tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71196075983722556182024-03-05T22:50:44.661+10:00Cairns Forum | Ross Parisi - Blog....a forum for you and I to share our thoughts.Ross Parisihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06615592651520788835noreply@blogger.comBlogger850125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119607598372255618.post-64945711286764449212013-12-06T08:51:00.005+10:002013-12-06T08:51:37.597+10:00Nelson Mandela <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3,"tn":"K"}" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.38;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Nelson Mandela dead: Former president's famous speeches and letters</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">‘</span>The struggle is my life’, press statement 26 June 1961<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">I am informed that a warrant for my arrest has been issued, and that the police are looking for me. I will not give myself up to a government I do not recognise. I have had to separate myself from my dear wife and children, from my mother and sisters, to live as an outlaw in my own land.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">I have had to close my business, to abandon my profession, and live in poverty and misery, as many of my people are doing. I shall fight the government side by side with you, inch by inch, and mile by mile, until victory is won.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">What are you going to do? Will you come along with us, or are you going to co-operate with the government in its efforts to suppress the claims and aspirations of your own people? Or are you going to remain silent and neutral in a matter of life and death to my people, to our people?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">For my own part I have made my choice. I will not leave South Africa, nor will I surrender. Only through hardship, sacrifice and militant action can freedom be won.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">The struggle is my life. I will continue fighting for freedom until the end of my days.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">‘I am prepared to die’: Nelson Mandela's statement from the dock at the opening of the defence case in the Rivonia Trial Pretoria Supreme Court, 20 April 1964</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">The lack of human dignity experienced by Africans is the direct result of the policy of white supremacy.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">White supremacy implies black inferiority. Legislation designed to preserve white supremacy entrenches this notion…Because of this sort of attitude, whites tend to regard Africans as a separate breed.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">They do not look upon them as people with families of their own; they do not realize that they have emotions - that they fall in love like white people do; that they want to be with their wives and children like white people want to be with theirs; that they want to earn enough money to support their families properly, to feed and clothe them and send them to school. And what 'house-boy' or 'garden-boy' or labourer can ever hope to do this?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Poverty and the breakdown of family life have secondary effects….Life in the townships is dangerous. There is not a day that goes by without somebody being stabbed or assaulted. And violence is carried out of the townships in the white living areas.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">People are afraid to walk alone in the streets after dark. We want equal political rights, because without them our disabilities will be permanent. I know this sounds revolutionary to the whites in this country, because the majority of voters will be Africans. This makes the white man fear democracy.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">______________________________</span><wbr></wbr><span class="word_break" style="display: inline-block; font-weight: normal;"></span><span style="font-weight: normal;">___________________</span><br /><br /><br />NELSON MANDELA'S ADDRESS TO RALLY IN CAPE TOWN ON HIS RELEASE FROM PRISON, 11 February 1990<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Friends, comrades and fellow South Africans.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">I greet you all in the name of peace, democracy and freedom for all.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">I stand here before you not as a prophet but as a humble servant of you, the people. Your tireless and heroic sacrifices have made it possible for me to be here today. I therefore place the remaining years of my life in your hands.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">On this day of my release, I extend my sincere and warmest gratitude to the millions of my compatriots and those in every corner of the globe who have campaigned tirelessly for my release….</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Today the majority of South Africans, black and white, recognise that apartheid has no future.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Our march to freedom is irreversible. We must not allow fear to stand in our way. Universal suffrage on a common voters' role in a united democratic and non-racial South Africa is the only way to peace and racial harmony.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">______________________________</span><wbr></wbr><span class="word_break" style="display: inline-block; font-weight: normal;"></span><span style="font-weight: normal;">___________</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">NELSON MANDELA'S WEMBLEY SPEECH, London, Monday 16 April 1990</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Master of Ceremonies, Distinguished artists, Members of the International Reception Committee, Dear friends here and elsewhere in the world:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Our first simple and happy task is to say thank you. Thank you very much to you all. Thank you that you chose to care, because you could have decided otherwise. Thank you that you elected not to forget, because our fate could have been a passing concern.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">We are here today because for almost three decades you sustained a campaign for the unconditional release of all South African political prisoners. We are here because you took the humane decision that you could not ignore the inhumanity represented by the apartheid system.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Even through the thickness of the prison walls at Robben Island, Pollsmoor, Victor Verster, Pretoria, Kroonstad, Diepkloof and elsewhere, we heard your voices demanding our freedom. During all the days we spent buried in the apartheid dungeons, we never lost our confidence in the certainty of our release and our victory over the apartheid system. This was because we knew that not even the hard-hearted men of Pretoria could withstand the enormous strength represented by the concerted effort of the peoples of South Africa and the rest of the world…</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">We thank you especially for what you did to mark our 70th birthday.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">What you did then made it possible for us all to do what we are doing here today.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Dear friends, it will not be long now before we see the end of the apartheid system. The dreams of millions of people to see our country free and at peace will be realised sooner rather than later.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">We are determined to ensure that our country is transformed from being the skunk of the world into an exemplary oasis of unrivalled and excellent race relations, democracy for all, a just peace and freedom from poverty and human degradation.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Let us continue to march forward together for the realisation of that glorious vision. It will be a proud day for all humanity when we are all able to say that the apartheid crime against humanity is no more.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Then shall we all converge on the cities, towns and villages of South Africa to celebrate that moment when by ending the system of white minority domination, humanity will have ensured that never again shall the scourge of racial tyranny raise its ugly head.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">You will all be welcome to attend those historic victory celebrations.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">______________________________</span><wbr></wbr><span class="word_break" style="display: inline-block; font-weight: normal;"></span><span style="font-weight: normal;">___________________</span><br /><br />SPEECH BY NELSON MANDELA ANNOUNCING THE ANC ELECTION VICTORY, Carlton Hotel, Johannesburg, 2 May 1994<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">My fellow South Africans - the people of South Africa: This is indeed a joyous night. Although not yet final, we have received the provisional results of the election, and are delighted by the overwhelming support for the African National Congress.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">To all those in the African National Congress and the democratic movement who worked so hard these last few days and through these many decades, I thank you and honour you. To the people of</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">South Africa and the world who are watching: this a joyous night for the human spirit. This is your victory too. You helped end apartheid, you stood with us through the transition.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">I watched, along with all of you, as the tens of thousands of our people stood patiently in long queues for many hours.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Some sleeping on the open ground overnight waiting to cast this momentous vote.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">South Africa's heroes are legend across the generations. But it is you, the people, who are our true heroes.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">This is one of the most important moments in the life of our country.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">I stand here before you filled with deep pride and joy: - pride in the ordinary, humble people of this country. You have shown such a calm, patient determination to rectal this country as your own.- and joy that we can loudly proclaim from the rooftops - free at last!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">I stand before you humbled by your courage, with a heart full of love for all of you. I regard it as the highest honour to lead the ANC at this moment in our history, and that we have been chosen to lead our country into the new century.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Tomorrow, the entire ANC leadership and I will be back at our desks.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">We are rolling up our sleeves to begin tackling the problems our country faces. We ask you all to join us - go back to your jobs in the morning. Let's get South Africa working.…</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Now is the time for celebration, for South Africans to join together to celebrate the birth of democracy. I raise a glass to you all for working so hard to achieve what can only be called a small miracle.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Let our celebrations be in keeping with the mood set in the elections, peaceful, respectful and disciplined, showing we are a people ready to assume the responsibilities of government.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">I promise that I will do my best to be worthy of the faith and confidence you have placed in me and my organisation, the African National Congress. Let us build the future together, and toast a betterlife for all South Africans.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">______________________________</span><wbr></wbr><span class="word_break" style="display: inline-block; font-weight: normal;"></span><span style="font-weight: normal;">______________</span><br /><br /><br />NELSON MANDELA'S ADDRESS TO THE PEOPLE OF CAPE TOWN, GRAND PARADE, ON THE OCCASION OF HIS INAUGURATION AS STATE PRESIDENT, Cape Town, 9 May 1994<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Mr Master of Ceremonies, Your Excellencies, Members of the Diplomatic Corps, My Fellow South Africans: Today we are entering a new era for our country and its people.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Today we celebrate not the victory of a party, but a victory for all the people of South Africa.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Our country has arrived at a decision.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">The South Africa we have struggled for, in which all our people, be they African, Coloured, Indian or White, regard themselves as citizens of one nation is at hand.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Perhaps it was history that ordained that it be here, at the Cape of Good Hope that we should lay the foundation stone of our new nation. For it was here at this Cape, over three centuries ago, that there began the fateful convergence of the peoples of Africa, Europe and Asia on these shores.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">It was to this peninsula that the patriots, among them many princes and scholars, of Indonesia were dragged in chains. It was on the sandy plains of this peninsula that first battles of the epic wars of resistance were fought.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">When we look out across Table Bay, the horizon is dominated by Robben Island, whose infamy as a dungeon built to stifle the spirit of freedom is as old as colonialism in South Africa.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">For three centuries that island was seen as a place to which outcasts can be banished.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">The names of those who were incarcerated on Robben Island is a roll call of resistance fighters and democrats spanning over three centuries. If indeed this is a Cape of Good Hope, that hope owes much to the spirit of that legion of fighters and others of their calibre.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">We have fought for a democratic constitution since the 1880s. Ours has been a quest for a constitution freely adopted by the people of South Africa, reflecting their wishes and their aspirations.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">The struggle for democracy has never been a matter pursued by one race, class, religious community or gender among South Africans.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">In honouring those who fought to see this day arrive, we honour the best sons and daughters of all our people.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">We can count amongst them Africans, Coloureds, Whites, Indians, Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Jews - all of them united by a common vision of a better life for the people of this country.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">The task at hand on will not be easy. But you have mandated us to change South Africa from a country in which the majority lived with little hope, to one in which they can live and work with dignity, with a sense of self-esteem and confidence in the future.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">To raise our country and its people from the morass of racism and apartheid will require determination and effort.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">We place our vision of a new constitutional order for South Africa on the table not as conquerors, prescribing to the conquered. We speak as fellow citizens to heal the wounds of the past with the intent of constructing a new order based on justice for all.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">______________________________</span><wbr></wbr><span class="word_break" style="display: inline-block; font-weight: normal;"></span><span style="font-weight: normal;">______________________</span><br /><br />A letter from Nelson Mandela to Daily Mirror readers, July 2 2005<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Dear Mirror Reader,</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Today we live in a world that remains divided. A world in which we have made great progress and advances in science and technology.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">But it is also a world where millions of children die because they have no access to medicines.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">We live in a world where knowledge and information have made enormous strides, yet millions of children are not in school.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">We live in a world where the Aids pandemic threatens the very fabric of our lives. Yet we spend more money on weapons than on ensuring treatment and support for the millions infected by HIV. It is a worldof great promise and hope. It is also a world of despair, disease and hunger.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Millions of people in the world's poorest countries are trapped in the prison of poverty.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">It is time to set them free.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Poverty is not natural, it is man-made and can be overcome by the action of human beings.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">The leaders of the world's richest countries - who meet at the G8 summit in Scotland next week - have already promised to focus on the issue of poverty, especially in Africa.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">The steps they must take to bring this about are very clear and the first is ensuring trade justice.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">The second is an end to the debt crisis for the poorest countries.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">The third is to deliver much more aid and to make sure it is of the highest quality.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">I say to all those leaders - do not look the other way, do not hesitate.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Recognise that the world is hungry for action not words.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">You too have the opportunity to tell them that they must act with courage and vision.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">You can be that great generation.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Signed</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">N.R. Mandela.</span></span></h5>
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Ross Parisihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06615592651520788835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119607598372255618.post-50897900480908522232013-05-15T07:36:00.000+10:002013-05-15T07:36:16.938+10:00Local Government referendum set to fail<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Vote to bypass states doomed
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<li class="byline first ">
<span class="source-prefix">by:</span>
<cite class="author author-adam-creighton-and-christian-kerr ">Adam Creighton and Christian Kerr</cite>
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<span class="source-prefix">From:</span>
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<a class="source-theaustralian" href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/">The Australian</a>
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<span class="datestamp">May 15, 2013</span>
<span class="timestamp">12:00AM</span></li>
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A REFERENDUM to recognise local government in the Constitution is
poised to fail as at least two states, key Liberal MPs and leading
academics voice strident opposition to the proposal.
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Hopes of bipartisanship -- considered crucial to the referendum's
chances of success -- are crumbling and the NSW and Victorian state
governments have announced their opposition to the referendum, which is
designed to allow the federal government to bypass the states and fund
local councils directly. Tony Abbott told the Coalition party room
yesterday the referendum process had been mismanaged by the government
and would almost certainly fail.<br />
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Local Government Minister Anthony
Albanese announced on Friday that the referendum question would be put
to a vote at the same time as the federal election, but the form of
words for the question has not been revealed. The Australian
learned yesterday that following advice from leading constitutional
lawyer George Williams the wording will attempt to guarantee that the
proposed change will not represent a federal takeover of the regulation
of local government, ensuring local government bodies can only accept
direct federal assistance when permitted to by state law.<br />
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But constitutional lawyer Greg Craven, deputy chairman of the COAG
reform council, said the "dishonest" referendum was more about boosting
commonwealth government power than supporting councils. "It will
be sold as a modest change that will boost funding for local
governments, but it's really about expanding commonwealth power,"
Professor Craven said. "It's like a scorpion, small but lethal."<br />
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The
Coalition's position supports -- in principle -- ensuring the
constitutional validity of payments to local government, attacks the
government for not preparing the ground for the referendum and commits
the opposition to campaigning for a change of government on September
14, not for a change to the Constitution. It is expected that at
least four Coalition backbenchers will vote against the bill to
establish the referendum. This will trigger a formal mechanism for
putting a "No" case at the referendum, which will significantly reduce
its chances of being carried.<br />
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Outspoken MP Cory Bernardi said he
would be crossing the floor to vote against it, as he was opposed on
principle to centralising more power in Canberra. "I hate the thought of
a future Labor administration being able to determine what local
governments can and cannot do," he said. Some Liberal Party state
branches have been opposed to the idea, as well as it being voted down
at the Liberal Party's federal council.<br />
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Former Treasury secretary
and National Party senator John Stone said it was "an attack on the
constitutional responsibilities of the states and yet another attempt to
enhance the power of Canberra". He called it an attempt to
distract voters and said: "As for the opposition, it passes belief that
it would even consider drinking from this poisoned chalice."<br />
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Professor
Craven, who campaigned for a "yes" in the failed 1999 referendum to
make Australia a republic, said recognising local government would be an
excuse for councils or the federal government to raise taxes.<br />
"State
governments will and should campaign stridently for a 'no' vote," the
vice-chancellor of Australian Catholic University said. A
spokesman for the Victorian Local Government Minister, Jeanette Powell,
said they did not support the referendum and warned Victorian councils
could be worse off with direct federal funding. "It could even lead to a
funding formula put in pace, a bit like the GST, which would see
Victorian councils, which are pretty well run and sustained, being
punished by money being directed to other places."<br />
<br />
WA Premier
Colin Barnett said he was opposed to any move that would increase the
Commonwealth's control of local government, though his government does
not object to constitutional recognition on certain terms. "We
would be prepared to support constitutional recognition of local
government as long as it is recognised as a function of the state and
does not give new powers over local government to the Commonwealth," he
said. "We are yet to see the wording of the referendum question and
will not be in a position to make any further comment until then."<br />
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NSW
said the referendum was unnecessary, despite a High Court ruling which
cast doubt on direct federal payments to local councils.But
Queensland Local Government Minister David Crisafulli said the federal
government should be able to fund local government directly. "Our
number one priority is to make sure constitutional recognition allows
councils to be funded directly by the federal government, rather than
giving Canberra the ability to dictate to them from a place far, far
away," he said.<br />
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Despite their opposition, it is unclear how vigorously NSW and Victoria will campaign against the referendum, if at all.John
Wanna, professor of public administration at Australian National
University, said the change would be constitutional "dynamite",
representing a "substantial erosion of state power". "The
Commonwealth could start running the health system or the forthcoming
NDIS through councils and bypass the states altogether," he said. "The
states will find it harder to sack corrupt councils or forcibly
amalgamate them," he said, suggesting recognition would be implied in
the constitution however modest the actual wording of the change.<br />
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Supporters
want better recognition of local government and more secure access to
Commonwealth funding. But Anne Twomey, a constitutional law professor
at Sydney University, said:"I find it hard to believe a single
councillor will get one iota more respect after such a constitutional
change." She said the referendum's success would "permit the
Commonwealth to engage in pork-barrelling before elections through
local councils, where such action might otherwise be unconstitutional,"
and prompt growth in bureaucracy in Canberra."The Commonwealth can already give as much money as it wants to the states through section 96 of the constitution". The professor said Victoria and NSW stood to lose the most, as federal funding for councils was based on states' populations. "Ultimately, the Commonwealth could come up with a different funding formula that broke that link" she said.<br />
<i> _____________________ | ____________________</i></div>
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Ross Parisihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06615592651520788835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119607598372255618.post-46010316036688157782013-04-08T23:18:00.000+10:002013-04-08T23:18:11.444+10:00Margaret Thatcher dies aged 87<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Margaret Thatcher, who has died at the age
of 87. Photograph: Oli Scarff/Getty Images</div>
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The UK's first female prime minister changed way Britons viewed politics and economics'</div>
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<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/margaretthatcher" title="More from guardian.co.uk on Margaret Thatcher">Margaret
Thatcher</a>, the most dominant British prime minister since Winston Churchill
in 1940 and a global champion of the late 20th century free market economic
revival, has died. Her spokesman, Lord Bell, said on Monday: "It is with great sadness that Mark
and Carol Thatcher announced that their mother Baroness Thatcher died peacefully
following a stroke this morning.</div>
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Downing Street announced that she would receive a ceremonial funeral with
military honours at St Paul's Cathedral. David Cameron, who is cutting short his trip to Europe to return to London
following the news, said: "It was with great sadness that l learned of Lady
Thatcher's death. We've lost a great leader, a great prime minister and a great
Briton." Buckingham Palace said the Queen was sad to hear the news and that she would
be sending a private message of sympathy to the family.<br />
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The first woman elected to lead a major western state, Lady Thatcher, as she
became after the longest premiership since 1827, served 11 unbroken years at No
10. She was only overthrown by an internal Tory party coup in 1990 after her
reckless promotion of the poll tax led to rioting in Trafalgar Square. Thatcher who was 87, had been in declining health for some years, suffering
from dementia. The death of Sir Denis Thatcher, her husband of 50 years and
closest confidante, intensified her isolation in what had proved a frustrating
retirement, despite energetic worldwide activity in the early years.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
After a series of mini-strokes in 2002 Thatcher withdrew from public life, no
longer able to make the kind of waspish pronouncements that had been her forte
in office – and beyond. Her death was greeted with tributes from across the political spectrum. The
deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg, said: "Margaret Thatcher was one of the
defining figures in modern British politics. "Whatever side of the political debate you stand on, no one can deny that as
prime minister she left a unique and lasting imprint on the country she served.
She may have divided opinion during her time in politics but everyone will be
united today in acknowledging the strength of her personality and the radicalism
of her politics."<br />
<br />
The work and pensions secretary, Iain Duncan Smith, said: "Watching her set
out to change Britain for the better in 1979 made me believe there was, at last,
real purpose and real leadership in politics once again. She bestrode the
political world like a colossus." The mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: "Her memory will live long after
the world has forgotten the grey suits of today's politics." The "Iron Lady" proved a significant cold war ally of US president Ronald
Reagan in the final showdown with the Soviet Union, which broke up under
reformist pressures led by Mikhail Gorbachev, a Kremlin leader with whom
Thatcher famously declared she could "do business". As a result, many ordinary voters in ex-Soviet bloc states saw her as a bold
champion of their liberty, a view widely shared across the spectrum of
mainstream US opinion – though not at home or among key EU partners. Thatcher was an unremarkable mid-ranking Conservative politician – known
chiefly for being a "milk-snatching" education secretary under Edward Heath
(1970-74) – until she unexpectedly overthrew her twice-defeated boss to become
party leader in 1975.Within a decade Thatcher had become known around the world – both admired and
detested – for her pro-market domestic reforms and her implacable attitudes in
foreign policy, including her long-running battle with the IRA, which almost
managed to murder her when it placed a bomb in the Grand Hotel, Brighton in
1984.<br />
<br />
At home the emerging doctrine of Thatcherism meant denationalisation of
state-owned industry – the new word "privatisation" came into widespread use in
many countries – and defeat of militant trade unionists, notably the National
Union of Miners (NUM), whose year-long strike (1984-85) was bitter and
traumatic. Boosted by the newly arrived revenues from Britain's North Sea oil fields,
Thatcher had room to manoeuvre and reform the ageing industrial economy in ways
denied to postwar predecessors, and she used the opportunity to quell her
enemies – including moderate "wets" in her own party and cabinet. But she also deployed her notorious "handbaggings" in the European Union to
obtain a British rebate – "my money," as she called it. She was less successful
in fending off the centralising ambitions of the "Belgian empire", her
description of the European commission, especially in the years when it was
headed by the French socialist Jacques Delors.<br />
<br />
A further sign of her losing her grip came when Thatcher, long a sympathiser
with the apartheid regime in South Africa against the liberation movement,
dismissed Nelson Mandela as a terrorist. Her allies in the tabloid press, notably Rupert Murdoch's Sun, egged her on.
