3 posts tagged “david hicks”

Lucire’s Sylvia Giles has just returned from an assignment in Melbourne, Victoria, and blogged about the state of race relations in Australia. I trust Sylvia’s judgement (otherwise, why would she be writing for us?) and it was very sad to see that even regular Australians from her random sample did not have good things to say about Prime Minister Howard’s record. And I had been quite supportive of the PM and of Alexander Downer, especially when they tried to back up alleged terrorist and al-Qaeda trainee David Hicks (in contrast to the laziness of our own Foreign Minister-outside-Cabinet, Winston Peters). Sadly, Sylvia gives us a lot of food for thought and may provide an answer to the age-old (well, age and a half) question, ‘Where the bloody hell are you?’

[Cross-posted] Bruce Robinson, the New Zealander in a 15 m² Polish jail cell, with seven other blokes, who is allegedly being ignored by the Foreign Minister-outside-Cabinet and other members of the diplomatic mission in Poland, now has a petition set up for his cause.
   As reported on this blog, both the Minister and now, the Prime Minister, have said they will not interfere in Poland’s sovereign processes.
   This is ironic, since both politicians are quite happy to interfere when the targets are easier.
   Contrary to the Dominion Post report today, the petition was set up by Bruce’s sister, Lyn. And yes, I do have the inside line on this case now, and have done for some time, with the Robinson family’s blessing.
   But at least the Fairfax press has not repeated a one-sided story from the Foreign Minister, who initially accused TV One of being unfair to him when Rawdon Christie first uncovered the story, and The New Zealand Herald willingly obliged with republication.
   I hate it how this guy always plays the victim, just to cover the fact he cannot do his job.
   But let’s not split hairs. It’s important word gets out and we sign this petition and get the government to act. We are paying taxes and I am wondering why the hell we need to, if we do not go to bat for our own.
   Even the Aussies have gone to bat for David Hicks, the alleged terrorist held at Gitmo. Both John Howard and Alexander Downer have seen Bush, Condi, Rumsfeld and Gates and Alberto Gonzales for this one guy. All Bruce is guilty of is patriotism and travelling on his New Zealand passport.
   Sign here, even if you are not in New Zealand.

When I think about the case of Bruce Robinson, the New Zealander in jail in Poland, I contrast it to the case of Australian David Hicks.
   Why hold a New Zealand passport at all, if your Foreign Minister doesn’t measure up to his Australian counterpart’s efforts when you are chucked into prison?
   Whether Downer has been effective is one thing, but note: he has been talking to the President, to Condi, to Alberto, and to Bob Gates (and presumably Don Rumsfeld). Now, I’ll be impressed if our Foreign Minister-outside-Cabinet has talked to the same parties in Poland.
   Cripes, I might travel on my Pommy passport next time.