G'day JennyO. While I don't think much of our government, or any of the parliament for that matter, at least some of them seem to have a conscience, though I don't think it makes the general mass of them too uneasy at night. I'm with Brown and Nettle, who dared to make free speech an isse in front of a man who claims he supported it. We all have the right to speak against a policy of sucking up to an ally who seems to have little interest in reciprocation. Are the US going to do anything about freeing up trade in exchange for using Oz as an example of willing assistance to show to the rest of the world? In a pig's ear....

The prisoner issue seems to be confused, and favouritism is creeping in. Only the people who come from countries where the lawyers are a powerful species seem to be getting any pressure applied on their behalf. Their treatment hardly seems to be what you'd call harsh, considering the conditions ordinary people have to live under in some parts of the world. Let them take their turn. Maybe then everybody will get equal treatment. Mind you, I'd support Harradine and anybody else who wants to see China's infringements against the basic human rights of Tibetans, or its' own national citizens exposed. And that goes for anybody else's for that matter, Afghan, Ozzie, Brit et al...


And I'd reckon you're right. Guest G.W. was using irony, and using it well.... It seems to work with aussies, but it doesn't seem to be a figure of speech the seppoes take to. Maybe the extremist emphasis that makes it work is too similar to the real-life crud they cop at home.