Saturday 20th of April 2024
Home » Blogs » John Richardson's blog

APEC .....

APEC .....

The Premier of New South Wales,

Mr Morris Iemma,

Parliament House,

SYDNEY. NSW. 2000.

Dear Mr Premier,

I am writing to record my dismay & disgust at the behaviour of you, the Commissioner of the NSW Police & some officers of the NSW Police during this week’s APEC fiasco in Sydney.

In the past week, you & your government have succeeded only in alienating the people of Sydney through your arrogant & heavy-handed approach to the security arrangements around APEC. On repeated occasions, you & your Commissioner of Police sought to intimidate the citizens of Sydney, threatening their safety & wellbeing, should they be foolish enough to venture into their city. This was the behaviour of a demagogue, not that of an elected representative of the people.

Of even greater concern to me, my family & friends was the unwarranted brutality & thuggery displayed by some members of the NSW Police towards members of the public & representatives of the media. In a completely unjustified & cowardly attack, an officer of the NSW Police was filmed making an attack on a journalist from behind, hurling her to the pavement on her back, potentially inflicting serious injuries. In our view, that officer is a disgrace to the NSW Police Service: he should be charged with assault & dismissed from the Service.

For more than 50 years I have respected & supported the NSW Police Service, including contributing to their fundraising efforts on numerous occasions. After witnessing the behaviour of the NSW Police during APEC, I now find myself completely distrustful of the NSW Police & no longer willing to support them.

By your behaviour, you, your government & the NSW Police Service have forfeited the trust of the people of NSW & have also succeeded in sullying the reputation of our country & the city of Sydney.

The APEC circus has rendered you all a disgrace & an embarrassment.

Sincerely,

John Richardson.

CC: David Campbell, Minister for Police

The Prime Minister, the Hon John Howard MP

The Editor, The Sydney Morning Herald

The Editor, The Australian

sour puss...

Gerard Henderson (11/09/07) regales us this morning to the dour and unavoidable tragedy of life... Yep, predictable undertakings from the undertaker... Yes, there is some terrible deeds done in the world by very unsavoury people and our response to this vary... but, according to him, we should ever be so serious and tighten our butt so much that smiling could become extinct. His attack on the Chaser "boys" (my quotes - my endearing naming) would be so funny if he ever managed to crack a little joke, but no: not even a teeny-weeny one. His column is joke free, full of holes nonetheless and as entertaining as a cemetery on a bleak cold night.

Sure, some people like to stroll in a cemetery full of holes on a cold bleak night. They find it invigorating and strangely uplifting into the black arcane sad corners of our uncertainty. But as Voltaire (was it him or another clever monkey?) told us, "laughter is the essence of mankind".

And I know people — on that morning of APEC-overkill — who felt the whole weight of a sad world upon their shoulders... Suddenly the sad deep depression that had engulfed their mind — for no other reason than being overworked in an Howardian institution that tends to favour plodding duds ahead of excellence — was lifted in a jiffy by learning of the great stunt performed by the Chaser crew. It's called comic relief. In this case, a clownic-remedy applied to very source of the malady — the system created by an over fly-swatting Johnnee eager to show his aspirational Nazi credentials to the cast of bemusing world leaders...

Ah the laughter that came from these depressed people! ! ! ! ! ! !

Suddenly the grey skies of Sydney stayed grey but the hearts soared above the clouds into the ether of magic relief. Thank you Mr Morrow...

As Henderson complains that our taxes are used to pay for shows like the Chaser, I will complain that more of our taxes are used to create sinister theatres — especially the theatre of war. Illegal war, no matter how elected or not our performers are.

Immature? The Chaser "boys"? No. We, our governments and our media are immature... The Chaser "boys" are clever enough to mirror our long faces in a curved-ball mirror so we can see, for a few enlightened moments of laughter at least, that we are more than undertakers waiting for our turn to be undertaken...

a rum corpse .....

Thank you for your e-mail to David Campbell MP, Minister for Police.

Your correspondence has been noted and be given all necessary attention.

Regards

Office of the Minister for Police and Minister for the Illawarra

Level 35, Governor Macquarie Tower

1 Farrer Place, Sydney NSW 2000

Ph: 9228 4253 Fax: 9228 3722

Yes folks ..... a greeting from the Minister for our new Police State.

An anonymous response reflecting a level of concern equal to its grammatical quality.

And not a murmur about the issues raised .... not even an attempt to defend the outrageous behaviour of our modern Rum Corps.

Meanwhile, the Minister's men, guilty of numerous unprovoked & vicious assaults on citizens they are paid to protect, now know that they are above the law they are sworn to defend.

So much for our way of life ....

And not a peep from the brave Premier Dilemma.

Whose Democracy?