The S11 "protest" in 2000 resulted in such things as this:

<In the 2000 riot at Crown casino, Sgt Leigh Wisbey led a charge to rescue the Western Australia premier, who'd been trapped in his car for an hour by a mob that flattened his tyres, climbed on his roof, bashed in his panels and menaced him with a blowtorch.

Wisbey saved the Premier but was scrutinised by the Ombudsman, cautioned for "inappropriate" use of his baton by his boss, and investigated by community legal centre lawyers. He still faces possible legal action from someone he hit in his charge.>

See this video, and note what happens to the female police officer when the white maggots charge the police lines.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKiRBWZ-Lj8

A serving police officer makes the following comment:
http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/comments/column_our_cops_go_girly/desc/

<Station commanders are now having to deal with a plethora of police women who flood certain positions and specialist positions but arent on the roster because they are off pregnant, off to the womens policing lunch or now can be paid to march in the pride march>
See the full comment by "Proud Member 24 of Melbourne"

.....and they wonder when people take the law into their own hands ?
Or should I say "Take to the Streets in defense of the rule of Law"

Ok.. I'd love to hear some discussion on possible responses.

1/ Citizen Defense groups formed to have a presense at such events and slow down surging protesters.

2/ Allow things to continue as they are, with the best and most experienced police leaving in disgust, disillusioment and desperation

3/ Your choice

David,welcome to the NSW way of policing instigated by one, Peter Ryan.

I met Christine Nixon's father quite by accident last year,and what amazed me with just a brief conversation,was this left wing soft option approach,that didn't want to upset the criminals for fear of confrontation.

Now I disagree with this globalisation of our planet since it is one sided and gives too much power to the multi-nationals,however there is a way to more effectively get your message across that attacking decent,ordinary folk who are just trying to do their job.

A lot of these anti-globalisation troglodytes are just social anachists who want communism.I just want to see a fairer world ,whereby global businesses play by a set of international rules, thus paying their employees enough to save and pay taxes for infrastructure and education.Presently we just have the new Feudal Lords of business dictating the agenda to both Govts and local businesses.

The Global Capitalists are destroying the image of the free enterprise system,and empowering the social anachists you witnessed in Melbourne.When the Global Capitalists have total power,they will be no different from the communists whom they despise.

The Global economic system does not have a balance of power that is small business friendly.It is all about big fish comsuming small fish,thus eliminating competition.When we destroy competition,ordinary people become slaves.

The free enterprise system is the best,however we should be creating a fair system of international rules that make the game of economics fair,just like football [ie soccer].

Hi mate...
yep.. well said in all.

Capitalism with a Conscience (environmental and social) is better than Socialism/Communism.

Globalization is going to wreck the standard of living of so many in this country, as each week we hear of this or that 'car parts supplier' factory shutting down etc...jobs outsourced in IT, back office and customer interface.

That just about leaves Police, Lawyers,Tradies and Tourism operators.
Plus any job like truck driving which can't be outsourced. Not to mention lawn mowing :)

So, you have to wonder 'what' will happen to the individuals and familes of those who are made redundant, and then, the social consequences as increasingly large numbers of unemployed people become restless.

I can't work out how come we still seem to have so many employed... I must be missing something.

BD, you ask...
"So, you have to wonder 'what' will happen to the individuals and familes of those who are made redundant, and then, the social consequences as increasingly large numbers of unemployed people become restless."
My answer to that is simple! Look back at history, for history will tell that boom times, such as we are currently experiencing, will certainly come to an end and markets will crash. The bigger the financial bubble, the bigger will be the "bust." You only have to look at Henry Lawson's elegiac poem "The faces in the street" to get an idea of how history might repeat when the inevitable crash comes. In the mid part of last century, Australia literally owed it's wealth to farming exports, then towards the end of the 1900, manufacturing. Over the last decade, we've seen the destruction of our manufacturing industry due to outsourcing and yes, globalisation has played a part. Now, we're riding not on the "sheep's back" as we were 50 to 60 years ago, but on the mining and minerals boom which is having a flow on effect to other sectors such as housing and the service industries. Meanwhile, the Howard Government panders to the multinational giants of the mining industry to the detriment of any small manufacturers who are left struggling to make ends meet. My prediction is that Howard will be re-elected next year, but knowing full well what's coming when the mining boom comes to an abrupt end, he'll bail out and resign thereby avoiding the fallout from his passion of all things big business.
Whilst a junior in politics, John Howard greatly admired Bob Menzies and used to take great pleasure in reading from a few word hung on the wall in Menzie's chamber. The words read..."Workers? Give the bastards nothing!" Despite the rhetoric, John Howard is doing nothing and will do nothing to prop up the workers either now, or when the crash comes. That's the answer to your question.