And, as the British economy recovered from the severe recession that her
monetarist medicine had inflicted on it – to tame the unions and cure inflation
– she briefly seemed invincible. But untrammelled power, the defeat or retirement of allies who had kept her
in check, led to mistakes and growing unpopularity. When Sir Geoffrey Howe,
nominally her deputy, finally fell out with Thatcher – chiefly over Europe – his
devastating resignation speech triggered Michael Heseltine's leadership
challenge. It had been expected since he resigned as defence secretary over the Westland
helicopter affair in 1986, Thatcher's closest previous brush with political
death. Heseltine denied her outright victory in the first round of voting – then
confined only to MPs – and she made way for John Major rather than risk losing
to him in the second ballot.<br />
<br />
In retirement she wrote highly successful memoirs in two volumes and
campaigned energetically on behalf of the Thatcher Foundation, which sought to
promote her values – free markets and Anglo-Saxon liberties – around the world.
Speaking engagements made her moderately wealthy and she made her final home in
London's Belgravia.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/gallery/2013/apr/08/margaret-thatcher-life-in-pictures">http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/gallery/2013/apr/08/margaret-thatcher-life-in-pictures</a><br />
<br />
________________ | ________________</div>
</div>
</div>
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Ross Parisihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06615592651520788835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119607598372255618.post-67017716488757010022013-04-03T15:44:00.000+10:002013-04-03T15:44:27.990+10:00Tribute to Bryan Law 1954 - 2013<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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by <a data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=100001635600229" href="http://www.facebook.com/ross.parisi.7" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Ross Parisi</a> on Tuesday, 2 April 2013 <span class="timelineUnitContainer" style="position: relative;"><div class="uiSelector inlineBlock audienceSelector timelineAudienceSelector audienceSelectorNoTruncate dynamicIconSelector uiSelectorNormal uiSelectorDynamicTooltip" style="display: inline-block; margin-left: 1px; margin-top: -3px; max-width: 200px; vertical-align: top; zoom: 1;">
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How does one accept such sad news without asking why and why now. Each one of us will have enduring memories of a man I affectionately called the 'big fella.'</div>
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<br /></div>
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I will miss him for a multitude of reasons but most of all because of his beliefs, his integrity and his tenacity to right the things he saw wrong. He had an astonishing ability to inspire strength where there was weakness and determination where there was intrepidation.</div>
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Ridicule and derision, by his political adversaries did not penetrate his shield of honor. Indeed, it made him stronger and more determined to strive for what he believed in. It made him resilient. </div>
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<br /></div>
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His ability to articulate and persuade were virtues that most of us at best can only aspire too. </div>
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He detested the abuse of power, particularly by those in authority. He saw through the shallowness of impostors and pretenders. </div>
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<br /></div>
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But surrounded by all that, inside was a gentle man and a sensitive man, a caring man that loved his family, like only he could.</div>
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Bryan, you will be sadly missed not only by your family, but by your friends and foes alike. </div>
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My heartfelt condolences are extended to his loving wife Margaret and to his cherished son Joseph.</div>
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I will miss you too, big fella.</div>
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<span class="photo " style="padding: 0px;"><img alt="" class="photo_img img" src="http://sphotos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/526511_513532682044581_308963014_n.jpg" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 620px; padding: 0px;" /></span></div>
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Bryan Law</div>
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Ross Parisihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06615592651520788835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119607598372255618.post-69447474980617573072013-03-18T00:40:00.002+10:002013-03-19T07:05:56.236+10:00Paul Keating ex Prime Minister of Australia | and insightful interview<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
You don't have to be a true believer to recognise there are few in
public life who make an idea sing the way Paul Keating does. And here,
in this Sydney Writers Festival special event, he's in full stride
speaking with the ABC's Kerry O'Brien.<br />
<br />
Known as much for his
acerbic tongue as for his economic reform, Paul Keating lives up to his
reputation at this Sydney Writers' Festival Special Event. The anecdotes
flow thick and fast, from reflections on an indignant childhood to the
new domestic carbon tax, to the larger geopolitical stage and the
opportunities missed by both Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.<br />
<br />
According
to Keating, Obama should have had the sword out from Day One. Instead,
he's been too concerned with sending all the customers away satisfied.
Keating quotes one of his mentors, Jack Lang: "In political life, you
need a decent stock of enemies".<br />
<br />
In a wide-ranging conversation
with the ABC's Kerry O'Brien, the loose focus is "After Words",
Keating's new collection of post prime ministerial speeches. As you'll
see, Keating is clearly enjoying being centre stage once again.<br />
<br />
Paul
Keating became Australia's 24th Prime Minister in 1991 after
successfully challenging Bob Hawke for the Labor leadership, and won the
so-called "unwinnable" election just over a year later. During office,
he introduced compulsory superannuation, deregulated the financial
sector and floated the Australian dollar. He was defeated at the 1996
election by his long-time nemesis John Howard, but remains an ebullient
contributor to the Australian economic and political arenas. He has
recently published a book, "After Words: Post-Prime Ministerial
Speeches".<br />
<br />
Kerry O'Brien is an Australian journalist based in
Sydney. He is the former editor and longtime host of "The 7.30 Report"
on the ABC and the present host of the current affairs show "Four
Corners". <br />
<br />
O'Brien has had roles as a general reporter, feature
writer, political and foreign correspondent, interviewer and compere,
and also served as press secretary to then Labor Prime Minister Gough
Whitlam.<br />
<br />
_______________ | ______________ <br />
<br />
<br />
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=G4pEc0ZIdYU<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQpL5cltCbISXTjshl_TeksJdVFlNeOAVeznax4s5pyMgpGJyHT" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" class="rg_i" data-src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQpL5cltCbISXTjshl_TeksJdVFlNeOAVeznax4s5pyMgpGJyHT" data-sz="f" name="8zWfb_E5bOXwhM:" src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQpL5cltCbISXTjshl_TeksJdVFlNeOAVeznax4s5pyMgpGJyHT" style="height: 168px; margin-top: 0px; width: 299px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Paul Keating ex Prime Minister of Australia 1991 to 1996</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
_______________ | _____________ <br />
<a href="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQpL5cltCbISXTjshl_TeksJdVFlNeOAVeznax4s5pyMgpGJyHT" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0px;"></a></div>
Ross Parisihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06615592651520788835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119607598372255618.post-88409147016217438072013-03-17T01:53:00.000+10:002013-03-17T01:53:26.913+10:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h1 class="story-header">
Pope Francis wants 'poor Church for the poor' </h1>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/66263000/jpg/_66263183_photo%283%29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="image of Michael Hirst" border="0" src="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/66263000/jpg/_66263183_photo%283%29.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="byline">
<span class="byline-name">Michael Hirst</span>
<span class="byline-title">BBC News, Rome</span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21812545 <br />
<br />
Pope
Francis has said he wants "a poor Church, for the poor" following his
election as head of the world's 1.2bn Catholics on Wednesday. He said he chose the name Francis after 12-13th Century St Francis of Assisi, who represented "poverty and peace". He urged journalists to get to know the Church with its
"virtues and sins" and to share its focus on "truth, goodness and
beauty". Pope Francis takes over from Benedict XVI, who abdicated last month. The former Argentine cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 76, was
the surprise choice of cardinals meeting in Rome to choose a new head of
the Church.<br />
<br />
<div class="story-feature wide ">
Divulging details of the conclave is punishable by
excommunication. Only the Pope can release his electors from the vow of
secrecy.Which is a good thing, because speaking in fluent Italian -
and often off the cuff - to journalists in a packed Paul VI Hall, Pope
Francis told of the moment he was elected. When he passed the crucial two-thirds threshold, his close
friend, the Brazilian Cardinal Claudio Hummes hugged him, kissed him and
entreated: "Don't forget the poor!" "And that word went in here," said the new Pope, pointing to his head.<br />
<br />
It's widely thought that each cardinal has a name up their
sleeve before the election, just in case, but the 76-year-old Argentine
suggested his choice was spontaneous. The son of an aristocrat, St Francis of Assisi spurned a life
of luxury to live with and for the poor. The new Pope, the son of an
Italian railway worker, said how he was inspired by the 13th Century
Italian saint who was a man of both poverty and peace. "How I wish the Church could become poor again," he said. In his first audience at the
Vatican, he said Jesus Christ and not the Pope was the centre of the
Church, which he stressed was "spiritual not political" in nature.<br />
</div>
He said the Holy Spirit had inspired the resignation of Benedict XVI and guided the cardinals choosing him as the next pontiff. The Pope said he had been inspired to take the name Francis
by a Brazilian colleague who embraced him and whispered "don't forget
the poor" when it was announced that he had been elected Pope. He said he immediately thought of St Francis of Assisi, the
Italian founder of the Franciscan Order who was devoted to the poor.<br />
<br />
As well as representing poverty and peace, he said St Francis
"loved and looked after" creation - and he noted that humanity was "not
having a good relationship with nature at the moment". St Francis of Assisi is said to have loved animals as his "brothers and sisters" and even to have preached to birds.
<span class="cross-head">Humour</span>
<br />
There had been speculation that Pope Francis - who was a
member of the Jesuit order - had chosen his name in honour of St Francis
Xavier, a 16th Century Jesuit missionary in Asia. But he said this was
not the case.<br />
<br />
The new Pope's style is very different to that of his predecessor, BBC Vatican correspondent David Willey says. He talks in simple, easy to understand terms about ethical
values and shows a remarkable sense of humour, our correspondent says. Earlier, the Vatican said Pope Francis would visit his predecessor Pope emeritus Benedict next week.Pope Benedict, 85, became the first Pope in 600 years to
abdicate last month when he said old age and health meant he could no
longer continue in the job.<br />
<br />
__________________ | _________________ </div>
Ross Parisihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06615592651520788835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119607598372255618.post-53062782300840511912013-03-16T21:53:00.002+10:002013-03-16T22:02:19.863+10:00Save City Place - make it WOW! '<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcIzD-A599LMINpIPWFWN7bUCkLqGsloTuPfVbRTmt1jxMkm6RtGWMhaZ4FABC-nhi0Q_FLh29QKnrD_-w7b0nUhOKtZMDjbWYJEjjqNa7aHRF-fR3IHMGi8IPafIK-gLYwtUB9yVRryU/s1600/City+Place.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
<b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>City Place - Reasons why 'Save City Place - make it WOW', rejects Options 1 and 2, but supports</b> <i><b>Option 3 </b></i></span></b></h4>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
OPTION 1: Open City Place to buses and cars, develop the Shield St extensions<br />
<br />
OPTION 2: Open City Place to buses only<br />
<br />
<i><b>OPTION 3:</b></i> <b>Revitalise City Place as a pedestrian-only precinct</b><br />
<br />
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgleMv3yrkMNL9UVRWgUZvSAJi6hn3gMdOFW5IbJiuXSm_SQOqzo5E8QNUfwxN4O2WG4IYybUuKUDDffNgF2FKQu-FSr9VlpCrPe3zwP0KvnkSVwaySzGhkf_RPZC2pYvtmQIu7VCaSvOA/s1600/Cairns-WebUsual-CITYPLACE-C0208942.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgleMv3yrkMNL9UVRWgUZvSAJi6hn3gMdOFW5IbJiuXSm_SQOqzo5E8QNUfwxN4O2WG4IYybUuKUDDffNgF2FKQu-FSr9VlpCrPe3zwP0KvnkSVwaySzGhkf_RPZC2pYvtmQIu7VCaSvOA/s320/Cairns-WebUsual-CITYPLACE-C0208942.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Silvia, and Geoff Holland with CRC Security Officer looking on.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
<b>Why we wish to retain and revitalise City Place as a pedestrian precinct</b></h4>
<div style="text-align: left;">
1. City Place is the Heart of Cairns. In 2011 Cairns Regional Council announced they were not going to destroy City Place, merely move it into the corridor between Lake St and Grafton St. It would be called the “Heart of Shields St”. In March 2013, Cairns Regional Council announced that the “Heart of Shields St” would be relocated into the corridor between Lake St and Abbott St. It would no longer be called the “Heart of Shields St”. Council’s landscape architect Jez Clark, who came up with council’s latest design, said “I think the heart idea is quite strange in a sense in that it’s a lineal, it’s.. my heart’s kind of in one place [forming a circle with his hands]. I think it’s more of a lineal sort of experience.” Jez Clark admits – the Heart of Cairns is gone in his latest design.<br />
<br />
2. City Place is our Town Square. A Town Square is the most important civic space where citizens can gather to discuss issues and to defend the social and democratic values of their community and country. The significance of Town Squares has a history going back hundreds of years in Europe and elsewhere. It took 130 years for Melbourne to establish a Town Square because New South Wales Governor George Gipps specifically banned in 1838 the creation of open squares because he believed they would only encourage democracy. <br />
<br />
City Place is where Mabo Day and NAIDOC Week have traditionally been launched. A significant rally was held there by unions in September 2012. The Cairns City Forum earlier in 2012 gave an opportunity for the public to ask questions directly to candidates of both the State and Local elections, a forum facilitated by Toastmasters International. A free speech podium is located in City Place to allow anyone to have their say. Earth Hour has been celebrated in City Place.<br />
<br />
The corridor between Lake St and Abbott St on Shields St is not appropriate as a meeting place. Jez Clark has described how the proposed splash base fountain can be switched off so the audience for an event can stand in the fountain. This is unsatisfactory. We need a grassy terraced amphitheatre with shade from the sun and shelter from the rain in front of the stage as we propose in Option 3 where the current performance stage is located.<br />
<br />
3. City Place is a focal point and meeting place. Visitors enjoy and benefit from a focal point to orient themselves in a city. City Place is that focal point. It is a meeting point. A major iconic fountain or waterfall in City Place which would be a signature landmark for Cairns, would further define a focal point and meeting place for the City.<br />
<br />
4. City Place is a unique space. It is the only place in the Cairns CBD with four heritage buildings on all corners including historic Hides Hotel and the School of Arts building where the Cairns Museum is located. It has a magnificent fig tree on one side. It is close enough to the ocean to catch the sea breezes.<br />
<br />
5. City Place has a special history. Located beside Gimuy Lagoon, it was a meeting place of the Gimuy Wallabarra Clan for over a thousand years. Gimuy Lagoon still exists under Rockmans, Woolworths and Orchid Plaza. A creek still runs underground from the lagoon down Shields St, under the Esplanade Lagoon and out to sea. The Aborigines of the Gimuy Wallabarra Clan made shields from the buttress roots of the Gimuy fig trees (slippery blue figs) that grew around the lagoon. They did this without killing the trees. Gimuy is the original name for Cairns. This history could be depicted in interpretive signs and Aboriginal public art reflecting the water stories of the original inhabitants.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZvS7UxZPN5MUMw6dTDpY24uCGjYwu9QkYed12-ABUzcw4csfwUKoIZYtx3pnmlHQ1iS2JGLGSpiy2km4ZS3iHC3STCTJaJgqZfGe9J__W8UaK1kN-0c1PuQYL4ptBMTx8uwCBryDWsHs/s1600/Cairns-WebUsual-MANNING-CC257200.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZvS7UxZPN5MUMw6dTDpY24uCGjYwu9QkYed12-ABUzcw4csfwUKoIZYtx3pnmlHQ1iS2JGLGSpiy2km4ZS3iHC3STCTJaJgqZfGe9J__W8UaK1kN-0c1PuQYL4ptBMTx8uwCBryDWsHs/s320/Cairns-WebUsual-MANNING-CC257200.JPG" width="216" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mayor Cr. Bob Manning</td></tr>
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<h4 style="text-align: left;">
<b>Reasons why we reject OPTION 1 and OPTION 2</b></h4>
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<br />
1. There is no reason to open City Place to vehicles. We were told it was necessary to open City Place to buses because we needed an efficient bus service. But the creation of an ambiguous and dangerous “shared zone” with all buses having to weave through one of the busiest pedestrian zones in the CBD will But the Cairns Transit Network in the city will get rid of all bus stops in the CBD except one pair located on Lake St at Aplin St. This means bus commuters will have to walk much further to get to their destination, including elderly, disabled and young parents with toddlers, in the hot tropical sun and heavy tropical downpours.<br />
<br />
2. Bus stops reduced from 10 to 2. The Cairns Transit Network in the city will get rid of all bus stops in the CBD except one pair located on Lake St at Aplin St. This means bus commuters will have to walk much further to get to their destination, including elderly, disabled and young parents with toddlers, in the hot tropical sun and heavy tropical downpours. The Cairns Transit Network would actually reduce amenity for bus passengers! Under Option 3 we would develop existing bus stops in Abbott St (near Woolworths, Orchid Plaza), a pair of bus stops on Spence St between Grafton and Sheridan St, and a pair if bus stops on McLeod St between Shields St and Aplin St. Bus passengers could then access any bus route in Cairns from any of these bus stops, and they would provide good coverage of the CBD. Under this plan, bus stops would be removed from Lake St.<br />
<br />
3. No more Heart of Cairns, only a “lineal experience”. Option 1 and Option 2 would relocate City Place into the Heart of Shields St – in the corridor between Abbott St and Lake St. This is a corridor space not a focal point – a Heart of the City. Council architect Jez Clark said “I think the heart idea is quite strange in a sense that it’s a lineal, it’s... My heart’s [indicates round shape of a heart with his hands] kind of in one place. I think it’s more of a lineal sort of experience and I think it’s difficult to talk when you use that language.” But Jez, we want a City Heart!<br />
<br />
4. No performances permitted. Existing city ordinances would not allow performances in this corridor because of noise regulations. Noise regulations allow performances in City Place because Cairns Regional Council have known this open space can manage and tolerate increased noise levels, unlike the corridor between Lake St and Abbott St which is a relatively closed space, and has a more direct impact on local businesses at close range.<br />
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5. Performing artists say not a performance space. Bands and performing artists have signed a petition saying the corridor space between Lake and Abbott St on Shields St is not an appropriate space for performances.<br />
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6. The audience has to stand. Under Option 1 and Option 2, the audience of the performance stage would have to stand in the “splash base” fountain area. This is because there is limited space. Under Option 3, on the other hand, the grassy area in front of the performance stage in City Place would be expanded into a larger shaded terraced grassy amphitheatre. People would not have to stand up to watch a performance but could relax on the grass.<br />
<br />
7. Two pedestrian zones cut by a busy road. Under Option 1 and Option 2 we are supposedly creating two City Places either side of Lake St for pedestrians but it is cut in two by a busy road with all buses passing through at slow speed suggesting bottlenecks and queues. <br />
<br />
8. The road would be even hotter than City Place is now. What little shade we still have will be removed to make way for the road.<br />
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9. There would be no truly pedestrian-only zones in the CBD – just ‘shared zones’. The Shields St extensions (between Abbott and Lake St, and between Lake and Grafton St) will not be pedestrian only. They will be “shared zones” with some vehicle access. City Place is our only truly pedestrian zone in the CBD and we wish to keep it!<br />
<br />
10. No major fountain / waterfall focus. Option 1 and Option 2 provide 6 mediocre off-the-shelf water features. Option 3 would provide one large iconic fountain or waterfall in City Place which would signify the Heart of Cairns, a meeting place. It would be a signature for Cairns, the Reef and the rainforest. Visitors would come to have their [photos taken in front of the fountain / waterfall and show friends back in their home country. Locals would meet there as it would be an unmistakeable pinpoint landmark. Option 3 would also provide a number of lesser water features.<br />
<br />
11. Heavy vehicles may put heritage buildings at risk. City Place is the only square in Cairns that has heritage buildings on all four corners. City Place is also built on swamp, and the ground is susceptible to movement. Having all buses drive past these heritage buildings regularly, particularly Hides Hotel and the School of the Arts building where Cairns Museum is located, could damage these buildings over time.<br />
<br />
12. No children’s playground. Option 1 and Option 2 would get rid of the children’s playground in Shields St between Lake St and Abbott St replacing it with the performance stage. While there would be a “splash base” fountain, this would be intermittent and not a regular play structure for children. Under Option 3 the children’s play structures would remain and there would be a splash base fountain with shade sails similar to Muddies Playground. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Proposed demolition of City Place.</td></tr>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<i>Features of Option 3</i></h3>
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1. Tropical oasis. Under Option 3 City Place would become a tropical oasis – a cool space where people can relax during the heat of the day.<br />
<br />
2. Large native tropical shade trees. When Council removed the large shade trees some years ago, City Place became too hot for people to spend time in during the day. They replanted with Brazilian leopard trees which were inappropriate and have not provided adequate shade. Mature native shade trees can be planted if pruned before planting. A full canopy can be achieved within 1 year (tourist resorts plant mature trees all the time).<br />
<br />
3. Grassy seating area. Locals remember the grassy hill where people used to relax. Under Option 3, the grassy area in front of the performance stage would be expanded into a larger terraced grassy amphitheatre. It would have shade from the sun and shelter from the rain allowing performances and other events even when raining.<br />
<br />
4. State-of-the-art performance stage. Performers were never consulted over the previous design of the performance stage and as a result it is largely dysfunctional as it does not provide protection from the elements, has not facilities for changing, and does not provide acoustical projection. A new state-of-the-art performance stage may incorporate some of the existing stage. However the design process would be sure to consult with local performing artists and look at best practice around the world.<br />
<br />
5. Iconic fountain/waterfall. Option 1 and 2 offer 6 minor water features taken off-the-shelf. Option 3 would see a City Place designed around one major iconic water feature, plus a number of minor water features such as a splash base fountain in Shields St next to the children’s playground, and another between Lake and Grafton St on Shields St, and another on Lake St behind the performance stage – an area which would be developed for outdoor dining and cafés. This iconic fountain/waterfall would be a landmark. It would be a signature for Cairns reflecting the local Aboriginal culture, and the water stories of Far North tropical rainforest. It would be a place which visitors have heard of before they even arrive in Cairns, and go there to have their photo taken so show friends back home. It would be a meeting place for locals. It would help cool the tropical oasis in City Place.<br />
<br />
6. Tourist Information Kiosk. A small stylish tourist information kiosk would be located in City Place. This would double as a Police Beat Desk. Amongst other things this Tourist Information Kiosk would have brochures on “What’s On in Cairns”, and also bus timetables and a map of bus routes in Cairns and the region.<br />
<br />
7. 24/7 Police Beat Desk. There was previously a Police Beat office in City Place, but this was moved down to the Esplanade Lagoon. There is a need to establish a Police Beat Desk once again. There would be two police officers on duty all the time. They would have a mobile phone, and this mobile number would be made public to all shop owners, and the names of those on duty would be available on a roster on the Web. The mobile phone would be handed to the next pair of officers when changing shift. Ideally the police officers would be Aboriginal and specially trained in Aboriginal Liaison, and well as Tourist Liaison. They may have special colourful uniforms. They would patrol City Place and the extensions for 100m in every direction. <br />
<br />
8. Public art. We have seen successful examples of public art on the Esplanade and other locations around Cairns. City Place also deserves quality public art. This art, including sculpture and mosaics, could reflect the waterstories of the original Aboriginal Bama inhabitants of City Place, the Gimuy Yidinji people.<br />
<br />
9. Historical interpretive signs. Interpretive signs could relate the history of Gimuy Lagoon located at City Place, the gimuy trees whose buttress roots were used to make shields. They could form part of a historical walk and relate to the Cairns Museum located in City Place. The signs could also relate to the history of the heritage buildings located on each corner of City Place.<br />
<br />
__________________ | ___________________ </div>
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Ross Parisihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06615592651520788835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119607598372255618.post-38576103198916831792013-03-15T15:23:00.000+10:002013-03-15T15:23:13.175+10:00Italy Did Not Just Send in The Clowns<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Why The Political Stalemate Is a Warning to Democracies Everywhere
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<a href="http://www.foreignaffairs.com/author/jonathan-hopkin">Jonathan Hopkin</a> </div>
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<span class="date-display-single">March 11, 2013</span> </div>
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Prime Minister Mario
Monti's recent resignation and former Prime Minister Silivio
Berlusconi’s return to politics are unlikely to be game changers. In
fact, they are simply the latest examples of a broader problem in
Italian politics: the inability of conservatives to build a credible
political party.<br />
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<img alt="" height="255" src="http://www.foreignaffairs.com/files/images/Hopkin_ItalyDidNotJust_411.jpg" style="vertical-align: top;" width="411" /><em> </em><br />
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<em>Silvio Berlusconi in 2011</em>. (Tony Gentile / Courtesy Reuters)<br />
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Italy's inconclusive election on February 25 did nothing to help the
country's image abroad. In noting that more than half of Italians cast
their vote for either Silvio Berlusconi, the former prime minister, or
Beppe Grillo, leader of the Five Stars Movement, international observers
resorted to familiar tropes. Painting Italy's political system as
farcical and chaotic, the German Social Democratic leader Peer
Steinbrück commented that Italy had elected<a href="http://econ.st/XdfGj7" target="_blank"><strong> two clowns</strong></a>.
