Because the union can see the DPP has been overridden in this case, that ordinary criminals don't recieve this treatment. I can't blame the union even though I think Hurley did it, everyone is innocent until proven guilty.

“I don’t begrudge anyone from voicing a protest on any matter but one would have thought it more prudent of police to await the outcome of a jury of Hurley’s peers to arrive at a verdict before trying to influence the court’s outcome by threatening to march on Parliament House as well as an array of other innovative planned actions.”

Is it unfair to discuss whether Aborigines burning down the police station on Pam Island, rioting at other settlements, protesting and marching in Brisbane and Cairns etc was intended to influence the process of justice. Which it did.

We are still waiting for anything like a coherent explanation from the Queensland Government on what the circumstances are in which the Attorney-General will decide to ignore the decision of the independent DPP and present a case to the courts directly, using a Justice Department employed barrister.

I am still waiting for Stephen Hagan or any other apologists for the ATSI community to explain why they aren't as vocal about Aboriginal men raping three year old girls - something that I would have thought as morally heinous as wrestling with an unruly drunk.

Shonga:

The DPP's decision showed that she completely ignored the evidence suggesting that Hurley could be charged. She also, completely inappropriately, tried to claim that the Mulrunji death was a 'tragic accident', which is not her job.

That, and her actions in the Pauline Hanson, Di Fingleton and Scott Volkers cases, indicate a pattern of behaviour that protects the powerful and puts the boot into those on the outer.

Are you seriously suggesting that a DPP who is clearly biassed and making bad decisions should never have those decisions reviewed?

The political decisions that were made did not put Hurley in jail, they kick-started a legal process that had been stalled by a DPP who is failing in her duty.

As for Kevin, what are you doing to find out what Aboriginal leaders are saying about toxic behaviour in their own communities? What are you doing to help the leaders who are trying to stop that toxic behaviour?

Or do you just want to cling to any excuse you can to help you believe that all Aboriginals as bad people?

David Jackmanson
http://www.letstakeover.blogspot.com
http://www.lastsuperpower.net

My grandfather in the UK was a police constable. an uncle was a Chief Superintendent. I don't think that they would recognise the attitudes held by the Queensland force, as highlighted by Ludwig, which so amazed me when I first came to Queensland in 1979, and continue to do so. Their emphasis was on serving the public, not their self-interest and that of their mates.

It is interesting that the Police Union rage over the prosecution of Hurley went silent and not much has been heard from the acting Union Boss in Cairns in the recent past. It is also interesting that the same amount of vocal support was not shown for the two Police officers who allegedly raped the female prisoners in the Police Cells in South East Queensland and which received very little media coverage. I do wonder if the wrist bans will now include their rego numbers as well and is the Qld Police Union also paying for the defence of the charges these vile grubs face. It was reported today that a nurse who made a complaint about the conduct of public servants in the Cairns Base hospital was interviewed by the CIB and this is typical of how this fascist regime works in Qld and if I were Stephen Hagan I be very careful on the street after publishing his views in this forum. The matter of Hurley going before the Qld Supreme Court is a process that could have been commenced by anybody and it did not necessarily require the Attorney-General to commence it. I do hope that the Honourable Judge in Townsville is going to deal with this matter as a Judge in a properly constituted Qld Supreme Court in accordance with the laws of the Qld Parliament displaying the statutory SEAL of the Court on the face of the originating process or otherwise he is dealing with this matter as an individual in an administrative TRIBUNAL, not one of Her Majesty's Courts, and that would be contrary to the High Court reasons for their decisions in KABLE v The DPP NSW and GROLLO v MIC PALMER, COMMISSIONER OF AFP. I do hope that one of the highly educated lawyers for the victim are going to ensure that the matter is being dealt with by a proper white-fella court or Stephen Hagan will be able to add this one to his long list of failures of this fascist regime to appropriately address the many deaths in custody.

Actually, I'm going to go against the grain and support the actions of the police union.

Not because of Chris Hurley - I think he probably is guilty and should be tried.

However, the official reason why the police union has reacted so strongly is that this is a case of the government stepping in to overturn a decision of the DPP.

That isn't supposed to happen. Political interference in the judicial system isn't supposed to occur - there is a reason why we have a separation of powers.

Now I'm not so naive as to believe that this is the actual reason why the police are protesting. They see one of their own being charged, and they see themselves in his shoes. They are making a show of solidarity.

I don't believe this is right, but I don't think the government should be able to step in and correct an unpopular decision of the DPP.

What is needed, is a review of how the DPP prosecutes - the German system of prosecution is quite different, in that the prosecutors do not have any leeway in deciding if there is enough evidence to go to trial. If a number of conditions are met, they simply have to go to trial. The politics are taken out of the decision making process. This is probably why the Germans are the only ones prosecuting CIA agents for rendition procedures, but I digress.

So yes, I think Hurley should have been charged. But not because the Premier stepped in.