Yes Wildcat...I tend to think we are in a bubble myself.
I just cannot see how a society can keep on going without a manufacturing sector and the associated skills and jobs.

Without it, we are left with stuff dug up and shorn. Its not a lot to base a nations prosperity or even survival on.

I had a sneaking feeling some years back about this, so I bought a decent block of land, but the funny thing is, I bought it when business was gangbusters, and have never got past the 'land' bit, have been living in our shed for the past 6 yrs. I don't mind though (except when I can't find my clothes or the junk seems to stifle me)
at least we can usually afford our repayments.

But what of the 180 workers at Ajax Fasteners ? Just on the edge of a cliff. They will probably be made redundant in the next day or 2.

The annoying thing is, when GMH and FORD get the parts from China, at a much lower cost, aah.. will they give us cars any cheaper or keep prices the same and just make more money ? We know the answer to that eh.
Well..I take comfort in the fact that Volvo have just recalled 360,000 cars over some speed control aspect fault. Probably made in China :)

What do you think of the tiny police girls on front line crowd control ?

Thanx for your contribution.

BD. You asked..."What do I think of the tiny police girls on front line crowd control?" I'm afraid I don't know enough about how they ended up there to make an informed comment. Perhaps they feel they're as good at crowd control as their larger male counterparts and asked for the assignment, although I suspect that they were simply following orders and shoved into the firing line because of limited "man" power. Personally, I don't believe in Globalisation, but I detest the violence that follows meeting like G8 everywhere. I guess in many ways I too am like the petite female officers since I'm a psych nurse and confront violence every other day. We're taught to deal with it and have ready access to a burly male nurse or even a security guard if the person is really out of control, but I'd sooner face someone having a major psychotic episode than one of those mongrel demonstrators in Melbourne the other week.
BD, I had that same sneeking feeling over 10 years ago, so like yourself, I grabbed a 5 acre block of land in a rural area and with the help of friends who had handymen for husbands, we built my home from scratch. My goal was to make it as sustainable as I could and everything was going well until the tragic death of my partner back in March 04. It took me awhile to get back on track, but it's slowly coming along again, although, being in my early 50's, I'm finding the going getting tougher every day. I'll hang in here as long as I can, but it's inevitable that the day will come when I can't struggle on any longer. Do hope you eventually build a decent home for yourself, although there's something very appealing to me to live the simple life in a shed. I'm just an old bushie at heart.

Amen wildcat.... yep.. the simple life for me.

We are in the throws of negotiation to sell our place but will gain an almost equal chunk of land next door, where we hope to build.
I also wantto make it as self sustaining as poss..Solar elect and hot water.. with a gas in line water heater to boost temp when needed.

I thoroughly recommend being involved in various local things, for social networking etc.
I can't believe the great mates I'm gaining though my kickboxing :) I dunno if I'm the 'pet geriatric' or what but I relate to young fella's and gals quite ok.

Re the G20.. and the girly police (to quote Saint Andrew (Bolt) or is it wingnut ? :) yep..following orders seems to be it.. to put a 'friendly face' on the front line. Though the reasoning seems to me a bit flawed.. just imagine ..ur out there facing an enemy with an AK47 and you 'smile' at him :) the only word that comes to mind is *bang*.