Of course one of them, Grillo, is an actual comedian, whose party
polled an extraordinary 25 percent of the vote in its first national
election. But Steinbrück should not have been so quick to condemn: the
results of the Italian election are a reflection -- albeit an
exaggerated one -- of trends that all European democracies are facing.<br />
<br />
Italy's political impasse is the direct result of declining popular
support for the two broad political coalitions that have shaped its
politics for the last two decades: the center-left, currently organized
around the Democratic Party (PD), and the conservatives, dominated by
the People of Freedom (PDL), led by Berlusconi. Throughout the 1990s and
2000s, one of these coalitions generally won enough parliamentary seats
to form a government, albeit often by including unpredictable minor
parties in their governing majority. <br />
This time, though, neither has garnered anywhere near enough support
to form a government. The Italian constitution requires a government to
win a majority in both houses of parliament before it can take the
reins. The PD has a comfortable majority in the lower house, thanks
mostly to electoral laws that grant a generous number of bonus house
seats to the winning coalition. The party is far short of majority in
the Senate, though, since the law allocates Senate bonus seats at the
regional level, which benefited the PD and PDL more or less equally.<br />
<br />
The current Italian electoral law was passed in 2005 by Berlusconi's
government in an attempt to cement his grip on power. By allocating seat
bonuses to the winning coalition, it was supposed to ensure a secure
parliamentary majority for the government. But this only works if the
two main coalitions dominate the contest. Together, the lists of Pier
Luigi Bersani (of the PD) and Berlusconi pulled in only 59 percent of
the vote in this election, almost 30 points fewer than their results in
the last election in 2008. Widespread surprise at the Berlusconi
coalition's strong comeback in the election, coming close to winning
victory in the lower house, has distracted from the fact that it has
hemorrhaged more than seven million votes since 2008. The center-left
coalition, meanwhile, lost more than three and half million votes. The
outgoing prime ,minister, Mario Monti, who <a href="http://fam.ag/XTcadv" target="_blank"><strong>unwisely stood</strong></a> at the head of a centrist coalition, also performed well below expectations, coming in at only ten percent of the vote.<br />
<br />
One reading of this extraordinary outcome is that it was a protest
against the painful spending cuts, tax increases, and economic reforms
that Monti's government implemented as a precondition (albeit an
unstated one) for European Central Bank support. The fact that,
together, Grillo, who promised a referendum on the euro, and Berlusconi,
who took a <a href="http://on.ft.com/XQokD6" target="_blank"><strong>euroskeptic stance</strong></a> throughout 2012, won more than half of the votes was <a href="http://bit.ly/XTcAkj" target="_blank"><strong>described by the economist Joseph Stiglitz</strong></a> as "a clear message to Europe's leaders: the austerity policies that they have pursued are being rejected by voters."<br />
<br />
But the Italian election is telling us much more than that. In fact,
Grillo's party, founded only in 2009, focused less on euroskepticism
than on a blanket rejection of the established Italian political elite
and its way of doing politics. Rejecting traditional campaign techniques
in favor of social media, the party pushed its agenda of, first, ending
the generous state subsidies and salaries paid to Italy's political
parties and elected politicians and, second, replacing them with a
vaguely conceived Internet-based representation system. The Grillo
phenomenon is a challenge not only to austerity politics, but to the
traditional party system itself. The economic crisis gave Grillo a
favorable wind, but his offensive against Italy's corrupt and
self-serving politicians was brewing even before the downturn began.<br />
<br />
It would be unwise to dismiss the election results as yet another
Italian anomaly. All across Europe, membership of political parties is
at its lowest level since the World War II. Voters are also less loyal
than ever to traditional parties -- they are more likely to switch votes
to a rival party or an entirely new one. Only days after Grillo's
triumph, the UK Independence Party, which campaigns for British
withdrawal from the EU, came to within 2,000 votes of winning a
by-election held to replace a disgraced Liberal Democrat MP, pushing the
ruling Conservatives into third place. And the success of the Pirate
Party in Sweden, the anti-Islam party led by Geert Wilders in the
Netherlands, and more established populist parties such as the French
Front National, confirm that Italy is far from being an outlier.<br />
<br />
The economic crisis in Europe is threatening the very survival of the
mainstream political parties. European citizens have been showing signs
of frustration and dissatisfaction with their elected politicians for
years. Even before the crisis, voters had tired of choosing between
broadly similar political parties whose policy options are constrained
by European laws or the pressures of globalization. Faced with the worst
economic crisis since the Great Depression, this frustration is boiling
over into resentment and rejection. And the imposition of draconian
measures by supranational institutions only makes things worse. All that
has created a crisis of legitimacy for Europe's ailing political
parties. If the established political class can be blown out of the
water in Italy, politicians Europe-wide must be wondering how safe they
are from a similar fate. Political parties not only need to address the
economic crisis, they also need to reconnect with voters and revitalize
their central role in democratic politics. If they do not, what happened
in Italy may soon repeat.<br />
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_________________ | ________________ </div>
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Ross Parisihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06615592651520788835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119607598372255618.post-21646910138812646262013-03-15T10:18:00.000+10:002013-03-15T10:56:16.638+10:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Francis's humility on display from day one as new Pope
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Pope Francis conducts his first public Mass</b></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The face of humility</b></td></tr>
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Pope Francis put his humility on display during his first day as
pontiff, stopping by his hotel to pick up his luggage and pay the bill
himself in a decidedly different style of papacy than his
tradition-minded predecessor, who tended to stay ensconced in the
frescoed halls of the Vatican.<b> </b>The break from Benedict XVI's pontificate was evident even in
Francis' wardrobe choices: He kept the simple pectoral cross of his days
as bishop and eschewed the red cape that Benedict wore when he was
presented to the world for the first time in 2005 - choosing instead the
simple white cassock of the papacy. </div>
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The difference in style was a
sign of Francis' belief that the Catholic Church needs to be at one
with the people it serves and not imposing its message on a society that
often doesn't want to hear it, Francis' authorised biographer, Sergio
Rubin, said. "It seems to me for now what is certain is it's a
great change of style, which for us isn't a small thing," Rubin said,
recalling how the former Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio would celebrate Masses
with ex-prostitutes in Buenos Aires. He believes the church has to go to the streets," he said, "to
express this closeness of the church and this accompaniment with the
people who suffer.<br />
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Francis began his first day as pope making an
early morning visit in a simple Vatican car to a Roman basilica
dedicated to the Virgin Mary and prayed before an icon of the Madonna. He
had told a crowd of some 100,000 people packed in rain-soaked St
Peter's Square just after his election that he intended to pray to the
Madonna "that she may watch over all of Rome." He also told
cardinals he would call on retired Pope Benedict XVI, but the Vatican
said the visit wouldn't take place for a few days.<br />
<br />
The main item
on Francis' agenda was an inaugural afternoon Mass in the Sistine
Chapel, where he warned that the Catholic Church risked becoming little
more than a charity with no spiritual foundations if it fails to undergo
renewal. Addressing the cardinals who elected him as Latin
America's first pope, the 76-year-old Argentinian said the church could
"end up a compassionate NGO", using an Italian word that can also mean
"pitiful". "I would like all of us after these days of grace to
have the courage to walk in the presence of the Lord," Francis said,
amid the splendour of the Sistine Chapel. He warned the cardinals against "the worldliness of the Devil". "Walking,
building and confessing are not so easy. Sometimes there are tremors,"
the Pope said, in a homily that will be scrutinised for clues to the
style of his leadership.<br />
<br />
Francis, the first Jesuit pope and first
non-European since the Middle Ages, decided to call himself Francis
after St Francis of Assisi, the humble friar who dedicated his life to
helping the poor. The new pope, known for his work with the poor
in Buenos Aires' slums, immediately charmed the crowd in St Peter's,
which roared when his name was announced and roared again when he
emerged on the loggia of the basilica with a simple and familiar:
"Brothers and sisters, good evening."<br />
<br />
By the morning, members of
his flock were similarly charmed when Francis stopped by the
Vatican-owned residence where he routinely stays during visits to Rome
and where he stayed before the start of the conclave to pick up his
luggage, pay the bill and greet staff. "He wanted to come here
because he wanted to thank the personnel, people who work in this
house," said The Reverend Pawel Rytel-Andrianek, who is staying at the
residence. "He greeted them one by one, no rush, the whole staff, one by
one." "People say that he never in these 20 years asked for a
(Vatican) car," he said. "Even when he went for the conclave with a
priest from his diocese, he just walked out to the main road, he picked
up a taxi and went to the conclave. So very simple for a future pope."<br />
<br />
Francis
displayed that same sense of simplicity and humility immediately after
his election, shunning the special sedan that was to transport him to
the hotel so he could ride on the bus with other cardinals, and refusing
even an elevated platform from which he would greet them, according to
US Cardinal Timothy Dolan. "He met with us on our own level," Cardinal Dolan said. "I
think we're going to see a call to Gospel simplicity," said US Cardinal
Donald Wuerl. "He is by all accounts a very gentle but firm, very
loving but fearless, a very pastoral and caring person ideal for the
challenges today."<br />
<br />
During dinner, Francis, however, acknowledged
the daunting nature of those challenges in a few words addressed to the
cardinal electors: "'May God forgive you for what you have done,"'
Francis said, according to witnesses. The Vatican spokesman the
Reverend Federico Lombardi acknowledged the difference in style between
the two popes, attributing it to Francis' life work as the pastor of
Buenos Aires whereas Benedict was long an academic. He said it was too
early to make a "profound evaluation" of Francis' priorities, urging
instead reflection on his first few homilies - particularly at his
installation Mass on Tuesday.<br />
<br />
Just hours after his election as
leader of the Catholic world, an Italian journalist in Rome said the
first thing Pope Francis did was to call her up for a friendly chat. "The
phone rang... My son picked it up and it was the pope," Stefania
Falasca, a former editor for a Catholic monthly, told Italian media. "At
home we just called him 'father', we never called him 'eminence'. I
didn't know what to say. I asked him 'Father, what am I meant to call
you? Holy Father?"' she said. "He laughed and he told me 'The first phone call I wanted to make was to say hello to you, Gianni and the kids,"' she said.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, the woman who has known him her whole life had nothing but sympathy for the newly-elected pope. "Poor
man," said Pope Francis's sister, Maria Elena Bergoglio, his only
still-living sibling, as she imagined his thoughts just before walking
out on the balcony before the massive crowd in St Peter's Square in his
first appearance as the pontiff. And yet, "how exciting, to hear the crowd cheering, 'Long live the Pope!" she mused. She said she cried when she heard the news, and only wants "to give a hug" to her big brother, 11 years her senior.<br />
<br />
Dressed
austerely in a dark green sweater and with barely combed grey hair, she
agreed to talk to dozens of reporters waiting outside her home in a
middle class neighbourhood on the outskirts of Buenos Aires. She said she never expected her brother to be Pope. "My brother fulfilled his duties, with increasingly more responsibilities, but I never believed this," she confessed. She
said she couldn't predict what her brother will do as Pope, but noted
that "his inclination" has always been "to work for the poor, the most
marginalised".<br />
<br />
The 76-year-old former Cardinal Bergoglio, said to
have finished second when Pope Benedict XVI was elected in 2005, was
chosen on just the fifth ballot to replace the first pontiff to resign
in 600 years. Francis urged the crowd to pray for Benedict and
immediately after his election spoke by phone with the retired pope, who
has been living at the papal retreat in Castel Gandolfo south of Rome. A
visit to Benedict would be significant because Benedict's resignation
has raised concerns about potential power conflicts emerging from the
peculiar situation of having a reigning pope and a retired one.<br />
<br />
Benedict's
longtime aide, Monsignor Georg Gaenswein, accompanied Francis to the
visit at St Mary Major. In addition to being Benedict's secretary,
Monsignor Gaenswein is also the prefect of the papal household and will
be arranging the new pope's schedule. Like many Latin American
Catholics, Francis has a particular devotion to the Virgin Mary, and his
visit to the basilica was a reflection of that. He prayed before a
Byzantine icon of Mary and the infant Jesus, the Protectress of the
Roman People. "He had a great devotion to this icon of Mary and
every time he comes from Argentina he visits this basilica," said one of
the priests at the basilica, the Rev Elio Montenero. "We were surprised
today because he did not announce his visit."<br />
<br />
He then also went
into the main altar area of the basilica and prayed before relics of the
manger in Bethlehem where Jesus is said to have been born - an
important pilgrimage spot for Jesuits Francis' election elated
Latin America, home to 40 per cent of the world's Catholics which has
nevertheless long been underrepresented in the church leadership.
Drivers honked their horns in the streets of Buenos Aires and television
announcers screamed with elation at the news.<br />
<br />
Cardinal Thomas
Collins, the archbishop of Toronto, said the cardinals clearly chose
Francis because he was simply "the best person to lead the church." "I
can't speak for all the cardinals but I think you see what a wonderful
pope he is," he told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.
"He's just a very loving, wonderful guy. We just came to appreciate the
tremendous gifts he has. He's much beloved in his diocese in Argentina.
He has a great pastoral history of serving people."<br />
<br />
The new
pontiff brings a common touch. The son of middle-class Italian
immigrants, he denied himself the luxuries that previous cardinals in
Buenos Aires enjoyed. He lived in a simple apartment, often rode the bus
to work, cooked his own meals and regularly visited slums that ring
Argentina's capital. "If he brings that same desire for a simple
lifestyle to the papal court, I think they are all going to be in
shock," said the Rev Thomas Reese, author of Inside the Vatican, an
authoritative book on the Vatican bureaucracy. "This may not be a man
who wants to wear silk and furs." Francis considers social outreach, rather than doctrinal battles, to be the essential business of the church.<br />
<br />
As
the 266th pope, Francis inherits a Catholic church in turmoil, beset by
the clerical sex abuse scandal, internal divisions and dwindling
numbers in parts of the world where Christianity had been strong for
centuries. While Latin America is still very Catholic, it has
faced competition from aggressive evangelical churches that have chipped
away at strongholds such as Brazil, where the number of Catholics has
dropped from 74 percent of the population in 2000 to 65 per cent today.
Like Europe, secularism has also taken hold: more and more people simply
no longer identify themselves with any organised religion.<br />
<br />
Francis
also inherits a Vatican bureaucracy in need of sore reform. The leaks
of papal documents last year exposed the petty turf battles and
allegations of corruption in the Holy See administration. One of
his most important and watched appointments will be that of his
secretary of state, who effectively runs the Holy See. Rev Lombardi said
Francis, like his predecessors, would probably confirm all Vatican
officials in their jobs for the time being, and make changes at a later
date.<br />
<br />
___________________ | _________________</div>
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Ross Parisihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06615592651520788835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119607598372255618.post-27807686435901148842013-03-14T10:39:00.000+10:002013-03-14T11:29:07.416+10:00Argentina's Bergoglio elected Pope<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="byline-name">Michael Hirst</span>
<span class="byline-title">BBC News, Rome</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="byline-title"> http://www.bloomberg.com/video/argentina-s-cardinal-bergoglio-elected-pope-francis-Z1j8fhyuRdajbQLOotVh8g.html</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="byline-title">Official ranslation of speech </span></span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="byline-title"> http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/official-text-pope-francis-1st-speech-world-18724217</span></span></div>
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Argentine
Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, elected as the Catholic Church's new
Pope, Francis, has greeted crowds in St Peter's Square in Rome. Appearing on a balcony over the square, he asked the faithful to pray for him. Cheers erupted as he gave a blessing.<br />
<br />
The 76-year-old from Buenos Aires is the first Latin American and the first Jesuit to be pontiff. An hour earlier, white smoke from the Sistine Chapel chimney announced the new Pope's election. He will be installed officially in an inauguration Mass on Tuesday 19 March, the Vatican said. Pope Francis replaces Benedict XVI, who resigned last month
at the age of 85, saying he was not strong enough to lead the Church.<br />
<br />
He has telephoned Benedict and is planning to meet him, a Vatican spokesman said. Pope Francis takes the helm at a difficult time for the
Catholic Church, facing an array of challenges which include the role of
women, interfaith tensions and dwindling congregations in some parts of
the world.
