I am passionate about many things. Open and responsible free speech being one of them. Equally, I abhor violence. However, my demeanour is rapidly changing when it comes to Bill Shorten. To use a good old Aussieism, I’m rapidly reaching the point where I could gladly smash him with the proverbial shovel.
I am sick and tired of Shorten’s insults. His hysterical outburst over what were reasonably considered and sensible points raised by Peter Dutton with regards to the impact of immigration failures (that being the mix coupled with inadequate vetting) in the past. This outburst is the final straw. His manipulation of the truth is astounding.
Amanda Vanstone put it succinctly in the Australian today when she said, “Shorten’s the one fanning racists fires over immigration.” She said “ Mr Shorten’s remarks reduced an important debate to the “lowest common denominator.” Spot on.
Of course the comments to Ms Vanstone’s column attracted the usual bag of support. Plus as expected when presented with the truth a fair smattering of vitriolic attack. This one in particular stood out, because it's typical of what we see expressed by so many today. It was penned by a woman named Jane.
“Seriously [Sic] Amanda Vandastone, you ought to be ashamed.
Mr Dutton you are a disgrace.
Thank you Mr Shorten for calling him out.
We must call out racism wherever it occurs. It is not acceptable in a decent and peaceful multicultural society.
What is devastating is that he must have such powerful influence in the [Sic] Turnull government because he should have been sacked on the spot.
This is highly unusual and should be examined.”
Firstly, Dutton is a Government Minister. You would expect him to have a powerful influence. If he doesn’t, he shouldn’t be there. By the mere fact, we have been relatively unscathed when it comes to on-shore terrorist violence (despite the threats) he’s obviously doing a good job. So, I contest that Jane is showing her blatant ignorance with her ‘highly unusual and should be examined’ nonsense.
Facts appears to have escaped Jane. We stopped being a decent & peaceful multicultural society when people were murdered on the streets. When dozens of young men, many born in Australia left the country to fight with terrorist organisations in the Middle East. In turn, to have those same people appear in ISIS propaganda video’s threatening us and inciting supporters on home soil to commit terrorist acts against us. Our security and Federal Police operatives along with the help of many from the Muslim community have thwarted those acts, thank our lucky stars.
We lost our peaceful multicultural society when we looked on in horror, at an Australian child holding up the severed head of a man caught and murder by those very terrorists, people on our shores openly support.
We lost our peaceful multicultural society when dozens and dozens of youths (both Sudanese and Islanders, many recently arrived on our shores) formed gangs who terrorise, rob and bash people on the streets of Melbourne.
So, I suggested Jane that she might like to actually LISTEN to what Peter Dutton said in response to a question/s asked by Andrew Bolt. For the record, it was Bolt, who first raised Fraser's well acknowledged (even by Fraser) lapses in immigration rigour, as that applied to some migrants during his reign. Then, I suggested she might like to read through Hansard (Monday 21st) to understand what Peter Dutton actually said in response to Bill Shorten's pathetic attempt to lampoon him.
We have a problem with both violence and the threat of terrorism in this country. Sadly, the percentage of law breakers and terrorist sympathisers within some sections of our immigrant community is too high. Sticking our heads in the sand, suppressing discussion and verbally attacking and slurring the messenger will not fix it. The problem needs to be discussed openly, maturely and with a commitment to do just that, fix it. The only people who should be sacked are those attacking the very people who are trying to do something about the problem. Peter Dutton should not be sacked. Bill Shorten most certainly should be.
Bill Shorten and Labor’s strategy on attacking Peter Dutton is hard to fathom. Are they arguing against Mr Dutton acknowledging the Fraser Government made some mistakes? It’s a fact. They did. Fraser eventually listened and changed the strategy. But, alas in many in cases it was too late. The foundation for problems in the future was also set.
Is Labor’s argument that this historical fact must be buried and that we can’t talk about the impacts today of the bad decisions of ‘yesteryear’? In the context of what Mr Dutton said in the Bolt interview about taking time now to thoroughly assess the 12,000 who are coming from Syria, to ensure we don’t repeat the mistakes of the past, I contest that references to past mistakes is relevant. Or are Shorten and Labor's motives more sinister?
Bill Shorten is turning into the lefts version of Donald Trump. During Trump’s campaign, he said some pretty terrible things about certain groups. He stirred up a lot of hostility. By the very nature of many of his comments he gave rise and legitimacy to the rise of the Alt-right and neo-Nazis. When questioned this week about seeing Neo-Nazis raise their hands in a “Seig Heil” salute chanting “Heil Trump, Heil our people, Heil Victory” Trump’s comments were, “It’s not a group I want to energise. And if they are energised I want to look into it and find out why.” All he has to do is turn the mirror on himself. There is his answer.
Bill Shorten similarly, fuels the racist debate with his selective subtraction of pieces of conversations to score political points. Then, Shorten throws racist slurs based on those subtractions. Shorten tries to suppress the truth and close down open and mature debate. He fuels the fires of our Alt-Right but from a different perspective. It's not about personal adoration for Shorten, as it is for Trump.
I believe Bill Shorten deliberately seeks to motivate and stir up racial divide. He knows others will go out and issue threats against his own supporters; against the people of the left. More alarmingly, we also end up with threats being made against our broader immigrant community. Isn’t that exactly what Union bosses do? The load ‘the guns’ and others go out there and ‘fire the bullets’.
Mr Dutton singled out the many thousands of wonderful law abiding immigrants we have in this country. As Mr Dutton stressed many of them are from the Lebanese community. Of course, that is one piece that has been selectively culled by Mr Shorten in his assault. Shorten also stirs up members of our immigrant community who may not be fully aware of what has been said or the context in which it was said, Thus, by his actions, Shorten is driving even greater social divide. In other words, he is doing what he said he would do. Lead like a unionist.
So putting on my cynical hat. Trump and Shorten are either so stupid they are oblivious to the impact they have on the behaviour of others. For the record, I don’t think either of them are stupid. Or, they are wilfully manipulating the populous for political gain; divide and conquer, stuff the consequences. Either way it's extremely dangerous. Both should be resoundingly condemned.