It is actually possible for big brawny blokes to smile and act friendly with good humor. Though a condom full of urine in the face might take the edge of their smile :)

Cheers

Boaz I think a citizen group would be a great idea! A group of pro Australian people who play by the same rules as those scum bag protestors! Give them a taste of there own medicine I say.
If not I think bring back old style policing to deal with anti globalization protestors! (Drag them into a drak corner give them a good beat down with a baton and tell them if you unwashed bong breathed hippies show up again next year the beating will be 3 times as bad as it was this year!) I know it will never happen but it would be nice.

People knock global companies all the time but how many millions of people do this companies employee? How much of the technology of today was created by these evil companies?

The only people who are anti globalization are those who either have no grasp of economics or just rebels with out a cause.
Globalization is going to be the best thing to happen to the world, and it’s a strange scenario in which everyone benefits. Not just Australia but all the poor countries as well. Watch and see.

Easytimes,it will never be that easy or simple.Life is all about balancing power.When one group has too much power,another group will suffer.

With too many people on a planet, resulting in finite resources and energy,only the really powerful and wealthy will live well.

I don't measure wealth in purely monetary power to feel elevated from the mono syllabic masses,money buys me time to think about what really matters.

I hope you guys come back and interact a bit more :) I have a rather colorful experience to share.

Oh..Easy...on the citizens thing, I would just advocate being a presense which can assist in lawfully restraining people who get out of hand, not crushing heads :)

but wait..theres more.

TODAY I WAS ATTACKED.....BY A WOMAN
Yep.. its true. I went to the IR laws demo in Melbourne with my own sign saying "BLAME CHINA" and underneath it had this "Tax slavery at our customs ports". I meant it as a kind of discussion starter with passer by, but one lady who 'passed by' stopped to give me a serve.
"You can't put that kind of racist sign here" to which I replied my standard "This is a democracy and a public place" She turned out to be a hard core Socialist/Communist who was there to bring in Utopian world socialism.
Then, after I refused to put my tail between my legs and slink off the got in my face and said full of venom "I want to smash your face in". I didn't really worry about that. But when she pointed at me and yelled to the unionists nearby "BOSS..HE'S A BOSS" with the clear intent to have me 'whacked' by them, (based on her 'face smashing' statement) this kind of faded as no one took interest in her. But LOTS of people took interest in my sign and nodded in agreement as they passed by. Then, while having a great convo with a lady who appreciated my reasoning, this commy thugess attacked my sign :) wohoo....WHACK she went with her flag thing, breaking my flimsy sign in 2 pieces. At this point I'd had enough and told her I'm making a citizens arrest for assault, and grabbed her and marched her to the nearest policeperson, where I was told "Cut your losses mate, or you will be arrested yourself".

..continued.

Other passers by notice the slight fuss, and one very strongly built bloke rebuked me for the way I handled the woman.
The point I'm making here, is if you are attacked by a woman DON'T tell the politically correct police, because they have pamphlets in the stations saying "If HE abuses you, its NEVER your fault". This woman could have come at me with a knife, how were they to know ?
Personally, I regard having been told "I'm going to smash your face in" as a serious threat giving me reasonable and lawful grounds to physically restrain her.
I've written to the Police Conduct mob about this, and I find it ironic that on the one hand, I was there at the G20 willing to assist police who were in fear for their lives, and now, in my own moment of need, they treat me like scum.
Don't worry :) I'm not bitter... I went to the rally again 'to learn' and the lessons here are
1/ "If a woman threatens violence, tell her to go get a man to do it"
2/ Rallies such as this are a big fake. They are just about Union power. Trying to use the emotion for their own purposes.
3/ If someone attacks you or your sign, goto police first and ask them to get the offenders away. (unless the offender is trying to king hit you)

Boaz, you have some strange ideas about your fellow man. And even stranger ones about women.

You deliberately and with intent join a demonstration that is absolutely certain to be run by and populated with left-of-centre, anti-Howard folk, and then profess to be startled when a couple of them turn on you. What exactly did you expect?

In much the same way that you fail to hear or recognize any statements that disagree with your notion of religion, these people fail to hear or recognize any statements made that disagree with their notion of politics.

This syndrome is blatantly apparent to ninety percent of the population. We call it blind bigotry.

It does not respond to calm, rational argument, because every word is refracted through the lens of their particular prejudice. To pretend otherwise is beyond naivety; it is perverse.