<br />
<div class="story-feature wide ">
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<div class="byline">
<span class="byline-picture"></span><span class="byline-title"></span>There was elation on a rain-strewn St Peter's Square as the
white smoke billowed from the rusty chimney. Brollies bounced and flags
swayed as the basilica bells rang out. The crowd swelled as Rome converged on the square, priests and pilgrims running to catch a glimpse of their new leader.</div>
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"Viva il papa!" they chanted, as they waited to learn his
name. Once the crowd had been told, the chants quickly turned to:
"Fran-ces-co! Fran-ces-co!" And then, to trumpet fanfare, the balcony curtains parted and
the new Pope appeared above them, to bless them - but only after he had
asked them to pray with him, and for him. The people were touched, and
roared their approval.</div>
The BBC's James Robbins, in St
Peter's Square, says that at first the crowd was unsure who this man
was, but they seemed to warm to his humour. He began his address to the crowds by offering a prayer for his predecessor. In a light-hearted moment, he said his fellow cardinals had gone to the "ends of the Earth" to find a bishop of Rome. He went on to ask the crowd to "pray to God so that he can
bless me", before calling on the world to set off on a path of love and
fraternity.<span class="cross-head"> 'Huge gift'</span><br />
<span class="cross-head"> </span>
<br />
"Habemus Papam Franciscum," was the first tweet by the papal account @pontifex since Benedict stood down last month. The election was met with thunderous applause at the cathedral in Buenos Aires, Pope Francis' home city.<br />
<br />
Throughout Latin America - home to 40% of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics - people reacted with delight and surprise. "It's a huge gift for all of Latin America. We waited 20
centuries. It was worth the wait," said Jose Antonio Cruz, a Franciscan
friar in the Puerto Rican capital San Juan, quoted by the Associated
Press.
<br />
"Everyone from Canada down to Patagonia is going to feel blessed. This is an event."<br />
<br />
US President Barack Obama sent "warm wishes" on behalf of the
American people to the newly elected pontiff, hailing the Argentine as
"the first pope from the Americas."<br />
<div class="story-feature wide ">
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<h2>
Pope Francis </h2>
<ul>
<li> Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio on 17 December 1936 (age 76) in Buenos Aires, of Italian descent </li>
<li> Ordained as a Jesuit in 1969</li>
<li> Studied in Argentina and Germany </li>
<li> Became Cardinal of Buenos Aires in 1998</li>
<li> Seen as orthodox on sexual matters but strong on social justice</li>
</ul>
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Argentina's President Christina Fernandez de Kirchner wished him a "fruitful pastoral mission". She is expected to attend the Pope's inauguration Mass on Tuesday, as is US Vice President Joe Biden, himself a Catholic. </div>
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UK Prime Minister David Cameron said it was a "momentous day"
for Catholics, while Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, leader of
the world's Anglicans, offered him "every blessing". "I look forward to meeting Pope Francis, and to walking and
working together to build on the consistent legacy of our predecessors,"
he said in a statement.<br />
<br />
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he looked forward to cooperation under Pope Francis's "wise leadership. Correspondents say Cardinal Bergoglio was a surprise choice and not among a small group of frontrunners before the election. Many observers were also expecting a younger pope to be elected. He is regarded as a doctrinal conservative but seen as a
potential force for reform of the Vatican bureaucracy, which may have
won the support of reforming cardinals. However, he is known more than anything for his humility. He
has spent almost his entire career in Argentina and often travels to
work by bus.<br />
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<img alt="Argentines react at the Metropolitan Cathedral in Buenos Aires, 13 March" height="171" src="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/66380000/jpg/_66380543_gw2tcdad.jpg" width="304" />
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<span style="width: 304px;"> Argentines reacted with joy at the election</span></div>
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The BBC's Marcia Carmo in Buenos Aires says Cardinal
Bergoglio's sermons always had an impact in Argentina: he often stressed
social inclusion and indirectly criticised governments that did not pay
attention to those on the margins of society.<br />
<br />
The name he has taken is reminiscent of St Francis of Assisi,
the 13th Century Italian reformer and patron saint of animals, who
lived in poverty. The saint was said to have been summoned by God to repair a Church in ruins. Cardinal Bergoglio, whose family roots are Italian, is
generally thought to have come second in the last conclave in 2005,
which elected Benedict XVI as Pope. The 115 cardinals involved in the 2013 election were in isolation since Tuesday afternoon, and held four inconclusive votes.<br />
<br />
At least 77 of them, or two-thirds, would have had to vote for a single candidate for him to be elected Pope.<br />
Before the conclave began, there appeared to be no clear choice to replace Benedict.<br />
<br />
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21777494<br />
<br />
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21777747</div>
Ross Parisihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06615592651520788835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119607598372255618.post-32314703805841824932012-11-07T22:19:00.003+10:002012-11-07T22:19:29.986+10:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Barack Obama's victory speech – full text</h1>
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US president addresses supporters in Chicago after decisively winning a second term</div>
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Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much. (Sustained cheers, applause.)<br />
Tonight, more than 200 years after a former colony won the right to determine its own destiny, <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2012/nov/07/barack-obama-victory-speech-video">the task of perfecting our union moves forward</a>. (Cheers, applause.)<br />
<br />
It
moves forward because of you. It moves forward because you reaffirmed
the spirit that has triumphed over war and depression, the spirit that
has lifted this country from the depths of despair to the great heights
of hope, the belief that while each of us will pursue our own individual
dreams, we are an American family, and we rise or fall together as one
nation and as one people. (Cheers, applause.)<br />
<br />
Tonight, in this
election, you, the American people, reminded us that while our road has
been hard, while our journey has been long, we have picked ourselves up,
we have fought our way back, and we know in our hearts that for the United States of America, the best is yet to come.<br />
<br />
(Cheers,
applause.) I want to thank every American who participated in this
election. (Cheers, applause.) Whether you voted for the very first time
(cheers) or waited in line for a very long time (cheers) – by the way,
we have to fix that – (cheers, applause) – whether you pounded the
pavement or picked up the phone (cheers, applause), whether you held an
Obama sign or a Romney sign, you made your voice heard and you made a
difference. (Cheers, applause.)<br />
<br />
I just spoke with Governor Romney
and I congratulated him and Paul Ryan on a hard-fought campaign.
(Cheers, applause.) We may have battled fiercely, but it's only because
we love this country deeply and we care so strongly about its future.
From George to Lenore to their son Mitt, the Romney family has chosen to
give back to America through public service. And that is a legacy that
we honour and applaud tonight. (Cheers, applause.) In the weeks ahead, I
also look forward to sitting down with Governor Romney to talk about
where we can work together to move this country forward.<br />
(Cheers, applause.)<br />
<br />
I
want to thank my friend and partner of the last four years, America's
happy warrior, the best vice-president anybody could ever hope for, Joe
Biden. (Cheers, applause.) And I wouldn't be the man I am today
without the woman who agreed to marry me 20 years ago. (Cheers,
applause.) Let me say this publicly. Michelle, I have never loved you
more. (Cheers, applause.) I have never been prouder to watch the rest of
America fall in love with you too as our nation's first lady. (Cheers,
applause.)<br />
<br />
Sasha and Malia – (cheers, applause) – before our very
eyes, you're growing up to become two strong, smart, beautiful young
women, just like your mom. (Cheers, applause.) And I am so proud of you
guys. But I will say that, for now, one dog's probably enough.
(Laughter.) To the best campaign team and volunteers in the
history of politics – (cheers, applause) – the best – the best ever –
(cheers, applause) – some of you were new this time around, and some of
you have been at my side since the very beginning.<br />
(Cheers,
applause.)<br />
<br />
But all of you are family. No matter what you do or where you
go from here, you will carry the memory of the history we made
together. (Cheers, applause.) And you will have the lifelong
appreciation of a grateful president. Thank you for believing all the
way – (cheers, applause) – to every hill, to every valley. (Cheers,
applause.) You lifted me up the whole day, and I will always be grateful
for everything that you've done and all the incredible work that you've
put in. (Cheers, applause.)<br />
<br />
I know that political campaigns can
sometimes seem small, even silly. And that provides plenty of fodder for
the cynics who tell us that politics is nothing more than a contest of
egos or the domain of special interests. But if you ever get the chance
to talk to folks who turned out at our rallies and crowded along a rope
line in a high school gym or – or saw folks working late at a campaign
office in some tiny county far away from home, you'll discover something
else.<br />
<br />
You'll hear the determination in the voice of a young field
organiser who's working his way through college and wants to make sure
every child has that same opportunity. (Cheers, applause.) You'll hear
the pride in the voice of a volunteer who's going door to door because
her brother was finally hired when the local auto plant added another
shift. (Cheers, applause.)<br />
<br />
You'll hear the deep patriotism in the
voice of a military spouse who's working the phones late at night to
make sure that no one who fights for this country ever has to fight for a
job or a roof over their head when they come home. (Cheers, applause.)<br />
<br />
That's
why we do this. That's what politics can be. That's why elections
matter. It's not small, it's big. It's important. Democracy in a nation
of 300 million can be noisy and messy and complicated. We have our own
opinions. Each of us has deeply held beliefs. And when we go through
tough times, when we make big decisions as a country, it necessarily
stirs passions, stirs up controversy. That won't change after tonight.
And it shouldn't. These arguments we have are a mark of our liberty, and
we can never forget that as we speak, people in distant nations are
risking their lives right now just for a chance to argue about the
issues that matter – (cheers, applause) – the chance to cast their
ballots like we did today.<br />
<br />
But despite all our differences, most of us share certain hopes for America's future. We
want our kids to grow up in a country where they have access to the
best schools and the best teachers – (cheers, applause) – a country that
lives up to its legacy as the global leader in technology and discovery
and innovation – (scattered cheers, applause) – with all of the good
jobs and new businesses that follow.<br />
<br />
We want our children to live
in an America that isn't burdened by debt, that isn't weakened up by
inequality, that isn't threatened by the destructive power of a warming
planet. (Cheers, applause.) We want to pass on a country that's
safe and respected and admired around the world, a nation that is
defended by the strongest military on Earth and the best troops this –
this world has ever known – (cheers, applause) – but also a country that
moves with confidence beyond this time of war to shape a peace that is
built on the promise of freedom and dignity for every human being.<br />
<br />
We
believe in a generous America, in a compassionate America, in a
tolerant America open to the dreams of an immigrant's daughter who
studies in our schools and pledges to our flag – (cheers, applause) – to
the young boy on the south side of <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/chicago" title="More from guardian.co.uk on Chicago">Chicago</a>
who sees a life beyond the nearest street corner – (cheers, applause) –
to the furniture worker's child in North Carolina who wants to become a
doctor or a scientist, an engineer or an entrepreneur, a diplomat or
even a president.<br />
<br />
That's the – (cheers, applause) – that's the future we hope for. (Cheers,
applause.) That's the vision we share. That's where we need to go –
forward. (Cheers, applause.) That's where we need to go. (Cheers,
applause.) Now, we will disagree, sometimes fiercely, about how to
get there. As it has for more than two centuries, progress will come in
fits and starts. It's not always a straight line. It's not always a
smooth path. By itself, the recognition that we have common hopes and
dreams won't end all the gridlock, resolve all our problems or
substitute for the painstaking work of building consensus and making the
difficult compromises needed to move this country forward.<br />
<br />
But
that common bond is where we must begin. Our economy is recovering. A
decade of war is ending. (Cheers, applause.) A long campaign is now
over. (Cheers, applause.) And whether I earned your vote or not, I have
listened to you. I have learned from you. And you've made me a better
president. And with your stories and your struggles, I return to the
White House more determined and more inspired than ever about the work
there is to do and the future that lies ahead. (Cheers, applause.)<br />
<br />
Tonight you voted for action, not politics as usual. (Cheers, applause.) You elected us to focus on your jobs, not ours. And
in the coming weeks and months, I am looking forward to reaching out
and working with leaders of both parties to meet the challenges we can
only solve together – reducing our deficit, reforming our tax code,
fixing our immigration system, freeing ourselves from foreign oil. We've
got more work to do. (Cheers, applause.)<br />
<br />
But that doesn't mean
your work is done. The role of citizens in our democracy does not end
with your vote. America's never been about what can be done for us; it's
about what can be done by us together, through the hard and frustrating
but necessary work of self-government. (Cheers, applause.) That's the
principle we were founded on. This country has more wealth than
any nation, but that's not what makes us rich. We have the most powerful
military in history, but that's not what makes us strong. Our
university, our culture are all the envy of the world, but that's not
what keeps the world coming to our shores.<br />
<br />
What makes America
exceptional are the bonds that hold together the most diverse nation on
Earth, the belief that our destiny is shared – (cheers, applause) – that
this country only works when we accept certain obligations to one
another and to future generations, so that the freedom which so many
Americans have fought for and died for come with responsibilities as
well as rights, and among those are love and charity and duty and
patriotism. That's what makes America great. (Cheers, applause.)<br />
<br />
I
am hopeful tonight because I have seen this spirit at work in America.
I've seen it in the family business whose owners would rather cut their
own pay than lay off their neighbours and in the workers who would
rather cut back their hours than see a friend lose a job. I've seen it
in the soldiers who re-enlist after losing a limb and in those Seals who
charged up the stairs into darkness and danger because they knew there
was a buddy behind them watching their back. (Cheers, applause.) I've
seen it on the shores of New Jersey and New York, where leaders from
every party and level of government have swept aside their differences
to help a community rebuild from the wreckage of a terrible storm.
(Cheers, applause.)<br />
<br />
And I saw it just the other day in Mentor,
Ohio, where a father told the story of his eight-year-old daughter whose
long battle with leukaemia nearly cost their family everything had it
not been for healthcare reform passing just a few months before the
insurance company was about to stop paying for her care. (Cheers,
applause.) I had an opportunity to not just talk to the father but meet
this incredible daughter of his. And when he spoke to the crowd,
listening to that father's story, every parent in that room had tears in
their eyes because we knew that little girl could be our own.<br />
<br />
And
I know that every American wants her future to be just as bright.
That's who we are. That's the country I'm so proud to lead as your
president. (Cheers, applause.) And tonight, despite all the
hardship we've been through, despite all the frustrations of Washington,
I've never been more hopeful about our future. (Cheers, applause.) I
have never been more hopeful about America. And I ask you to sustain
that hope.<br />
<br />
[Audience member: "We got your back, Mr President!"] I'm
not talking about blind optimism, the kind of hope that just ignores
the enormity of the tasks ahead or the road blocks that stand in our
path. I'm not talking about the wishful idealism that allows us to just
sit on the sidelines or shirk from a fight. I have always believed that
hope is that stubborn thing inside us that insists, despite all the
evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us so long as we
have the courage to keep reaching, to keep working, to keep fighting.
(Cheers, applause.)<br />
<br />
America, I believe we can build on the
progress we've made and continue to fight for new jobs and new
opportunities and new security for the middle class. I believe we can
keep the promise of our founding, the idea that if you're willing to
work hard, it doesn't matter who you are or where you come from or what
you look like or where you love. It doesn't matter whether you're black
or white or Hispanic or Asian or Native American or young or old or rich
or poor, abled, disabled, gay or straight. (Cheers, applause.) You can
make it here in America if you're willing to try.<br />
(Cheers, applause.)<br />
<br />
I
believe we can seize this future together because we are not as divided
as our politics suggests. We're not as cynical as the pundits believe.
We are greater than the sum of our individual ambitions and we remain
more than a collection of red states and blue states. We are, and
forever will be, the United States of America. (Cheers, applause.)<br />
<br />
And
together, with your help and God's grace, we will continue our journey
forward and remind the world just why it is that we live in the greatest
nation on earth. (Cheers, applause.) Thank you, America. (Cheers,
applause.) God bless you. God bless these United States. (Cheers,
applause.)<br />
<br />
_______________ | ________________ <br />
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Ross Parisihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06615592651520788835noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119607598372255618.post-21772219342529723502012-10-15T09:40:00.003+10:002012-10-15T09:40:41.306+10:00Baumgartner free fall<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
http://www.bild.de/news/topics/felix-baumgartner/naechster-versuch-baumgartner-springt-video-live-stream-26680736.bild.html<br />
______________ | _______________</div>
Ross Parisihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06615592651520788835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119607598372255618.post-1675544577101989542012-10-15T07:46:00.001+10:002012-10-15T07:51:25.316+10:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h1 class="heading">
Warriors still maintain rage
</h1>
<div class="story-info">
<ul>
<li class="byline first ">
<span class="source-prefix">by:</span>
<cite>
Troy Bramston
</cite>
</li>
<li class="source ">
<span class="source-prefix">From:</span>
<cite>
<a class="source-theaustralian" href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/">The Australian</a>
</cite>
</li>
<li class="date-and-time last">
<span class="datestamp">October 15, 2012</span>
<span class="timestamp">12:00AM</span>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="story-header-tools">
<br /></div>
<div class="story-body lead-media-none">
<div class="story-intro">
<b>
NEARLY 40 years after governor-general John Kerr dismissed the
Whitlam government, Graham Freudenberg -- Gough Whitlam's speechwriter,
adviser and confidant -- is still angry. </b><br />
<br /></div>
But now his anger is tempered by regret and quelled by the
revelations in Kerr's papers confirming the dismissal was conceived in
deceit and executed by ambush. "It is my great regret,"
Freudenberg tells me for this column, "that in all the speeches and
statements I drafted for Gough during the crisis, I didn't write
something about the governor-general's role in our system of government.
If I had, it may have influenced the way Kerr acted."<br />
<br />
David
Smith, the governor-general's official secretary, who read the
proclamation dissolving parliament on the steps of Parliament House,
drawing the crisis to a close, confirms via correspondence that he
remains steadfast in his view that Kerr acted correctly in discharging
his responsibilities.<br />
<br />
Last week's three-part series on the Kerr papers -- unpublished
handwritten notes, typed memos, correspondence and a secret journal
co-written with Paul Kelly and published in The Australian -- has
generated a strong response from several important figures involved in
Australia's greatest political crisis. Kerr feared being replaced
by a compliant governor-general who would follow the prime minister's
wishes. He believed this was Whitlam's "strategy".<br />
<br />
He told
Buckingham Palace of this fear. However, he was counselled that the
Queen would follow Whitlam's advice. He used this knowledge to keep his
thoughts and plans secret from Whitlam. Kerr told the palace that
Whitlam was an inflexible and unreasonable man. He canvassed dismissal
before November 11. Later, he justified his actions by arguing Whitlam
was planning to remove him.<br />
<br />
He also told opposition leader Malcolm
Fraser that he feared recall and that he would consider using the
reserve power of dismissal. For Fraser, whose strategy was based on Kerr
acting to resolve the crisis, this was valuable information. Fraser
denies being told this. But after this discussion with Kerr, he argued
publicly that Kerr had an independent role to play and he would accept
Kerr's decision if he intervened. "The prospect of recalling Kerr
was never on our mind," Freudenberg says. "We never canvassed recall
because we never calculated that Kerr would act deceitfully."<br />
<br />
Whitlam maintains that if he had recalled Kerr, he would be as vilified as the governor-general later was.<br />
Kerr
reveals -- a fact not disclosed until this column -- that it was Fraser
who urged him to read a legal opinion written by Liberal MP Bob
Ellicott. That opinion argued Kerr should use the reserve power to
dismiss Whitlam. Fraser organised for Kerr to get a copy of the
document.<br />
<br />
Freudenberg regrets that Whitlam never strongly
countered the Ellicott view, which was being advocated by Fraser to
Kerr, with a different interpretation of the governor-general's powers. "In
speeches, I avoided the argument about an independent role for the
governor-general because Kerr had never indicated to Whitlam that he
thought there was an independent role," he says.<br />
<br />
Arguments on the
reserve powers prepared by solicitor-general Maurice Byers were largely
left out of the prime minister's speeches. Attorney-general Kep
Enderby delivered to Kerr what was supposed to be a joint opinion
between him and Byers urging caution in exercising the reserve powers.
But when he presented it to Kerr, he did not sign it, scrawled "draft"
across the top and crossed out Byers's signature. "There was no joint opinion," Smith insists, "and in reality there was no opinion at all given to the governor-general."<br />
<br />
Kerr,
who had firm views about the reserve powers, sought advice and
assurance elsewhere. He describes an influential "arch of advice". High
Court judge Anthony Mason was the "keystone", who counselled Kerr
extensively in secret. The arch included Ellicott and chief justice
Garfield Barwick, who gave Kerr formal advice on the reserve powers.<br />
<br />
Kerr's
papers implicate another High Court judge, Ninian Stephen, as a party
to the dismissal. Kerr writes that Stephen knew of the dismissal in
advance and sighted Barwick's advice. Stephen denies this."If
these judges were convinced of the integrity and propriety of their
actions, then why didn't they reveal their role at the time?"
