Media coverage distracts from the real crime
What is all the she-said-he-said fuss about Unions ACT secretary Kim Sattler and the Aboriginal Tent Embassy protest on January 26?
1) The meaning of Abbott's comments was that it was time for the Tent Embassy to close.
2) As ABC's Media Watch pointed out on February 6, both AAP and Radio 2UE had been broadcasting all morning that Abbott had said the embassy "had to go" or "shut down".
3) All this is a distraction from the real crime which is the racist hysteria whipped up by the mass media and Lib-Lab politicians about the spontaneous January 26 protest (which was angry but non-violent on the part of the protesters).
Peter Boyle
Newtown, NSW
Nationalise banks
In 1911, the Fisher Labor government established the Commonwealth Bank. The Keating government privatised it.
In 1947, the Chifley government introduced legislation to nationalise the private banks. This measure was strongly opposed by bank directors, the Liberal Party and the Country Party. The High Court, and later the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, declared the legislation invalid. The only people who benefit from the privatisation of a public enterprise are wealthy shareholders.
In order to nationalise the Commonwealth Bank, Telstra, and other enterprises that have been privatised, Section 51 of the Commonwealth Constitution will have to include an addendum that makes nationalisation intra virus; that is, within the bounds of the constitution. This can only be achieved by referendum.
Some of the banks have indicated their intention to sack hundreds of employees and outsource banking operations to India. Bank employees are living in a constant state of fear concerning their continuity of employment.
We fully support the Finance Services Union in its opposition to what the bank directors threaten to do.
Bernie Rosen
Strathfield, NSW
Western hypocrisy on Middle East
The US and the EU among others have condemned and acted against the Syrian regime's violent repression of democracy protestors. But in glaring contrast these western countries have taken no actions to support the peoples suffering oppression in Bahrain and Yemen. Despite the indiscriminate killing, beatings and jailing of protestors nothing has been done to help these peoples or to denounce the two governments' severe brutality.
Even when 21 political activists in Bahrain were given life sentences for protesting and when 20 Bahraini doctors and nurses who had treated injured protestors were sentenced to 15, 10 and five years in prison none of the western nations has condemned these harsh punishments or taken any actions against the dictatorial rulers in Bahrain.
Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Arab League have also strongly expressed their criticism of Syria’s repression. It is sad and shameful though that while Saudi Arabia condemns Syria’s cruel actions, the west says absolutely nothing about the brutality of the Saudi Arabian regime against its own people and its recent dominant role in the violent suppression of peaceful dissent in Bahrain. And while Turkey censures Syria, the Turkish army continues its brutal repression of the Kurdish people and widespread human rights abuses persist in Turkey.
The international community should rightly concern itself with the respect of the human rights of peoples and censure mistreatment when it occurs. But not selectively condemn some countries, while allowing others to carry out human rights abuses. The silence of the US, Britain, France, Germany and others in the face of this brutality of the peoples in Bahrain and Yemen is nothing but blatant hypocrisy.
Steven Katsineris,
Hurstbridge. Vic