If you did not know what to expect, shame on you for your ignorance of the human race. It does you no credit at your age not to have learned at least the basics of what makes them tick.

And if you did know, and went ahead and provoked them anyway, shame on you for your stance as agent provocateur. It does you no credit that you achieved the result you sought, and then proceed to whine about it on this forum.

Boaz: "... I was there at the G20 willing to assist police who were in fear for their lives, and now, in my own moment of need, they treat me like scum."

I reckon you were at the G20 looking for a bit of biffo, which is also why you attended the IR rally. Having found a suitable antagonist in the person of a woman, you then proceed to manhandle her under the guise of making a 'citizen's arrest', and you receive short shrift from the police, quite correctly. I hope you get arrested next time.

Did you wear your brown shirt?

" Rallies such as this are a big fake. They are just about Union power. "

Duh Boaz - it was a rally about Howard's IR laws. Who did you expect to find there - the business council? The IPA? The HR Nichols Society?

It's just as well we have obviously well-trained police to protect us from boofheaded vigilantes who attend peaceful demonstrations in order to provoke violent confrontations.

Well.. such criticism from Pericles and C.J. is to be expected, and welcomed. It all settles down into the mix of thoughts and adds to the reflection.

I think you blokes are missing a couple of very important points though.

1/ ALL workers who passed my sign, agreed with me. (except that woman)
2/ Some engaged me in passionate conversation and agreement.
3/ The woman was a 'bigot' in the very sense that Pericles suggested. To each worker I conversed with, and reasoned with, they saw the issue very clearly.

C.J. you can speculate till the cows come home, but let me ask this, what have you done, to make the plight of the 200 sacked Ajax workers a higher profile political issue ? I know I've done my bit, and you ? well.. you have criticized me.. well done. Did you offer any correction to my economic understanding ? nope...you just hope I get 'arrested next time'. Did you impart some valuable gem of fact or theory to actually contribute ? nope.. you just love giving it to me :) well.. as I said.. its welcome, but I'm hearing that voice of the social pharisee coming through a-gain.. "Thank you Lord that I'm not like that silly BOAZ"....

Protesting IR laws which enable employers to be more competitive is hardly adding to job security it can only be viewed as propping up Union power, thus it is a very appropriate venue to give a different perspective, at least to the manipulated workers who 'think' the rally was actually in their interests.

Perhaps this is where I take a leaf out of Irfans book and speak about "Armchair problem solvers" ?

Well Boaz, you've managed to switch the focus away from your poor behaviour.

>>what have you done, to make the plight of the 200 sacked Ajax workers a higher profile political issue ? I know I've done my bit<<

From you earlier post, this was your "bit".

>>I went to the IR laws demo in Melbourne with my own sign saying "BLAME CHINA" and underneath it had this "Tax slavery at our customs ports"<<

This may have been an expression of your views, but it was hardly a contribution to a debate on the draconian nature of the IR laws.

As an employer, you can use IR legislation to lower the cost of doing business sufficiently to offset the labour cost differential with China, and be competitive again. Or you can protest the legislation, featherbed your employees, and go out of business à la Ajax.

Your position is that the government should protect you from Chinese competition through the use of tariffs. What the government realises is that to do so would invite tariff retaliation on our exports.

It is still important to let the market decide which business is viable and which is not.

Ajax's erstwhile customers are presumably able to get their parts elsewhere, and more cheaply. In this situation, as you well know, the variables are straightforward: reduce your costs, or go out of business.

Protesting tariffs in this situation is meaningless. It would make as much sense for you to parade up and down outside Ford factories, exhorting them to increase their costs by paying the premium for Ajax products. Have you seen Ford's P&L recently? Think this would be a likely course of action for them?

For what it is worth, I dislike most aspects of Howard's IR legislation, particularly the additional freedom it gives to employers to avoid civic responsibilities, such as allowing staff to serve on juries, or releasing them for volunteer fire brigade work, without firing them or docking their pay.

But let's not confuse increased management freedom with tariff protection. Your banner was inappropriate, as was your presence at the rally.