Freudenberg asks. Given many of Kerr's confidants, like himself
and Whitlam, came from the Sydney Bar, Freudenberg says: "The Sydney Bar
did over one of their own."<br />
<br />
The Kerr papers reveal a second
crisis in the afternoon of November 11, which threatened to unravel the
dismissal. Before Kerr dissolved parliament for an election, Clarence
Harders, the secretary of the Attorney-General's Department, questioned
Kerr's exercise of the reserve powers given that the house had voted
no-confidence in Fraser. A week later, Harders eyeballed Kerr and told
him the dismissal was unjustified.<br />
"Harders the private person and
Labor supporter may not have approved of the dismissal," Smith says,
"but in the afternoon of November 11, Harders the law officer advised
that what the governor-general was doing in dissolving parliament and
ordering an election was lawful. Harders changed his mind between
November 11 and November 17, but never said why."<br />
<br />
Earlier, in the
Senate, supply was passed. A note prepared by the Senate liaison officer
outlines how, if Labor did not move that supply be passed, it could
have been delayed until the following day. This would mean Fraser had
failed to fulfil the terms of his commission as caretaker prime
minister. If Whitlam had thought about contingency planning in the
event of dismissal or had acted quickly on November 11 to consider what
actions he could take to thwart Kerr, the dismissal could have
unravelled that afternoon. But Whitlam misjudged the nature of the
crisis. He misread Kerr's psychology. He did not counter Fraser's
political strategy. He undertook no contingency planning. And, when
there may have been an opportunity to undo the dismissal that afternoon,
he did nothing.<br />
<br />
"We were like stunned mullets," Freudenberg
concedes. "We were completely useless. We didn't pay any attention to
the Senate. We should have been considering our options." The
crisis was as much about the Constitution and convention as it was about
personalities, politics and power. For the ageing warriors of the
dismissal, the controversy of Remembrance Day 1975 will never fade.<br />
_______________ | ______________ </div>
</div>
Ross Parisihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06615592651520788835noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119607598372255618.post-67808225962485331612012-10-13T21:48:00.001+10:002012-10-13T21:51:53.511+10:00How Tony Abbott laboured over choice of party <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h1 class="heading">
How Tony Abbott laboured over choice of party
</h1>
<div class="story-info">
<ul>
<li class="byline first ">
<span class="source-prefix">by:</span>
<cite>
ROSS FITZGERALD AND STEPHEN HOLT
</cite>
</li>
<li class="source ">
<span class="source-prefix">From:</span>
<cite>
<a class="source-theaustralian" href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/">The Australian</a>
</cite>
</li>
<li class="date-and-time last">
<span class="datestamp">October 13, 2012</span>
<span class="timestamp">12:00AM</span>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="story-header-tools">
<br /></div>
<div class="story-body lead-media-large">
<div class="article-media article-media-large media-count-1 first-image-650w366h">
<div class="">
<div class="image ">
<div class="image-frame image-650w366h">
<a href="http://resources2.news.com.au/images/2012/10/12/1226494/800642-121013-ba-santamaria.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="BA Santamaria" border="0" height="225" src="http://resources2.news.com.au/images/2012/10/12/1226494/800642-121013-ba-santamaria.jpg" width="400" /></a>
</div>
<div class="caption">
<span class="caption-text">Tony Abbott's mentor, B.A. 'Bob' Santamaria. </span>
<span class="image-source"><i>Source:</i> Supplied</span></div>
<div class="caption">
<span class="image-source"> </span>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="story-intro">
<b>
NEWLY discovered letters that Tony Abbott wrote to his
Melbourne-based mentor B.A. "Bob" Santamaria illuminate his inner
struggle to decide which major political party to join. </b><br />
<br /></div>
They show that the person we know as a roguish right-winger during
his university days and now as a highly combative Opposition Leader
could have ended up a Labor MP.<br />
<br />
In his 1994 inaugural
parliamentary speech, Abbott described Santamaria as the person who
first sparked his interest in politics. This was in the mid-1970s, when
Abbott's power base in student politics was the Democratic Club at
Sydney University, which was affiliated with Santamaria's National Civic
Council.<br />
In 2007, Abbott, then health minister in the Howard
government, visited the State Library of Victoria - where 150 boxes of
Santamaria's records and correspondences are housed - to launch the
second of two books of documents about Santamaria's career. Only part of
the Abbott-Santamaria interaction took the form of letters but those
that survive are precious. This especially applies to some letters
written in 1986 and 1987 - a crucial period in Abbott's life as he moved
from the world of NCC true believers into mainstream party politics.<br />
<br />
The first pertinent document - dated March 7, 1986 - was written
when Abbott, then training for the Catholic priesthood, was working at
Our Lady of the Way parish at Emu Plains in Sydney's west. He was
an unhappy trainee who needed to be re-energised by Santamaria's
zealous criticism of modern social and political trends. In this
epistle, he congratulated Santamaria on "a marvellous speech which
stirred and inspired many and impressed even those who are not normally
sympathetic".<br />
<br />
The next surviving letter - dated April 21,
1987 - was just a month after Abbott had abandoned his plan to join
the priesthood. Written from the home of Abbott's parents in Sydney's
northern St Ives, it indicates that Santamaria had offered him a paid
position as organiser with the Council for the National Interest in
Melbourne. The CNI was a body to promote discussion on defence and
foreign policy that Santamaria recently had helped to set up. He saw it
developing into a national political organisation under Abbott's
dynamic leadership.<br />
<br />
Abbott declined Santamaria's offer. Things
would be different if he were still 21 and fresh out of university, or
35 with an established professional reputation. But this was not the
case. He had just dropped out of the priesthood and could no longer
risk "another great gamble". His life to date, Abbott wrote, combined
"much promise but little actual performance". He believed that the time
had come for him to build a career so that he could show a future wife
and employer that he was solid and dependable.<br />
<br />
Abbott told
Santamaria that the Bulletin had made him an offer of a job as a
journalist that he could not refuse. He felt he could do more to
advance the values of the NCC by writing for the Bulletin as opposed to
working directly with Santamaria in Melbourne. Although Abbott
quickly gained attention writing for the Bulletin, he soon felt
discontented again. He was still living with his parents at the end of
1987 when he wrote his next surviving letter to Santamaria.<br />
<br />
In
it, Abbott confessed he was sick of the NCC criticising unwelcome
social and political trends from the sidelines. He wanted to change
society by working from within. This meant sharing the fears and
concerns of the "common herd". It was crucial to "make the compromises
that life requires, be wrong, get blood on one's hands - but at least be
in it".<br />
<br />
For "vigorous, self-starting people" such as himself,
the real issue was to secure a direct parliamentary presence. NCC
people needed to "coalesce around leading individuals in the major
parties".<br />
But which of the major parties was the more suitable?<br />
<br />
Labor's
previous 30 years of hostility to Santamaria weighed against it but
Abbott wrote, "our roots and the origins of our political culture are
there". But if the ALP was not "dominated" by Santamaria-style ideas,
it would succumb to "the grip of the Left or of soulless pragmatists".
This was intolerable.<br />
<br />
However, the Liberal Party was just as
problematic. It was "without soul, direction or inspiring leadership",
while its members were divided between "surviving trendies and the more
or less simple-minded advocates of the free market".<br />
<br />
The
Liberal Party's mixture of "hand-wringing indecision or inappropriate
economic Ramboism and perhaps their lack of political professionalism"
struck Abbott as a fatal combination. The choice on offer was
bleak. "To join either existing party involves holding one's nose," he
wrote. "Either way would upset some. But to do nothing dooms us to
extinction." For a while, the choice for Abbott seemed to be the ALP.
The NSW Labor government led by right-wing stalwart Barrie Unsworth was
due to fight an election in March 1988 and this was surely "a window
of opportunity" to be exploited.<br />
<br />
In a careful but forceful reply,
Santamaria rejected the suggestion of the NCC "going back to our Labor
origins in an organised way, as our central strategy". Santamaria
noted that Catholics had largely run the NSW ALP since the 1950s but
that the only result of Catholic influence in Labor governments, both
in NSW and federally, had been "jobs for the boys".<br />
<br />
Santamaria also was dismissive of "the reptilian Liberals", who lacked the capacity to win or wield power.<br />
So
perhaps Abbott was not so wrong after all. Santamaria did not doubt
that, in the person of young Tony, there was an opportunity for "a real
apostolate in Labor ranks". Significantly, as a result of the 1987 correspondence, Abbott felt free to embrace mainstream party politics.<br />
<br />
It
is already known that Abbott voted for the ALP in the 1988 NSW
election and that Bob Carr and Johnno Johnson tried to recruit him as a
member of their NSW Right faction. Yet, at this stage, the two major
parties seemed equally unlovely in his estimation. This meant that it
wasn't difficult to switch from one to the other. In 1990, Abbott became
press secretary to Liberal leader John Hewson, even though Hewson
surely embodied the "economic Ramboism" Abbott had so recently
dismissed.<br />
<br />
Hewson's defeat in the unlosable election of 1993 did not force Abbott to reorder his priorities. As
demonstrated by his correspondence, Abbott was already wary of
puritanical zeal. Forced to choose between Santamaria-like zealotry and
actual political power, Abbott was going to opt for power. Compromise
had ceased to be a dirty word.<br />
<br />
From 1987 onwards, Abbott, with
Santamaria's reluctant blessing, embraced pragmatism. Provided that it
was not "soulless", pragmatism and political accommodation were
absolutely OK. It will be in the same pragmatic, yet forceful,
spirit that Abbott, as leader of the Liberal Party, will fight and most
likely win the next federal election. But how different things could
have been!<br />
<br />
<i>The authors wish to acknowledge the assistance of Geoffrey Browne. </i><br />
<i> Ross Fitzgerald and Stephen Holt are co-authors of Alan "The Red Fox" Reid, published by The University of NSW Press </i><br />
<i> __________________ | _______________________ </i></div>
</div>
Ross Parisihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06615592651520788835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119607598372255618.post-34695675610472333812012-10-11T07:09:00.001+10:002012-10-11T08:13:22.556+10:00Farewell to Lionel Bowen <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a 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" 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" style="height: 168px; width: 299px;" width="299" /></a>http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/galleries/gallery-e6frg8zf-1226324243364?page=1<br />
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<h1 class="cN-headingPage">
Invisible MP the very model of a loyal deputy</h1>
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<dt class="hiddenVisually">Date<time datetime="April 2, 2012">: April 2, 2012</time> Don Woolford</dt>
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Lionel Bowen Born December 28, 1922; Died April 1, 2012</div>
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<a href="http://images.canberratimes.com.au/2012/04/02/3181812/art729-bowen3-420x0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Man of character ... Lionel Brown with then Prime Minister Bob Hawke in Newcastle, 1989." border="0" height="278" src="http://images.canberratimes.com.au/2012/04/02/3181812/art729-bowen3-420x0.jpg" width="400" /></a>
Man of character ... Lionel Brown with then Prime Minister Bob Hawke in Newcastle, 1989.</div>
Lionel Bowen was the most invisible of Australia's major politicians.<br />
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He was a senior minister in the Whitlam and Hawke governments. He went
close to becoming Labor leader and was the very model of a loyal deputy
leader.<br />
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Yet the man was so personally modest and self-effacing he was scarcely known outside politics and the Randwick racecourse.<br />
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<a href="http://images.canberratimes.com.au/2012/04/02/3181811/art353-bowen1-200x0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Lionel Bowen served as attorney-general and deputy prime minister." border="0" src="http://images.canberratimes.com.au/2012/04/02/3181811/art353-bowen1-200x0.jpg" /></a>
Lionel Bowen served as attorney-general and deputy prime minister. <i>Photo: Robert Pearce</i> Within politics, however, he was highly respected for his loyalty, shrewdness, longevity and humour.<br />
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Lionel Frost Bowen, who died yesterday aged 89, was born in the inner Sydney suburb of Ultimo on December 28, 1922. It was a difficult upbringing. His father left when he was 10 and his
mother also had to look after her invalid brother and elderly mother
while working as a cleaner.<br />
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They lived in rented houses in Redfern and Kensington, the latter only a
walk from Randwick racecourse. Later he bought the Kensington house
and, with his wife Claire, lived in it throughout his career. It was
extended as their family grew to five sons and three daughters but
remained so modest a Commonwealth driver couldn't believe the deputy PM
lived there.<br />
<br />
Bowen left school at 14 but later matriculated at night school and
completed a law degree at Sydney University. While a solicitor, he had
several terms as mayor of Randwick and in 1962 entered the NSW
Parliament. Seven years later he enter federal politics as the member
for Kingsford Smith, which remained his seat until he retired in 1990.<br />
<br />
He was a member of the powerful NSW Right but was never a big factional
player. On some issues, particularly protection, he was closer to the
left, yet on social issues he was conservative. Some regarded him as
essentially a loner. However, when Labor came to power in 1972 under Gough Whitlam, he had
the numbers and respect to be elected by caucus to the ministry.<br />
<br />
Whitlam was not an early admirer, judging from Bowen's description of
his meeting with the new prime minister and his deputy Lance Barnard
over the portfolio he would be given.<br />
Whitlam: ''Well, Bowen, you made it.''<br />
Bowen: ''Not bloody thanks to you.''<br />
Whitlam: ''What do you want?''<br />
Bowen: ''Housing.''<br />
Whitlam: ''You can't have housing. You can have Papua New Guinea.''<br />
Bowen: ''I don't want Papua New Guinea.''<br />
Whitlam: ''Well, there's nothing else.''<br />
Barnard: ''Well, you can have the post office.''<br />
Bowen: ''Well, give us the bloody post office.''<br />
<br />
Whitlam would change
his view, however, and Bowen went on to become special minister of state
and manufacturing industry minister. But one of his finest moments
came by accident when he stood in for the ill education minister, Kim
Beazley senior, to manage the passage of legislation providing funding
for non-government schools.<br />
<br />
Bowen took over as the opposition moved amendments in the Senate that would have destroyed the bill.<br />
He went on the attack, threatening an election and bluffing the Country Party into crossing the floor.<br />
Whitlam told him, ''Comrade, this is terrific, perhaps you can be my successor.''<br />
<br />
He tried twice. After the 1975 slaughter, he ran against Whitlam to
stake his claim and lost heavily. After Whitlam was again beaten in
1977, he and Bill Hayden contested the leadership. Hayden won 36-28. Bowen was elected deputy. He'd have liked to have been leader, been PM. But he was philosophical about it. ''That's the way the game turns out,'' he once said. ''I would have liked the top job but the numbers weren't there.''<br />
<br />
While Bowen didn't think highly of Hayden, he said nothing publicly or
privately against his leader as Bob Hawke started his push for the top
job. Nor was he impressed by the flashiness of Labor's new star, saying,
''If we want a film star as leader, why don't we go all the way and
import Jane Fonda?''<br />
<br />
Finally, however, he accepted that Labor's prospects were better under
Hawke and it was he who, with Hawke and John Button, had the final
emotional meeting with Hayden in which a succession deal was hammered
out. Bowen was a loser from this as he coveted foreign affairs and as deputy could normally have claimed it. But getting the portfolio was part of Hayden's price for going quietly, and Bowen finally conceded.<br />
<br />
When Hawke won government Bowen remained deputy, first taking trade and then becoming attorney-general. At that stage he was planning to retire at the end of 1987, to be
replaced in Kingsford Smith by Bob Carr. However NSW premier Barrie
Unsworth wanted Carr in his team for another term. Hawke also wanted
Bowen to stay as a buffer against the thrusting Paul Keating. So Bowen stayed for another term.<br />
<br />
He finally retired in 1990 and was replaced by Keating replaced as deputy. His specific achievements over such a long period may have been
relatively thin. But he provided the glue of decency, stability and good
humour in a cauldron of egos and ambitions.<br />
<br />
Hawke said he was the ideal deputy, whose loyalty was absolute. ''An affable, active, shrewd man, with a delightful, self-effacing
humour and an uncanny capacity for accurately judging character,'' Hawke
wrote in his memoir. Hawke's only public criticism was Bowen's record of tipping race
winners. Hawke, who was less than modest about his own ability to judge
horses, may have been unfair. Bowen did okay.<br />
<br />
Fellow minister Michael Duffy said of his great mate, ''If all
politicians, particularly ministers, had such a lack of pretension and
conducted themselves as well as Lionel, politicians would be thought a
lot more of in the community.'' <b> AAP</b><br />
<b> _______________ | _____________ </b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Ross Parisihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06615592651520788835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119607598372255618.post-3531570693119573282012-10-11T06:19:00.001+10:002012-10-11T06:19:10.777+10:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h1 class="heading">
Gough Whitlam just had to ask the Queen to sack John Kerr
</h1>
<div class="story-info">
<ul>
<li class="byline first ">
<span class="source-prefix">by:</span>
<cite>
PAUL KELLY and TROY BRAMSTON
</cite>
</li>
<li class="source ">
<span class="source-prefix">From:</span>
<cite>
<a class="source-theaustralian" href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/">The Australian</a>
</cite>
</li>
<li class="date-and-time last">
<span class="datestamp">October 11, 2012</span>
<span class="timestamp">12:00AM</span>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="story-header-tools">
<br /></div>
<div class="story-body lead-media-none">
<div class="story-intro">
<strong>
ON the eve of the 1975 constitutional crisis, Buckingham Palace
signalled that the Queen would remove governor-general John Kerr if
prime minister Gough Whitlam asked her to. </strong><br />
<br />
</div>
This advice was given by the Queen's private secretary, Martin
Charteris, in a letter to the governor-general in early October 1975,
five weeks before the November 11 dismissal. It made clear that the Queen would follow the advice of her prime minister. This meant sacrificing Sir John if required.<br />
<br />
The
governor-general wrote in his journal that he was not surprised to hear
the Queen's position, but Sir Martin's letter reinforced his
predetermined decision to make any dismissal of Mr Whitlam a secret
affair.<br />
The Kerr papers, recently released from the National
Archives, reveal Sir John's main obsession: his determination to prevent
Mr Whitlam saving himself by the appointment of a more compliant
governor-general, unwilling to exercise the dismissal power. The new documents contain extracts of Sir John's letters to Buckingham Palace keeping the Queen informed of the crisis.<br />
<br />
In
an October 17 letter, the day after the budget was blocked, he tells
the Queen that at a dinner the previous night for Malaysia's prime
minister, Tun Abdul Razak, Mr Whitlam had raised the possibility of Sir
John's dismissal.<br />
<br />
In an extraordinary and new account of this
dinner, Sir John reveals he told opposition leader Malcolm Fraser that
night of his fear that he might be removed. "He (Mr Fraser) said it was inconceivable," Sir John wrote. "I replied it was a matter nevertheless to be thought about. "His reaction was to say the Queen would never permit it. "I told him that that question was one I preferred not to discuss."It was all most unlikely but he (Mr Fraser) would have to make up his own mind about it."<br />
<br />
In short, at the outset of the crisis, the governor-general was alerting Mr Fraser to how much he distrusted Mr Whitlam. For Mr Fraser, it was vital intelligence. Even more extraordinary is how Sir John explained his motive for this warning. He
wrote: "I did this out of fairness because he (Mr Fraser) could be
badly caught by ending up with a governor-general who would not even
consider ever using the reserve power, however bad the situation was."<br />
<br />
It
is a recurring theme in the Kerr papers - Sir John believes he had a
duty to deceive Mr Whitlam in order to secure an effective dismissal.The
new revelations are contained in a series of notes and letters from Sir
John and a 150-page, hand-written journal he penned from Surrey in
early 1980.<br />
<br />
In September 1975, the month before the budget was
blocked, at the Papua New Guinea independence celebration, Sir John
raised with the Prince of Wales his deepest fear - that, needing to
exercise the reserve powers, he might face "the risk of recall".<br />
<br />
A
young Prince Charles was sympathetic to Sir John and suggested "the
Queen should not have to accept advice that you should be recalled". But
this was not the official view of the palace. Upon his return to London, according to the Kerr journal, the prince spoke to Sir Martin, who wrote to Sir John.<br />
<br />
Sir
Martin's letter is not in the file. It is referenced in Kerr's journal,
which says: "Martin said he should tell me that if the kind of
contingency in mind were to develop, although the Queen would try to
delay things, in the end she would have to take the Prime Minister's
advice."<br />
<br />
It is a letter from a palace that wants to assist the
governor-general but knows and accepts it must act on the prime
minister's advice. There is no sense in the documents of the palace
giving Sir John an "in-advance" consent to dismiss Mr Whitlam. In
his journal, Sir John reveals his deepest feelings about the dismissal.
