over the top, unnecessary, and embarrassing. I kept on watching the incident all day yesterday, and if you get a chance to see it again, please look and show me just one protester anywhere near Gillard from the time they were in side the restaraunt, till she gets disrespectfully thrown like a rag doll in the car. There were camera men thrown around, even police were pushed and shoved by each other, it was ridiculous and blown out of proportion.

Bill77, we're talking about the security of a head of state.
It's not uncommon for similar situations (angry mobs) to spiral out of control.

[makedonche]

Prevention has always been more effective than cure!

[Bill77]

Bill77, we're talking about the security of a head of state.
It's not uncommon for similar situations (angry mobs) to spiral out of control.

Protests infront of Heads of State is also uncommon. I have never seen the head of state being thrown into a car like she was. The next day the head of security was interviewed and asked if he would have taken a bullet for her. I have never seen anything exaggerated and taken out of proportion in my life, its a joke.

Escorting her out in an orderly fashion would have been understandable, But looking at the video, its as if gun shots were fired.

To show how over the top security action was, at one point it looks as if her own security was dragging her as she nearly hit the ground.

Australia PM Julia Gillard Rescued Amid Protests - YouTube

[Bill77]

I wander if Gillards body guard is John Moncrieff the same bone head that is Sam Newmans body guard. Both are overdramatic incidences.

AFL Footy Show: Bomb, Sam! (27-04-2011) - YouTube

[Phoenix]

Protests infront of Heads of State is also uncommon. I have never seen the head of state being thrown into a car like she was. The next day the head of security was interviewed and asked if he would have taken a bullet for her. I have never seen anything exaggerated and taken out of proportion in my life, its a joke.

Escorting her out in an orderly fashion would have been understandable, But looking at the video, its as if gun shots were fired.

To show how over the top security action was, at one point it looks as if her own security was dragging her as she nearly hit the ground.

Billy, it's not a joke...it's very serious.

This is taken from a guy called Rob Maylor a former Royal Marine and Australian Special Air Service Sniper who was tasked with protecting Xanana Gusmao (the first President of East Timor, serving from May 2002 to May 2007)

"...He's (XG) very much a people's man and that made it tough to protect him. We'd ask him to change his routine, vary his route and vary timings. We also asked if he could close his car window because it was all to easy for someone to walk or ride up beside his car and drop a grenade into his lap. But he wouldn't do it. He said, 'I love the people and they love me. They wave to me and I wave back'. And he did that every day, to and from the house.
There were a couple of crowd situations that had the potential to be dangerous, but the locals just wanted to get up close to him. However, we had a job to do and couldn't afford to lower our standards. We formed an outer cordon around him close enough to respond to any threat..."

'SAS Sniper', Rob Maylor with Robert Macklin, p112.

Billy, there are competing interests at play...on one hand you have leaders that must be close to their constituents to remain relevent and on the other hand you have the challenges of professional pride of the people tasked to protect them, who must be watchful of every possible threat...

I'm sure no personal security guy wants to see his 'boss' threatened on 'his watch'...not a good look on the CV i'd imagine...

[Brian]

I have never seen anything exaggerated and taken out of proportion in my life, its a joke.

Escorting her out in an orderly fashion would have been understandable, But looking at the video, its as if gun shots were fired.

I agree Bill77, it looked totally staged.

Tony gives it away the most - who would need to be frog-marched leaning backwards like they are being forced to move forward if they really thought they were in serious danger? He should go back to acting school and get his money back, but then he is hopeless at everything.

[George S.]

definetly the whole thing was staged.If anything julia is a liar again as they were after him.Abott would is not for the demolishing of the embassy & they knew that.How stupid & silly is juliar.

[Risto the Great]

Larry Pickering letter to the P.M.!......nothing "just happens" in politics

DEAR MS GILLARD,

It’s been raining here and no golf this weekend, so I thought I’d listen in to your explanation of the Australia Day events.

Now, I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed but to me there seems to be some glaring gaps in your story that the media has not picked up on at all. They can be a bit slow at times so perhaps you could help clarifying the following points about your explanation? I will quote you if you don’t mind.

1. Kim Sattler (Unions ACT) was at The Lobby function with Tony Hodges (Senior PM staffer) right?

2. Your staffer, Mr Hodges had told Ms Sattler, now this is in your words, “...exactly what Mr Abbott had said about the Aboriginal Embassy”.

3. Now, everyone seems to agree that what Mr Abbot had said was innocuous. I heard what he said. It was the same thing that was being said 40 years ago when I was a journalist for The Canberra Times: “We have nothing but respect for the Aboriginal cause but it’s time we moved on....”.

4. “It’s time we moved on” doesn’t really sound like “let’s bulldoze the bastards into Lake Burley Griffin” does it? Well, I didn’t think it did.

5. So, it appears that Union activist, Ms Sattler, must have misrepresented what Mr Hodges had told her. I mean, it wasn’t a secret what Mr Abbott had said, was it? And surely it wasn’t a secret that Mr Abbott and you were at this well-publicised function, golly, all the media were there?

Mmmm... so this is the problem I have, Ms Gillard: If, as you say, “... at no time did Mr Hodges misrepresent what Mr Abbott had said”, why then would he offer you his resignation? And why did you accept his resignation. He was guiltless! He was just conversing with an associate about events of the day.

All this spin is making me giddy, Ms Gillard.

Crumbs, and when you said Mr Abbott implied that YOU were behind this chicanery I went and checked the brand on my TV set... (mine is a Sanyo so it must be different to yours, ‘cos I heard him say almost the opposite! )

Forty years ago PMs Gorton and McMahon had media staff of one or two. You have 800 personal staff in your Department and 300 media staff.

Now, I know it’s not for me to give you advice, Ms Gillard but, believe me, it’s better to employ 2 or 3 people you can trust rather than 300 university graduates who wouldn’t know their arse from their elbow... better ask Mr Rudd about that, if he’s talking to you again, because you paid out (of our money) $1.3 million in severance pay when you got rid of HIS staff after that awful knifing business.

Anyway Ms Gillard, I don’t want to say there’s something fishy going on here and I’m sure there will be a simple explanation to this. I know the media follows my Facebook page and by now (I hope) they would love to know what it is too.

Hope to hear from you soon.


Best wishes,


Larry

http://lpickering.net/facebook