He said he decided to act decisively and the phrase "act by stealth"
described exactly "what I decided from September on I would have to do".<br />
_____________________ | _________________ <br />
</div>
</div>
Ross Parisihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06615592651520788835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119607598372255618.post-4124189104241087812012-10-09T13:14:00.004+10:002012-10-09T13:14:33.834+10:00IMF | Global Outlook<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h3 class="kicker" style="text-align: left;">
<b>World Economic Outlook (WEO)</b></h3>
<h4 class="clearnone">
Growth Resuming, Dangers Remain</h4>
<small>April 2012</small><br />
<em><a class="colorlink" href="http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2012/01/pdf/correction.pdf"><br /></a></em>
<div class="intro">
The April 2012 edition of the World Economic
Outlook assesses the prospects for the global economy, which has
gradually strengthened after a major setback during 2011. The threat of a
sharp global slowdown eased with improved activity in the United States
and better policies in the euro area. Weak recovery will likely resume
in the major advanced economies, and activity will remain relatively
solid in most emerging and developing economies. However, recent
improvements are very fragile. Policymakers must calibrate policies to
support growth in the near term and must implement fundamental changes
to achieve healthy growth in the medium term. Chapter 3 examines how
policies directed at real estate markets can accelerate the improvement
of household balance sheets and thus support otherwise anemic
consumption. Chapter 4 examines how swings in commodity prices affect
commodity exporting economies, many of which have experienced a decade
of good growth. With commodity prices unlikely to continue growing at
the recent elevated pace, however, these economies may have to adapt
their fiscal and other policies to lower potential output growth in the
future. </div>
<div class="intro">
<br /></div>
<div class="intro">
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2012/01/index.htm</div>
<div class="intro">
<br /></div>
<div class="intro">
_________________ | _______________ </div>
</div>
Ross Parisihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06615592651520788835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119607598372255618.post-36846981292962361052012-10-04T06:45:00.000+10:002012-10-04T06:45:33.509+10:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h1 class="heading">
Family court orders that four sisters in custody case should return to Italy
</h1>
<div class="story-info">
<ul>
<li class="byline first ">
<span class="source-prefix">by:</span>
<cite>
Ainsley Pavey
</cite>
</li>
<li class="source ">
<span class="source-prefix">From:</span>
<cite>
<a class="source-thecourier-mail" href="http://www.couriermail.com.au/">The Courier-Mail</a>
</cite>
</li>
<li class="date-and-time last">
<span class="datestamp">October 04, 2012</span>
<span class="timestamp">12:00AM</span>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<br /><div class="story-body lead-media-small">
<div class="article-media article-media-small media-count-1 first-image-316w237h">
<div class="">
<div class="image ">
<div class="image-frame image-316w237h">
<a href="http://resources1.news.com.au/images/2012/10/03/1226360/688273-sisters-custody-battle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Sisters custody battle" border="0" height="237" src="http://resources1.news.com.au/images/2012/10/03/1226360/688273-sisters-custody-battle.jpg" width="316" /></a>
</div>
<div class="caption">
<span class="caption-text">BACK TO ITALY: The four sisters in the Italian custody case have been ordered to return. </span>
<span class="image-source"><em>Source:</em> The Daily Telegraph</span></div>
<div class="caption">
<span class="image-source"> </span>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="story-intro">
<strong>
A JUDGE sending four Italian girls home against their wishes
"sincerely hopes" their distraught mother will return with them after
their father agreed not to lay criminal charges. </strong><br />
<br />
</div>
Handing down his long-awaited decision, Family Court judge Colin
Forrest said the "sporty" siblings were all "born in Italy" and "did not
know life in Australia" before being wrongfully retained here.<br />
"The
four girls were all born in Italy, well adjusted, compliant, talented
in sport and made it to Italian competitive level," Justice Forrest told
a packed hearing yesterday.<br />
<br />
In giving his reasons, Justice
Forrest sought an assurance from the father, who was back in Italy, not
to lay criminal charges now or in the future against his ex-wife "should
she determine to return to Italy as I sincerely hope she does".<br />
<br />
<div class="story-promo story-promo-middle">
</div>
The
father's Italian-speaking lawyers stepped out of the hearing room to
call the father and explain the custody deal before Justice Forrest
issued the warrant to return the girls.In a sign of the sensitivity of the case, Justice Forrest ordered
lawyers for the relevant authorities to correct the spelling of one of
the girls' names and to check their birth dates.<br />
<br />
James
Linklater-Steele, for the relevant authority, which is acting as the
Sheriff to return the girls under The Hague Convention, said a federal
police officer was waiting in the courtroom.Mr Linklater-Steele also asked for the girls' current location to be written down and not read aloud.The mother's lawyers failed to get another adjournment to seek a further stay."Every
effort will be made to immediately return the children," Mr
Linklater-Steele told Justice Forrest after he asked if the relevant
authority would act "immediately" to send the girls back.<br />
<br />
Justice Forrest told the hearing he did not "intend to grant a stay at this point in time" but said the mother "has her rights".The mother broke down as the return orders were made and family members tried to comfort her.<br />
Justice Forrest gave her a few moments to compose herself before she wrote down the address her children were staying at.In
a lengthy legal analysis, Justice Forrest rejected all three grounds
argued by the mother for her daughters to remain in Australia.<br />
<br />
Her
arguments that it was "impractical" to send them back, that there were
"exceptional circumstances" for them to stay, and it had been "12
months" since the return order was made were all rejected.But
Justice Forrest found the girls had been significantly influenced by the
mother and those around her, including "extremely inappropriate and
bizarre" views of their maternal great grandmother.<br />
<br />
He told the
hearing that when Queensland police found them in hiding, the great
grandmother declared in front of them, "How exciting. Who is going to
play you in the movie? They will have to find a good little dark-headed
actress to play you".<br />
<br />
Justice Forrest told the court he did not
want to trivialise the threats of self-harm made by the second eldest
daughter but found it was more attention-seeking and she never intended
to carry it out.He also found the lapse of 12 months under the
legislation which would allow for a possible discharge of the return
orders started at the point of the appeal in May, not June last year
when return order was first made.<br />
<br />
In his closing remarks, Justice
Forrest indicated he would have used his discretion to send the girls
back even if the mother's argument on the three legal points was
successful."The evidence all points to the fact the girls all
love their father, even if they do not want to return to Italy," Justice
Forrest said.</div>
</div>
Ross Parisihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06615592651520788835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119607598372255618.post-91463694206601345362012-10-03T08:06:00.001+10:002012-10-03T08:06:32.137+10:00Australia Reserve Bank reduces bank rates<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h1 class="heading">
Rate cut signals end of boom, warns RBA
</h1>
<div class="story-info">
<ul>
<li class="byline first ">
<span class="source-prefix">by:</span>
<cite>
Adam Creighton, Economics correspondent
</cite>
</li>
<li class="source ">
<span class="source-prefix">From:</span>
<cite>
<a class="source-theaustralian" href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/">The Australian</a>
</cite>
</li>
<li class="date-and-time last">
<span class="datestamp">October 03, 2012</span>
<span class="timestamp">12:00AM</span>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="story-header-tools">
<br /></div>
<div class="story-body lead-media-large">
<div class="article-media article-media-large media-count-1 first-image-650w366h">
<div class="">
<div class="image ">
<div class="image-frame image-650w366h">
<a href="http://resources1.news.com.au/images/2010/12/17/1225972/593837-reserve-bank.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Reserve Bank" border="0" height="225" src="http://resources1.news.com.au/images/2010/12/17/1225972/593837-reserve-bank.jpg" width="400" /></a>
</div>
<div class="caption">
<span class="caption-text">The Reserve Bank has cut interest rates to 3.25 per cent, a fall of 25 basis points. </span>
<span class="image-source"><em>Source:</em> The Australian</span></div>
<div class="caption">
<span class="image-source"> </span>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="story-intro">
<strong>
THE Reserve Bank is calling the end of Australia's resources boom
next year, as mining projects are shelved or cancelled amid growing
concern about the downturn in China.</strong><br />
<br />
</div>
The Reserve Bank yesterday cut the official cash rate by 0.25
percentage points to 3.25 per cent - taking cuts in the past five months
to a full percentage point - as governor Glenn Stevens warned that
weaker Chinese growth was affecting the rest of Asia and forcing a
downgrade in Australia's growth outlook. "On the back of international developments, the growth outlook for next year looked a little weaker," Mr Stevens said.<br />
<br />
Financial
markets expect the Reserve Bank to follow yesterday's cut with a
further 25-basis-point reduction at its board meeting on Melbourne Cup
day next month, which would take official rates back to their low point
during the global financial crisis.<br />
<div class="story-related story-sidebar block-style">
<br /></div>
The Reserve Bank is likely to trim its forecast for Australia's
growth in its next economic review, due next month. However, Wayne Swan
said the nation's economy was still growing at its trend rate and the
government remained committed to its aim of returning the budget to
surplus this financial year.<br />
<br />
The Treasurer said the Reserve Bank's
decision was a win for families struggling with mortgage costs and
argued that the succession of interest rate cuts this year "have been
made possible by our responsible budget policy".<br />
<br />
Standard variable
mortgages have come down by 55 basis points to 6.85 per cent since May
and would fall to 6.6 per cent if banks passed on the full cut. This would represent a $150-a-month saving on a $300,000 mortgage since May. However, bank funding costs are under pressure. Ratecity, a firm that compares bank lending rates, said it did not expect many lenders to pass on the full 25-basis-points cut.<br />
<br />
Mr
Swan has repeatedly pointed to a continued multi-billion-dollar boom in
resources industry investment despite the recent slump in commodity
prices. Mr Stevens indicated that the sharp fall in commodity
prices over the past few months was forcing resource companies to
reconsider their investment plans. "The peak in resource investment is
likely to occur next year, and may be at a lower level than earlier
expected," he said in a statement that accompanied the rates decision.<br />
<br />
Mr
Stevens said Australia's terms of trade - export prices compared with
import prices - had dropped 10 per cent and were likely to fall lower.
Although iron ore prices had stabilised over the past month, coal prices
had continued to fall. "Economic activity in Europe is
contracting, while growth in the US remains modest," he said, adding
"growth in China has also slowed, and uncertainty about near-term
prospects is greater than it was some months ago".<br />
<br />
In August, the
Reserve Bank projected that resource investment would peak at 9 per cent
of gross domestic product sometime next financial year, but now
anticipates a weaker peak in 2013, roughly six months earlier.<br />
Phil
O'Donaghoe, a Deutsche Bank senior economist, said the rate cut
reflected a desire to shore up the non-resource sector. He said slowing
economic growth would make it more difficult for the government to
achieve a budget surplus.<br />
<br />
Joe Hockey, opposition Treasury
spokesman, said Australia could no longer rely on record high commodity
prices to boost economic growth and the budget bottom line. He
said the rate cut reflected weakness in the economy and noted that Mr
Swan had previously described the 3 per cent interest rate reached
during the global financial crisis as an "emergency level".<br />
<br />
Mr
Swan conceded that Australia's lower commodity prices, a higher
Australian dollar and heightened global uncertainty had contributed to
the bank's decision: "But we should also keep a very keen eye on our
fundamental strengths: low official interest rates, contained inflation,
solid growth, low unemployment, healthy consumption and a very big
pipeline of investment."<br />
<br />
Westpac chief economist Bill Evans said
the RBA had become more downbeat about the labour market, where jobs
growth had remained weak despite a relatively low unemployment rate. The
bank had shifted its focus from containing potential price pressure
from the mining boom to stimulating struggling construction and retail
sectors. Most economists had expected the RBA to wait until next
month before cutting rates. The bank's statement once again said the
exchange rate "remained higher than might have been expected" given the
fall in export prices.<br />
<br />
The Australian dollar slumped more than
half a cent to US103.4c against the US dollar following yesterday's cut.
"We suspect the RBA is likely to continue to be surprised by the
resilience in the Australian dollar," Mr O'Donaghoe said. Recent rate
cuts have had little lasting impact on the dollar's value. Financial markets are trading on the basis that there is a 73 per cent chance of a follow-up rate cut next month.<br />
<br />
However,
Mr Stevens's statement gave no clues, simply commenting that the weaker
global outlook meant that monetary policy could now be "more
accommodative". Innes Willox, chief executive of the Australian
Industry Group, welcomed the move, reflecting ongoing concerns among
unions and businesses that the economy was weaker than official
statistics suggested and Australia's currency was stubbornly high,
partly because local interest rates were high compared to other
countries.<br />
<br />
"This rate cut will hopefully give a shot in the arm to
key employing industries across the economy, including manufacturing,
construction and services," he added. Greg Evans, head of policy
at the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that the cut
would "boost consumer confidence, take pressure off household budgets
and ease business borrowing costs".<br />
<br />
Attention will now turn to how
much of the rate cut the major banks will pass on to mortgage rates,
which Mr Stevens said had "for some months been below their medium-term
averages". Wilhelm Harnisch, chief executive of the Master
Builders Association, said it was "now up to the commercial banks to do
their bit and pass on these rate cuts in full to their customers, small
businesses and homebuyers to help stimulate the economy".<br />
<br />
The Reserve's third cut this year, one percentage point in total, brings official rates to their lowest level since late 2009. But
the gap between the official interest rate and mortgage rates has
increased by about 1.5 percentage points since then, as banks have
withheld some of the cuts rather than pass them on to borrowers or
increased rates independently of Reserve Bank movements.<br />
<br />
"A more
competitive market for deposits and tougher wholesale funding conditions
for Australia's major banks is the explanation," Mr O'Donaghoe said.National
Seniors chief executive Michael O'Neill said that the downward movement
in rates had come as a shock to older Australians, many of whom relied
on fixed income from deposits.</div>
</div>
Ross Parisihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06615592651520788835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119607598372255618.post-54044600024795748792012-09-29T07:54:00.000+10:002012-09-29T07:54:01.562+10:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h1>
US, Israel in "full agreement" on nuclear Iran</h1>
<div class="byline">
By North America correspondent <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/craig-mcmurtrie/166892" target="_self" title="">Craig McMurtrie</a>, wires</div>
<div class="published">
Updated
<span class="timestamp">4 minutes ago</span></div>
<div class="published">
<span class="timestamp"> </span>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/image/3870470-3x2-700x467.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Obama, Netanyahu hold Iran nuclear talks" border="0" height="266" src="http://www.abc.net.au/news/image/3870470-3x2-700x467.jpg" title="Obama, Netanyahu hold Iran nuclear talks" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="inline-content photo full">
<a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-09-29/obama-meets-with-netanyahu/4287206"><strong>
Photo:</strong>
Barack Obama has spoken with Benjamin Netanyahu </a></div>
<div class="inline-content photo full">
</div>
<div class="inline-content photo full">
<span class="source"></span></div>
<div class="first">
<br /></div>
<div class="first">
After being criticised for not meeting Israeli prime
minister Benjamin Netanyahu in New York earlier this week, the White
House has revealed president Barack Obama has spoken to him on the
phone.</div>
<div class="first">
<br /></div>
The White House says the two leaders are in full agreement
on the "shared goal" of preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.<br />
<br />
The conversation came as the United States removed an Iranian opposition group from its list of designated terror groups.<br />
<br />
The
White House said two men spoke for 20 minutes after a colourful United
Nations speech by the Israeli leader, where he held up a picture of a
lit bomb and drew a red line to underscore his push for a clearer
ultimatum to be delivered to Tehran.<br />
<br />
During his speech to the
193-member UN assembly, Mr Netanyahu did not mention Israel's threats to
stage a unilateral attack, but said Iran's uranium enrichment plants
were a credible "target".<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/image/4285292-1x1-340x340.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Israel's prime minister Netanyahu points to a red line he draw on a graph of a bomb used to represent Iran's nuke program" border="0" height="340" src="http://www.abc.net.au/news/image/4285292-1x1-340x340.jpg" title="Benjamin Netanyahu with 'red line' nuke graph" width="340" /></a></div>
<div class="inline-content photo right">
<a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-09-29/netanyahu/4287210"><strong>
Photo:</strong>
Benjamin Netanyahu points to a red line he drew to represent Iran's nuclear program <span class="source">(Reuters: Lucas Jackson)</span></a></div>
<div class="inline-content photo right">
<span class="source"> </span>
</div>
<br />
"At this late hour, there is only one way to
peacefully prevent Iran from getting atomic bombs - and that's by
placing a clear red line on Iran's nuclear weapons program," he said.<br />
<br />
Mr
Obama and Mr Netanyahu "underscored that they are in full agreement on
the shared goal of preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon,"
said a White House statement. They "took note of the close
cooperation and coordination" between the United States and Israel on
"the threat posed by Iran" and agreed to continue regular consultations,
the statement added.<br />
<br />
The two have had an awkward relationship, particularly over how far to go against Iran. But
Netanyahu welcomed Obama's vow at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday to
"do what we must" to stop an Iranian bomb, the White House said. White House officials say they agreed to continue regular consultations.<br />
Republican presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, has also spoken to Mr Netanyahu.<br />
<br />
Without
naming Israel or the US, Iran's foreign minister Ali Akbar Salehi said
Friday his country has been a victim of "nuclear terrorism". Mr
Salehi said the Security Council, which has passed four rounds of
sanctions against Iran's uranium enrichment, should stop using nuclear
weapons fears "as a pretext to act as a legislative body".<br />
<h2>
'Terror' group de-listed</h2>
The
US has announced the removal of an Iranian opposition group based
abroad, the People's Mujahedeen of Iran, from its blacklist of
designated terror groups after years of intense lobbying.<br />
<br />
The
move, ending a complex legal battle fought through US and European
courts, came just days ahead of an October 1 deadline set by a US
appeals court by which secretary of state Hillary Clinton had to decide
on the fate of the group.<br />
<br />
"The secretary of state has decided,
consistent with the law, to revoke the designation of the
Mujahedeen-e-Khalq (MEK) and its aliases as a Foreign Terrorist
Organisation (FTO) under the Immigration and Nationality Act and to
delist the MEK as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist," the State
Department said in a statement.<br />
<br />
"Property and interests in
property in the United States or within the possession or control of US
persons will no longer be blocked, and US entities may engage in
transactions with the MEK without obtaining a license."<br />
The MEK, whose leadership is based in Paris, has invested much money and years of intense lobbying to be taken off the list.<br />
<br />
The
left-wing group was founded in the 1960s to oppose the shah of Iran,
and after the 1979 Islamic revolution that ousted him it took up arms
against Iran's clerical rulers.<br />
<br />
<br />
In a statement the head of the group, Maryam Rajavi, "welcomed and appreciated" the decision. "This
has been the correct decision, albeit long overdue, in order to remove a
major obstacle in the path of the Iranian people's efforts for
democracy," Ms Rajavi said. "In the days and months ahead, we hope
to better introduce ourselves and our goals to international community
and the American people." But in its note about delisting the MEK, the State Department stressed that it had not forgotten the group's militant past. "With
today's actions, the Department does not overlook or forget the MEK's
past acts of terrorism, including its involvement in the killing of US
citizens in Iran in the 1970s and an attack on US soil in 1992," it
said. "The department also has serious concerns about the MEK as
an organisation, particularly with regard to allegations of abuse
committed against its own members."<br />
<br />
The United States designated
it a "foreign terrorist organisation" in 1997, putting it in a category
that includes Al Qaeda, the Palestinian Hamas and Lebanon's Hezbollah. The
State Department deems the MEK responsible for the deaths of Iranians
as well as US soldiers and civilians from the 1970s into 2001.</div>
Ross Parisihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06615592651520788835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119607598372255618.post-35543276136436749532012-09-27T11:01:00.001+10:002012-09-27T11:01:41.229+10:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h1 class="heading">
First look at our potential new banknotes - and the untold tale behind their design
</h1>
<div class="story-info">
<ul>
<li class="byline first ">
<span class="source-prefix">by:</span>
<cite>
ADAM SHAND
</cite>
</li>
<li class="source ">
<span class="source-prefix">From:</span>
<cite>
<a class="source-theaustralian" href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/">The Australian</a>
</cite>
</li>
<li class="date-and-time ">
<span class="datestamp">September 27, 2012</span>
<span class="timestamp">12:00AM</span>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="story-body lead-media-large">
<div class="story-related story-sidebar block-style">
<br />
</div>
Designers were briefed to capture "characteristics of Australia" with
"youthful" and "energetic design qualities". They were supplied with new
portraits depicting the subjects on the notes at earlier moments in
their lives.</div>
<div class="story-body lead-media-large">
</div>
<div class="story-body lead-media-large">
Controversially, the Reserve Bank toyed with the
idea of removing the Queen from the $5 note in favour of the father of
Federation, Henry Parkes, and Australia's first female political
candidate, Catherine Helen Spence, who featured on a commemorative $5
note in 2001. It is understood that the Reserve Bank decided to stay
with the Queen and returned to the other existing portraits in the
middle of last year.<br />
<br />
In 2009, then Reserve Bank assistant governor
Bob Rankin said it would be controversial to choose new portraits but
there were "some good reasons" to change, including a legal threat by a
descendant of indigenous author and inventor David Unaipon, whose
likeness appears on the $50 note.<br />
<br />
Unaipon's great nephew, Allan
"Chirpy" Campbell, has alleged the Reserve Bank paid for permission to
use the image to the late Melva Linda Carter, who had falsely claimed to
be Unaipon's daughter. Mr Campbell said that he loved the newer
portrait of his uncle. "It's deadly, but if they want to use it the
Reserve Bank is going to have to renegotiate with the proper family," he
said.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/galleries/gallery-e6frg8zf-1226481912653"><strong>GALLERY: See the banknote designs</strong></a><br />
<br />
A spokesman for the Reserve Bank confirmed the existence of the banknote project in a statement to The Australian last night. "Australia has experienced relatively low levels of counterfeiting for many years," it said.<br />
"To
ensure that this remains the case, the bank has been working for some
time on a program that will result in an upgrade of Australia's
banknotes. These upgraded banknotes will incorporate a number of new
security features but most of the existing design elements such as the
colour, size and portraits on the current banknote series will be
unchanged."<br />
<br />
Emery, a respected Melbourne designer who worked on
the current Australian polymer notes, confirmed that he and his team
were collaborating with the bank to incorporate fresh artwork and a
range of updated security features into the polymer currency, which was
progressively introduced between 1988 and 2002.<br />
The bank spokesman
said it was expected that it would be several years before the first of
the upgraded banknotes would be issued. Other denominations would be
issued progressively in subsequent years, he said.<br />
<br />
Emery said the
project was on track and the Reserve Bank had made only minor
adjustments to the designs it had approved for further development in
2010. Internal bank documents, obtained by The Australian, reveal
that the bank was initially prepared to exclude Australian designers
from working on the new series, opting instead for Swiss designer
Alexander Fellmann, who asked for $464,000 to create a set of five
banknotes.<br />
<br />
Fellmann was recommended to the Reserve Bank by the
Swiss-born chief executive of the bank's subsidiary Note Printing
Australia, Bernhard Imbach, who lent his support to Fellmann's case. The
Reserve Bank confirmed that Mr Imbach and Fellmann had worked together
on the redesign of the Swiss banknote series in the 1990s. According to
briefing notes of a March 2009 meeting, Mr Imbach told the bank that the
costs of hiring Fellmann were "reasonable considering the costs of
hiring another designer is much more costly".<br />
According to
internal bank memos, Mr Imbach estimated that the cost of acquiring the
services of noted banknote designer Roger Pfund at 500,000-600,000 Swiss
francs ($517,000-$617,000) "for one design".<br />
The Australian has
learned that in 2006 the Reserve Bank contracted Pfund to provide a
quote for developing a "benchmark concept" for a new $50 note. His
asking price was 35,000 Swiss francs. A former insider said Pfund was
overlooked for further work on the project in preference to Fellmann
despite his seniority.<br />
<br />
Fellmann's first involvement in the NGB
project was in 2008, when he produced a benchmark for the $50 note
design. He charged $48,000. In a memo dated February 2009, a
senior Reserve Bank manager, Tom Rohling, suggested NPA's estimate for
Fellmann's costs was "10 times that of a single design, which is line
with two full sets of designs". He warned there were "significant
risks associated with relying on just one designer for the NGB. The cost
of Fellmann's work is substantial, and there is no guarantee that the
designs will prove acceptable to the bank," he wrote. "In addition there
may be some damage to the bank's reputation if an Australian designer
is excluded from the design process."<br />
<br />
In March 2009, Mr Imbach's
choice of Fellmann was overruled by the bank, and two other designers
were invited to quote on producing concept designs. Amanda Jones, a
former designer with NPA, told the bank she would charge $50,000 while
Emery submitted a quote of $160,000. The Reserve Bank spokesman said the
bank had undertaken "a fair and rigorous assessment of the designers". "These
designers were chosen by the bank because they were experienced and
well regarded in a highly specialised field," he said. "The
overseas banknote designer's experience and his previous relationship
with the CEO of NPA was disclosed to the bank's management at the time."<br />
<br />
Fellmann
later dropped his estimate by half to $249,000, which he said did not
include the costs of "banknotisation", for which he would charge extra. According
to a confidential Reserve Bank briefing note of August 2009, Jones
reported to the bank that employees of NPA and its sister company
Securency "had told her that her quote was considerably below that of
the other two designers". This had raised concerns confidential
details had been passed on. No action was taken over the suspected
breach, an insider told The Australian. Contacted in Switzerland by The Australian, Fellmann declined to comment on his work, directing questions to the RBA.<br />
<br />
A
spokesman for Mr Imbach said he was on leave and could not respond to
questions for a fortnight. In September 2009, when an RBA internal panel
reviewed the preliminary work, Fellmann's designs were judged the
weakest, the former insider said. They were rejected in mid-2010 but he
was still paid nearly $300,000. The RBA confirmed the three designers were paid about $550,000 in total.<br />
________________ | _____________ </div>
</div>
Ross Parisihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06615592651520788835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119607598372255618.post-20821896008583514772012-09-27T04:44:00.003+10:002012-09-27T04:44:31.308+10:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h1 class="heading">
Never mind the handbags, it's the economy, Tony
</h1>
<div class="story-info">
<ul>
<li class="byline first ">
<span class="source-prefix">by:</span>
<cite>
NIKI SAVVA
</cite>
</li>
<li class="source ">
<span class="source-prefix">From:</span>
<cite>
<a class="source-theaustralian" href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/">The Australian</a>
</cite>
</li>
<li class="date-and-time last">
<span class="datestamp">September 27, 2012</span>
<span class="timestamp">12:00AM</span>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="story-header-tools">
<br /></div>
<div class="story-body lead-media-none">
<div class="story-intro">
<strong>
Given Tony Abbott gets blamed for everything disagreeable from
Muslim riots to tinea, he should also shoulder responsibility for the
emergence of duelling handbags as the latest Australian political
phenomenon. </strong><br />
<br />
</div>
As a spectacle - watching Labor women lining up at 30 paces to
chuck their Orotons at Abbott, forcing Liberals to hurl themselves in
front of their leader to swat them back - it has about as much subtlety
and grace as dwarf-tossing.<br />
<br />
As a strategy, it has had some
success as Labor plays one of the few cards it has: to destroy Abbott
politically and in a deeply personal way if necessary using its women in
frontline combat roles. Kelly O'Dwyer rightly bagged the tactic,
and if Abbott fails to counter it, and quickly, the image that will be
cemented in voters' minds is the one Labor, admittedly with some help
from him, has crafted. That can bring only more pain for Abbott and the
Coalition.<br />
<br />
It is a picture of an aggressive man who directs his anger towards
workers in general and women in particular, and his destructive streak
towards the environment and the economy - someone in conflict with
everyone and everything that makes up modern, tolerant Australia. It
is a shame because that is not the real Tony, and not only because in
his personal and professional life he is surrounded by women, some of
whom happen to be lesbians, who dote on him and work their guts out for
him.<br />
<br />
He is complex and interesting - with flaws, to be sure -
however, scope existed for him on assuming the leadership to be cast as
the compassionate conservative alternative. Instead he became the
hard man of politics. It produced spectacular results, demolishing like
skittles the emissions trading scheme, then Kevin Rudd, crippling Julia
Gillard and threatening to wipe out Labor for a generation or more. The irony is that Abbott's toughness is being used to vilify him while Gillard has worked to turn hers into a virtue.<br />
<br />
It
is not too late for Abbott to recast. People who have heard him talk
sensitively and knowledgeably about Aborigines or the disabled, or who
have benefited from his many acts of kindness or through his volunteer
work, know the substance is there and know he isn't faking it. While
he should not be deterred from using his family - there is nothing
wrong with it and everybody does it - to show his softer side, he must
do the bulk of it himself. This does not mean easing up on the
government, only that he modify his arguments to take account of changed
circumstances and moderate elements of his presentation that distract
people from his central messages.<br />
<br />
Also, he and his office have to avoid slip-ups that add charges of sloppiness to oafishness. He
has to keep his prime focus on the economy, then balance it with a
Liberal (cap L, not small l) social agenda. One easy way he could show
that is to free up the Coalition on the signature issue of same-sex
marriage. His reason for not allowing a conscience vote in last week's
debate is that the Coalition went to the 2010 election promising to
oppose it.<br />
<br />
Having fulfilled that obligation and having admitted
he also wrestles with this issue, he is free to release himself and his
MPs from that pledge in the next campaign for the next parliament. For
too long Abbott has allowed Labor to frame him. As a branding exercised
it converged most dangerously and destructively with David Marr's
essay.<br />
<br />
Not one single witness emerged to corroborate the story
that Abbott as a 19-year-old punched the wall beside a woman's head, yet
Labor used it mercilessly to brand him as a thug, ably assisted by
media untroubled by the absence of evidence then or now. Journalists
without the heart or the ticker to pursue allegations of professional
misconduct in the Prime Minister's more recent past and eager to even up
the political contest leapt on to Abbott. The flimsiest accounts were presented as corroboration. One
supposed male witness said anonymously he saw Abbott throw a punch but
did not see it land. We must assume embarrassment over his cowardice in
not springing to defend the woman or remonstrate with Abbott explains
his 35-year silence.<br />
<br />
This was not the beginning of Abbott's
problems, it exacerbated them. It began to go wrong for him when things
started to go right for the Prime Minister, marked by her successful
rope-a-dope tactic with the premiers on the National Disability
Insurance Scheme. Abbott comprehensively mucked up when BHP
Billiton announced the abandonment of its Olympic Dam project. This
story was an absolute gift with more legs than a centipede but Abbott
reduced it to two by crudely blaming it all on the carbon and mining
taxes, then he amputated those when he said he hadn't read the
statement.<br />
<br />
Although the mining giant let him hang, it was
nevertheless a perfect opportunity for Abbott to recast and marry his
arguments. He could have put those two taxes into a much wider narrative
to build the theme of a government reckless with the truth, reckless
with people's money and reckless with the economy, and here was an
example of the inevitable consequences when a government obsessed with
politics went rogue on policy.<br />
<br />
It was and should always be about
the government's economic management, its reason for being and its
integrity. Lindsay Tanner fleshed out that narrative, exposing Labor's
wounds and vulnerabilities, and helped change, at least for now, the
political dynamics. Reacting with real feeling to Tanner's
friendly fire, Bob Carr said yesterday it was too easy to talk about
Labor's failures rather than its accomplishments. Too true, Bob.<br />
Tanner's
intervention should help Abbott - and Rudd - check Gillard's momentum,
depending on how smartly they react. Rudd should shut up and Abbott
should never stop referring to it. Gillard's desperation to ward off the
twin threats posed by Rudd and Abbott has spawned some deplorable
measures, including Friday's proposal to quarantine the conditions of
Queensland public servants forced out into the private sector.<br />
<br />
Abbott
has to prove he appreciates the economic challenges the government has
neglected or created, has the solutions and will implement them
conscientiously. He has to do it by talking about the economy, stupid,
over and over and over, in complex terms to the experts and in simple
terms to the punters, and not just in an economic headland speech he is
planning.<br />
<br />
One man who can help him do that is Arthur Sinodinos,
whose belated elevation to the frontbench follows the belated,
inevitable and justified dismissal of Cory Bernardi. Sinodinos should
also travel with Abbott during the election campaign, a role filled by
Nick Minchin last time, to provide the leader with constant sound
political and policy counsel at the most critical time.<br />
<br />
Abbott,
in the firmest and nicest possible way, has to capitalise on Labor's day
of reckoning, otherwise known as the mid-year economic and fiscal
outlook, by zeroing in on the mistakes without making any of his own and
reassuring people he is capable of doing better.<br />
_________________ | ________________ </div>
</div>
Ross Parisihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06615592651520788835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119607598372255618.post-84625607758966846042012-09-26T20:30:00.001+10:002012-09-26T20:30:38.700+10:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;">
<b><span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 24.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: normal; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">Inside the Gang
of Four </span></b></div>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: windowtext; margin-left: 36.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">by:
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lindsay Tanner </i></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: windowtext; margin-left: 36.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">From:
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/"><span style="color: blue;">The
Australian</span></a> </i></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: windowtext; margin-left: 36.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">September
26, 2012 12:00AM </span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU; mso-no-proof: yes;"></span><span style="color: windowtext; mso-bidi-font-style: normal; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b><span style="color: windowtext; mso-bidi-font-style: normal; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">THE
comprehensive trashing of Kevin Rudd's management of government during the
Labor leadership battle early this year struck me as extremely perverse.
Inevitably, it was highly exaggerated; that's how politics works. </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: windowtext; mso-bidi-font-style: normal; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">The
real surprise was the identity of the perpetrators. Key players in that
government who are now leading figures in the current government rely heavily
on their record of having protected Australia during the global financial
crisis and having kept unemployment low when external economic threats were at
their greatest. They are right to be proud of these achievements, but it's
difficult to see how they can continue to lay claim to them when they publicly
describe the government that presided over them as a dysfunctional shambles.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: windowtext; mso-bidi-font-style: normal; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">I have
avoided contributing to these agitated retrospectives until now for several
reasons. The main reason is my desire to avoid damaging the interests of the
Labor Party, to which I owe so much. At some point in the future, an incumbent
Liberal prime minister will use Labor's own words about its performance as a
first-term government under Rudd as a good reason not to elect another Labor
government. Previous Labor leaders like Gough Whitlam and Paul Keating have
faced plenty of internal criticism about their style of leadership; but,
largely, the most pointed commentary has remained private. Even the outpouring
of bile in The Latham Diaries was greeted with calm forbearance by the Labor
leadership group at the time. The attack on Rudd's legacy during the leadership
challenge early this year was unprecedented.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: windowtext; mso-bidi-font-style: normal; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: windowtext; mso-bidi-font-style: normal; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Now
that the circus has moved on, I feel it is important to reflect on the
strengths and weaknesses of the Rudd regime, particularly surrounding the role
of the fabled Gang of Four. For
most of 2007, while in opposition, Rudd, Julia Gillard, Wayne Swan, and I met
regularly as an informal group carrying the innocuous title of "leader's
planning group". At the end of 2007, now in government, this group
re-formed to sort through a vast array of savings options. As 2008 unfolded,
prime minister Rudd began to use the group more broadly, and it was soon given
official status as a cabinet committee: the strategic priorities and budget
committee. Its central role was cemented by the famous all-weekend meeting in
mid-October 2008 that designed the first stimulus package and bank guarantees.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: windowtext; mso-bidi-font-style: normal; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">In
January 2009 we met almost continuously for two weeks, in almost every capital
city, to craft the second stimulus package. We later moved on to conduct
extensive deliberations on the National Broadband Network proposal, and on
complex health reform and tax reform proposals.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; mso-bidi-font-style: normal; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">As this
new decision-making mechanism became entrenched, it became our preferred
vehicle for dealing with the most complicated and difficult issues facing the
government, as a result of which the role of cabinet shrank noticeably. The
scheduling of regular cabinet meetings on Thursday evenings of sitting weeks
contributed to this trend.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; mso-bidi-font-style: normal; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">The
Gang of Four didn't deal with everything: all defence, immigration, terrorism
and foreign policy issues were still dealt with by the national security
committee; the expenditure review committee continued to handle the nuts and
bolts of budget decision-making; the climate change committee laboured for
countless hours to produce the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme; and
asylum-seeker issues were handled by an immigration subcommittee.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: windowtext; mso-bidi-font-style: normal; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">By the
beginning of 2010, the SPBC process was deteriorating. Meetings were called,
rescheduled and cancelled with great regularity, so that I lost the ability to
schedule diary appointments any more than two or three days in advance with any
confidence.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; mso-bidi-font-style: normal; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Individual
matters of middling importance were left unresolved for extended periods, and
ministers and public servants were sometimes kept waiting for hours before
getting a chance to enter an SPBC meeting to discuss their particular issues.
In some cases, the issues weren't even discussed because of the logjam in the
agenda.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: windowtext; mso-bidi-font-style: normal; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Late in
2009, concerns about our decision-making processes were raised in cabinet. Only
a couple of ministers complained at the time, while several indicated that they
were quite happy for others to spend half their lives in arduous meetings about
matters outside their own portfolios. It wasn't until March or April 2010 that
serious rumblings about the role of the Gang of Four began to emerge.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: windowtext; mso-bidi-font-style: normal; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">The
SPBC was the crystallisation of an underlying reality of all governments: all
decisions of any consequence need to be filtered through a very small group of
people -- a handful of senior ministers and public servants. Other ministers
will be involved in matters that are relevant to them; but, to pick just one
example, the foreign minister is not likely to spend much time picking over the
intricate details of health reform.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; mso-bidi-font-style: normal; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">All
governments have some kind of kitchen cabinet arrangements, and all governments
sometimes employ flawed decision-making processes. Those criticising the Rudd
government seem to have forgotten the gestation of John Howard's $10 billion
water plan, which was announced with so little preparation that finance
minister Nick Minchin later admitted that it hadn't even been costed by his
department.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; mso-bidi-font-style: normal; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">There
were positive aspects of the SPBC process. With key public servants and
relevant ministers around the table, many hours of detailed examination of
complex questions ensued in a way that would have been extremely difficult in a
full cabinet context. This is because public servants only rarely present to
cabinet meetings, and the weight of individual portfolio responsibilities is so
heavy that ministers have very limited time to dedicate to major matters
outside their portfolios.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; mso-bidi-font-style: normal; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">I can
recall days when I was in the cabinet room at various cabinet, SPBC and
committee meetings from around 8am to almost midnight, with only minor breaks
in the anteroom for lunch and dinner. It is difficult to see how the
traditional cabinet process could have handled the endless meeting hours that
were undertaken by the SPBC without rendering the government genuinely dysfunctional.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; mso-bidi-font-style: normal; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">In
hindsight, the central mistake that ultimately cost Rudd the prime ministership
was his failure to change gear once the immediate threat of the global
financial crisis had receded. In one sense, he was unlucky. New governments run
by people who have been in opposition for a long time typically take quite a
while to shed the habits and behaviours of opposition. Just around the time
that this psychological transition would have occurred within the Labor
government, the GFC hit. That drama entrenched the slightly manic habits that
are bred in opposition, and we didn't change gears once the GFC had faded.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; mso-bidi-font-style: normal; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">So, by
early 2010, the problems were accumulating: too much was being dealt with by
SPBC, in an increasingly erratic fashion, and there were too many major items
on our agenda. The government was caught in a spiral of problems that it
couldn't escape.</span></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; mso-bidi-font-style: normal; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">As I
was contemplating retirement, I was relatively agnostic about the growing
internal discontent about the Gang of Four. I understood why some ministers
were disgruntled, and I did my best to ensure that the reasons for their
unhappiness were minimised. But I also recognised the special pleading that was
involved, and what I felt was the true cause of our problems -- which was that,
with the aid of the GFC, we had put ourselves in a position where we were
simply dealing with too many huge and challenging issues at the one time.</span></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; mso-bidi-font-style: normal; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">By the
time our internal problems started to come to a head, I had already advised
Rudd that I would not be recontesting my seat. Whatever capacity I may have had
to play a key role in fixing the problem had dissolved. In retrospect, I wish I
had done more; but, like the proverbial frog in gradually boiling water, it is
difficult to recognise just how serious such problems really are until a crisis
occurs. There are important questions about how governments are run that are
involved in the Gang of Four story. There are no perfect administrative
systems, and the challenges of dealing with the problems of an increasingly
complex and volatile world keep mounting. As a mechanism for dealing with the
global financial crisis, the SPBC worked extremely well.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; mso-bidi-font-style: normal; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">But,
once it began to usurp more and more of the ordinary business of government,
its utility declined. The real lesson from this, I think, is that the
traditional system of cabinet government is antiquated and is desperately in
need of a complete overhaul.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: windowtext; mso-bidi-font-style: normal; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">When
regimes are deposed by radical and extraordinary means, the new rulers
invariably demonise those who have been unseated, in order to justify the
enormity of their own behaviour. You can even see this in the way that
historians are still unravelling the web of Tudor propaganda that painted a
grotesque caricature of Richard III in order to justify Henry Tudor's seizure
of the British crown in 1485. Closer to home, Australian conservatives have
created an image of the Whitlam government that is almost fictional in order to
justify the constitutional atrocity they perpetrated in 1975.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: windowtext; mso-bidi-font-style: normal; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Removing
a first-term elected Labor prime minister by a caucus vote, ostensibly because
of his management style, is such an extreme thing to do that those involved
have found it necessary to enormously exaggerate the deficiencies in Rudd's
leadership. There were some deficiencies, it's true. In fact, I suspect I
suffered their consequences more than most. The critical question, though, is
whether they justified a leadership ambush of the kind that occurred on June
23, 2010. I think the answer is clearly "No", and that many people
who supported that challenge would now privately concede it was wrong.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: windowtext; mso-bidi-font-style: normal; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Labor
is now caught in a trap of its own making, publicly impugning a government that
remains central to its current identity: it is impossible to attack the Rudd
government without undermining the Gillard government. The Labor Party is
likely to live with the consequences of the 2010 challenge for a long time.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: windowtext; mso-bidi-font-style: normal; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">The sad
thing about all this is that Labor is trashing its own great achievement. In
spite of everything that has since happened, we should be very proud of our
government's handling of the 2008-09 crisis. With the spectre of the Scullin
government and the Great Depression looming over us, the fact that we kept
unemployment so low is of immense significance.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: windowtext; mso-bidi-font-style: normal; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">And we
should be proud of the fact that, when it really mattered, four leading Labor
figures with a lengthy history of personal rivalries and conflicting ambitions
were able to put tensions aside and act to protect Australia in a time of
global turmoil.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; mso-bidi-font-style: normal; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">No
amount of criticism of Rudd's leadership style can change that, and Labor
people would do well to remember it.</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Exclusive extract of the chapter Inside the Gang of Four, from Politics
with Purpose: Occasional Observations on Public and Private Life by former
Labor finance minister Lindsay Tanner (Scribe, $32.95), out today.</span></i><span style="color: windowtext; mso-bidi-font-style: normal; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"></span></div>
</div>
Ross Parisihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06615592651520788835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119607598372255618.post-48615069749057770812012-09-26T06:49:00.000+10:002012-09-26T06:49:17.919+10:00President Obama | United Nations<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="article-text KonaBody">
<i>The following is a transcript of President Obama's address to the U.N. General Assembly. </i><br />
<br />
Mr. President, Mr. Secretary General, fellow delegates, ladies
and gentlemen, I would like to begin today by telling you about an
American named Chris Stevens. Chris was born in a town called Grass
Valley, California, the son of a lawyer and a musician.<br />
<br />
As a young man, Chris joined the Peace Corps and taught English in
Morocco, and he came to love and respect the people of North Africa and
the Middle East. He would carry that commitment throughout his life.<br />
<br />
As a diplomat, he worked from Egypt to Syria, from Saudi Arabia to
Libya. He was known for walking the streets of the cities where he
worked, tasting the local food, meeting as many people as he could,
speaking Arabic, listening with a broad smile.<br />
<br />
Chris went to Benghazi in the early days of the Libyan revolution,
arriving on a cargo ship. As America's representative, he helped the
Libyan people as they coped with violent conflict, cared for the
wounded, and crafted a vision for the future in which the rights of all
Libyans would be respected.<br />
<br />
And after the revolution, he supported the birth of a new democracy,
as Libyans held elections, and built new institutions, and began to move
forward after decades of dictatorship. Chris Stevens loved his work. He took pride in the country he served, and he saw dignity in the people that he met. Two weeks ago, he travelled to Benghazi to review plans to establish a
new cultural center and modernize a hospital. That's when America's
compound came under attack. Along with three of his colleagues, Chris
was killed in the city that he helped to save. He was 52 years old.<br />
<br />
I tell you this story because Chris Stevens embodied the best of
America. Like his fellow Foreign Service officers, he built bridges
across oceans and cultures, and was deeply invested in the international
cooperation that the United Nations represents. He acted with humility, but he also stood up for a set of principles:
a belief that individuals should be free to determine their own
destiny, and live with liberty, dignity, justice and opportunity.<br />
<br />
The attacks on the civilians in Benghazi were attacks on America. We
are grateful for the assistance we received from the Libyan government
and from the Libyan people. There should be no doubt that we will be relentless in tracking down the killers and bringing them to justice. And I also appreciate that in recent days the leaders of other
countries in the region -- including Egypt, Tunisia, and Yemen -- have
taken steps to secure our diplomatic facilities and called for calm, and
so have religious authorities around the globe.<br />
<br />
But understand, the attacks of the last two weeks are not simply an
assault on America. They're also an assault on the very ideals upon
which the United Nations was founded: the notion that people can
resolve their differences peacefully, that diplomacy can take the place
of war, that in an interdependent world all of us have a stake in
working towards greater opportunity and security for our citizens.<br />
<br />
If we are serious about upholding these ideals, it will not be enough
to put more guards in front of an embassy or to put out statements of
regret and wait for the outrage to pass. If we are serious about these
ideals, we must speak honestly about the deeper causes of the crisis,
because we face a choice between the forces that would drive us apart
and the hopes that we hold in common.<br />
<br />
Today we must reaffirm that our future will be determined by people
like Chris Stevens, and not by his killers. Today we must declare that
this violence and intolerance has no place among our united nations. It's been less than two years since a vendor in Tunisia set himself
on fire to protest the oppressive corruption in his country and sparked
what became known as the Arab Spring. And since then, the world has
been captivated by the transformation that's taken place, and the United
-- the United States has supported the forces of change.<br />
<br />
We were inspired by the Tunisian protests that toppled a dictator
because we recognized our own beliefs in the aspiration of men and women
who took to the streets. We insisted on change in Egypt because our
support for democracy ultimately put us on the side of the people. We
supported a transition of leadership in Yemen because the interests of
the people were no longer being served by a corrupt status quo.<br />
<br />
We intervened in Libya alongside a broad coalition and with the
mandate of the United Nations Security Council, because we had the
ability to stop the slaughter of innocents and because we believed that
the aspirations of the people were more powerful than a tyrant.<br />
<br />
And as we meet here, we again declare that the regime of Bashar
al-Assad must come to an end so that the suffering of the Syrian people
can stop and a new dawn can begin. We have taken these positions because we believe that freedom and self-determination are not unique to one culture.<br />
<br />
These are not simply American values or Western values; they are
universal values. And even as there will be huge challenges to come with
the transition to democracy, I am convinced that ultimately government
of the people, by the people, and for the people is more likely to bring
about the stability, prosperity, and individual opportunity that serve
as a basis for peace in our world.<br />
<br />
So let us remember that this is a season of progress. For the first
time in decades, Tunisians, Egyptians and Libyans voted for new leaders
in elections that were credible, competitive and fair. The democratic spirit has not been restricted to the Arab world. Over
the past year, we've seen peaceful transitions of power in Malawi and
Senegal and a new president in Somalia. In Burma, a president has freed
political prisoners and opened a closed society. A courageous
dissident has been elected to parliament, and people look forward to
further reform.<br />
<br />
Around the globe, people are making their voices heard, insisting on
their innate dignity and the right to determine their future. And yet
the turmoil of recent weeks reminds us that the path to democracy does
not end with the casting of a ballot. Nelson Mandela once said, ``To be
free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that
respects and enhances the freedom of others.''<br />
<br />
True democracy demands that citizens cannot be thrown in jail because
of what they believe, and that businesses can be open without paying a
bribe. It depends on the freedom of citizens to speak their minds and
assemble without fear, and on the rule of law and due process that
guarantees the rights of all people.<br />
In other words, true democracy, real freedom is hard work.<br />
<br />
Those in power have to resist the temptation to crack down on
dissidents. In hard economic times, countries must be tempted -- may be
tempted to rally the people around perceived enemies at home and abroad,
rather than focusing on the painstaking work of reform. Moreover, there will always be those that reject human progress,
dictators who cling to power, corrupt interests that depend on the
status quo, and extremists who fan the flames of hate and division. From
Northern Ireland to South Asia, from Africa to the Americas, from the
Balkans to the Pacific Rim, we've witnesses convulsions that can
accompany transitions to a new political order.<br />
<br />
At time, the conflicts arise along the fault lines of race or tribe,
and often they arise from the difficulties of reconciling tradition and
faith with the diversity and interdependence of the modern world. In
every country, there are those who find different religious beliefs
threatening. In every culture, those who love freedom for themselves
must ask themselves how much they're willing to tolerate freedom for
others. And that is what we saw play out in the last two weeks, where a crude
and disgusting video sparked outrage throughout the Muslim world. Now,
I have made it clear that the United States government had nothing to
do with this video, and I believe its message must be rejected by all
who respect our common humanity. It is an insult not only to Muslims,
but to America as well.<br />
<br />
For as the city outside these walls makes clear, we are a country
that has welcomed people of every race and every faith. We are home to
Muslims who worship across our country. We not only respect the freedom
of religion, we have laws that protect individuals from being harmed
because of how they look or what they believe. We understand why people take offense to this video because millions
of our citizens are among them. I know there are some who ask why don't
we just ban such a video. The answer is enshrined in our laws. Our
Constitution protects the right to practice free speech.<br />
<br />
Here in the United States, countless publications provoke offense.
Like me, the majority of Americans are Christian, and yet we do not ban
blasphemy against our most sacred beliefs. As president of our
country, and commander in chief of our military, I accept that people
are going to call me awful things every day, and I will always defend
their right to do so.<br />
<br />
Americans have fought and died around the globe to protect the right
of all people to express their views -- even views that we profoundly
disagree with. We do so not because we support hateful speech, but
because our founders understood that without such protections, the
capacity of each individual to express their own views and practice
their own faith may be threatened. We do so because in a diverse society, efforts to restrict speech can
quickly become a tool to silence critics and oppress minorities. We do
so because, given the power of faith in our lives, and the passion that
religious differences can inflame, the strongest weapon against hateful
speech is not repression, it is more speech -- the voices of tolerance
that rally against bigotry and blasphemy, and lift up the values of
understanding and mutual respect.<br />
<br />
I know that not all countries in this body share this particular
understanding of the protection of free speech. We recognize that. But
in 2012, at a time when anyone with a cell phone can spread offensive
views around the world with the click of a button, the notion that we
can control the flow of information is obsolete.<br />
The question, then, is how we respond. And on this we must agree: There is no speech that justifies mindless violence.<br />
<br />There are no words that excuse the killing of innocents. There is no
video that justifies an attack on an embassy. There is no slander that
provides an excuse for people to burn a restaurant in Lebanon, or
destroy a school in Tunis, or cause death and destruction in Pakistan.<br />
<br />
In this modern world, with modern technologies, for us to respond in
that way to hateful speech empowers any individual who engages in such
speech to create chaos around the world. We empower the worst of us if
that's how we respond. More broadly, the events of the last two weeks also speak to the need
for all of us to honestly address the tensions between the West and the
Arab world that is moving towards democracy.<br />
Now let me be clear, just as we cannot solve every problem in the
world, the United States has not, and will not, seek to dictate the
outcome of democratic transitions abroad.<br />
<br />
We do not expect other nations to agree with us on every issue. Nor
do we assume that the violence of the past weeks or the hateful speech
by some individuals represent the views of the overwhelming majority of
Muslims any more than the views of the people who produced this video
represents those of Americans.<br />
However, I do believe that it is the obligation of all leaders in all
countries to speak out forcefully against violence and extremism.<br />
<br />
It is time to marginalize those who, even when not directly resorting
to violence, use hatred of America or the West or Israel as the central
organizing principle of politics, for that only gives cover and
sometimes makes an excuse for those who do resort to violence. That
brand of politics, one that pits East against West and South against
North, Muslims against Christians and Hindu and Jews, can't deliver on
the promise of freedom.<br />
<br />
To the youth, it offers only false hope. Burning an American flag
does nothing to provide a child an education. Smashing apart a
restaurant does not fill an empty stomach. Attacking an embassy won't
create a single job. That brand of politics only makes it harder to
achieve what we must do together, educating our children and creating
the opportunities that they deserve, protecting human rights and
extending democracy's promise.<br />
<br />
Understand, America will never retreat from the world. We will bring
justice to those who harm our citizens and our friends, and we will
stand with our allies. We are willing to partner with countries around
the world to deepen ties of trade and investment, and science and
technology, energy and development, all efforts that can spark economic
growth for all our people and stabilize democratic change.<br />
<br />
But such efforts depend on a spirit of mutual interest and mutual
respect. No government or company, no school or NGO will be confident
working in a country where its people are endangered. For partnerships
to be effective, our citizens must be secure and our efforts must be
welcomed. A politics based only on anger, one based on dividing the world
between us and them not only sets back international cooperation, it
ultimately undermines those who tolerate it. All of us have an interest
in standing up to these forces.<br />
<br />
Let us remember that Muslims have suffered the most at the hands of
extremism. On the same day our civilians were killed in Benghazi, a
Turkish police officer was murdered in Istanbul only days before his
wedding, more than 10 Yemenis were killed in a car bomb in Sana'a,
several Afghan children were mourned by their parents just days after
they were killed by a suicide bomber in Kabul.<br />
<br />
The impulse towards intolerance and violence may initially be focused
on the West, but over time it cannot be contained. The same impulses
towards extremism are used to justify war between Sunni and Shia,
between tribes and clans. That leads not to strength and prosperity,
but to chaos. In less than two years, we have seen largely peaceful
protests bring more change to Muslim-majority countries than a decade of
violence. And extremists understand this, because they have nothing to
offer to improve the lives of people, violence is their only way to
stay relevant. They don't build. They only destroy.<br />
<br />
It is time to leave the call of violence and the politics of division
behind. On so many issues, we face a choice between the promise of the
future or the prisons of the past, and we cannot afford to get it
wrong. We must seize this moment, and America stands ready to work with
all who are willing to embrace a better future.<br />
The future must not belong to those who target Coptic Christians in
Egypt. It must be claimed by those in Tahrir Square who chanted,
``Muslims, Christians, we are one.'' The future must not belong to
those who bully women. It must be shaped by girls who go to school and
those who stand for a world where our daughters can live their dreams
just like our sons.<br />
<br />
The future must not belong to those corrupt few who steal a country's
resources. It must be won by the students and entrepreneurs, the
workers and business owners who seek a broader prosperity for all
people. Those are the women and men that America stands with. There's
is the vision we will support. The future must not belong to those who slander the prophet of Islam.
But to be credible, those who condemn that slander must also condemn
the hate we see in the images of Jesus Christ that are desecrated or
churches that are destroyed, or the Holocaust that is denied.<br />
<br />
Let us condemn incitement against Sufi Muslims and Shia pilgrims.
It's time to heed the words of Gandhi, ``Intolerance is itself a form of
violence and an obstacle to the growth of a true democratic spirit.'' Together, we must work towards a work where we are strengthened by our
differences, and not defined by them. That is what America embodies.
That's the vision we will support. Among Israelis and Palestinians, the
future must not belong to those who turn their backs on the prospect of
peace. Let us leave behind those who thrive on conflict, those who
reject the right of Israel to exist.<br />
<br />
The road is hard, but the destination is clear: a secure Jewish state of Israel and an independent, prosperous Palestine. Understanding that such a peace must come through a just agreement
between the parties, America will walk alongside all who are prepared to
make that journey. In Syria, the future must not belong to a dictator who massacres his
people. If there's a cause that cries out for protests in the world
today, peaceful protest, it is a regime that tortures children and
shoots rockets in apartment buildings. And we must remain engaged to
assure that what began with citizens demanding their rights does not end
in a cycle of sectarian violence.<br />
<br />
Together, we must stand with those Syrians who believe in a different
vision, a Syria that is united and inclusive, where children don't need
to fear their own government and all Syrians have a say in how they're
governed -- Sunnis and Alawites, Kurds and Christians. That's what
America stands for. That's is the outcome that we will work for, with
sanctions and consequences for those who persecute and assistance and
support for those who work for this common good.<br />
<br />
Because we believe that the Syrians who embrace this vision will have the strength and legitimacy to lead.<br />
In Iran, we see where the path of a violent and unaccountable
ideology leads. The Iranian people have a remarkable and ancient
history, and many Iranians wish to enjoy peace and prosperity alongside
their neighbors. But just as it restricts the rights of its own people,
the Iranian government continues to prop up a dictator in Damascus and
supports terrorist groups abroad.<br />
<br />
Time and again, it has failed to take the opportunity to demonstrate
that its nuclear program is peaceful and to meet its obligations to the
United Nations. So let me be clear: America wants to resolve this issue through
diplomacy, and we believe that there is still time and space to do so.
But that time is not unlimited.<br />
We respect the right of nations to access peaceful nuclear power, but
one of the purposes of the United Nations is to see that we harness
that power for peace.<br />
<br />
Make no mistake: A nuclear-armed Iran is not a challenge that can be
contained. It would threaten the elimination of Israel, the security
of Gulf nations, and the stability of the global economy. It risks
triggering a nuclear arms race in the region, and the unraveling of the
Non-Proliferation Treaty. That's why a coalition of countries is holding the Iranian government
accountable. And that's why the United States will do what we must to
prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. We know from painful
experience that the path to security and prosperity does not lie outside
the boundaries of international law and respect for human rights.
That's why this institution was established from the rubble of
conflict; that is why liberty triumphed over tyranny in the Cold War;
and that is the lesson of the last two decades as well.<br />
<br />
History shows that peace and progress come to those who make the
right choices. Nations in every part of the world have travelled this
difficult path. Europe -- the bloodiest battlefield of the 20th century -- is united,
free and at peace. From Brazil to South Africa, from Turkey to South
Korea, from India to Indonesia people of different races, religions and
traditions have lifted millions out of poverty, while respecting the
rights of their citizens and meeting their responsibilities as nations.<br />
<br />
And it is because of the progress that I've witnessed in my own
lifetime, the progress that I've witnessed after nearly four years as
president, that I remain ever hopeful about the world that we live in. The war in Iraq is over. American troops have come home. We've begun a transition in Afghanistan, and America and our allies will end our war on schedule in 2014.<br />
<br />
Al Qaida has been weakened and Osama bin Laden is no more. Nations
have come together to lock down nuclear materials, and America and
Russia are reducing our arsenals. We have seen hard choices made -- from Naypyidaw to Cairo to Abidjan -- to put more power in the hands of citizens. At a time of economic challenge, the world has come together to
broaden prosperity. Through the G-20, we have partnered with emerging
countries to keep the world on the path of recovery.<br />
<br />
America has pursued a development agenda that fuels growth and breaks
dependency, and worked with African leaders to help them feed their
nations. New partnerships have been forged to combat corruption and promote
government that is open and transparent. And new commitments have been
made through the Equal Futures Partnership to ensure that women and
girls can fully participate in politics and pursue opportunity.<br />
<br />
And later today, I will discuss our efforts to combat the scourge of human trafficking. All these things give me hope. But what gives me the most hope is
not the actions of us, not the actions of leaders. It is the people
that I've seen. The American troops who've risked their lives and
sacrificed their limbs for strangers half a world away. The students in
Jakarta or Seoul who are eager to use their knowledge to benefit
mankind. The faces in a square in Prague or a parliament in Ghana who
see democracy giving voice to their aspirations. The young people in
the favelas of Rio and the schools of Mumbai whose eyes shine with
promise.<br />
<br />
These men, women and children of every race and every faith remind me
that for every angry mob that gets shown on television, there are
billions around the world who share similar hopes and dreams. They tell
us that there is a common heartbeat to humanity. So much attention in our world turns to what divides us. That's what
we see on the news, that's what consumes our political debates. But when
you strip all away, people everywhere long for the freedom to determine
their destiny; the dignity that comes with work; the comfort that comes
with faith; and the justice that exists when governments serve their
people and not the other way around.<br />
<br />
The United States of America will always stand up for these
aspirations for our own people and for people all across the world. That
was our founding purpose. That is what our history shows. That is
what Chris Stevens worked for throughout his life. And I promise you this: Long after the killers are brought to
justice, Chris Stevens' legacy will live on in the lives that he
touched, in the tens of thousands who marched against violence through
the streets of Benghazi, in the Libyans who changed their Facebook photo
to one of Chris, in the signs that read simply, ``Chris Stevens was a
Friend to all Libyans.'' They should give us hope. They should remind
us that so long as we work for it, justice will be done, that history is
on our side, and that a rising tide of liberty will never be reversed.<br />
<br />
Thank you very much.<br />
<br />
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Ross Parisihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06615592651520788835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119607598372255618.post-60645330418976653832012-09-23T09:51:00.001+10:002012-09-23T09:51:22.626+10:00Hillbilly blog identities exposed is a good thing<a href="http://www.cairnsblog.net/2012/09/hillbilly-blog-identities-exposed-is.html#.UF5O4kvUFvs.blogger">Hillbilly blog identities exposed is a good thing</a>Ross Parisihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06615592651520788835noreply@blogger.com0