*As they say, there's nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come. The trouble is no one really knows what that idea is*

Quite simple RobP. Shut the whole boat trade down, for once and
for all.

Take all refugees from refugee camps around the world, as we do
with most of them now.

Australians don't have a problem with taking refugees, but want
an orderly system, not a boat race based on corruption. Fair
enough.

This lot of 78 are clearly taking us for the suckers that we are.
That pisses off a lot of everyday folks and will lose any Govt
votes.

Pericles, I see absolutely no anger in TZ's posts. Maybe the anger you're seeing is your own, because you don't agree with TZ.

Actually, if one reads all of TZ's posts it's obvious he thinks both sides of the political spectrum are not performing properly.

And to be fair to TZ, on this thread no one's been able to produce a Liberal party policy about the boat in question. The question TZ asked was not about past policies, or future policies, or about general immigration or refugee policy. The question was about this one boat, and he sought to find a Liberal Party policy about a Liberal solution. No one's been able to tell us what the policy is.

I think that's because the is no policy. It seems to me TZ has made his point very well by asking that type of question.

>>Quite simple RobP. Shut the whole boat trade down, for once and for all.<<

Yabby,

I know that's a simple approach, and it may well be the best approach in the long run, but it's not as simple as that from the opposition's or government's POV. Consider the following:

1. Australia has a recent history as being a good resettlement country for asylum seekers. You can't just turn the tap off quickly without hurting some people who are already "in the pipeline". I don't imagine you'd want to be responsible for causing such an outcome for people?
2. This Government has got elected on the back of voters who are more empathetic than hard-nosed. That's why it would find it difficult to make such an emphatic U-turn in its policy.
3. There are not that many boat people as a proportion of asylum seekers to this country. On Q&A recently, it was said that about 4000 people who arrived by Qantas jumbo came here on tourist visas, asked for asylum and were granted it. So what's the difference between the two lots that warrants one lot to be vilified and the other not? One lot pays our national carrier money and the boatloads don't? What's your view of people who come here via Qantas?

Rob P said;
One lot pays our national carrier money and the boatloads don't?
What's your view of people who come here via Qantas ?

Which raises the question, why don't the boat people do the same ?
It would be a lot cheaper. The ones arriving by plane I presume have
a visa. I don't think you can get on board unless you do, otherwise
the airline has to take you back at the airlines cost.
They probably have either business or tourist visas.
So why are they asylum seekers ?
Are they saying they they are so terrorised that they go to the bank
get the cash or use their credit card to buy an airline ticket after
being to the Australian Embassy in Colombo to get a Visa, then go
to the airport, go through immigration and board the aircraft,
probably to Delhi or Kualalumpur where they board a Qantas flight to
Australia ?
They then claim to be an asylum seeker in fear of their life ?
Really ?

Rob points out the hypocrisy and disingenuous nature of those who "FOCUS" on asylum seekers who arrive "ONLY" by boat.

BY FAR, the most people who seek asylum here arrive by plane. But that's not sexy enough for the John Howard voters and his ilk, not sexy enough for bogan Labour voters who fear anything that does not fit into their version of what Aussie is. It's not sexy enough because it doesn't make the front pages, day after day, after day, after day, after day; unlike "boat people". So the complainers run ONLY with the boat people. Boat people are visible, they're disheveled, they're desperate; so the logic is to demonise them, because they're easier to demonise than the MANY times more asylum seekers who arrive by plane. These people who arrive by plane have FAR greater resources, organisation and power than the demonised boat people who have no way to organise a visa, an aeroplane journey and smooth entry into this country.
The complainers ignore the plane people and demonise the boat people because, in their tiny minds, that's where the POLITICAL POINTS LIE. It's completely disingenuous game playing. If they genuinely cared they be making sure the plane arrivals were on the front page headlines every day. Political gain is what it's all about for these leaders and organisers, and they gleefully exploit the fears of the ignorant minority, bogan masses who fear anything that does not conform to what they think "Aussie" means. It's the clever, well organised leaders leading the ignorant masses.
Thankfully, the more intelligent, aware and humane Aussies know better. We're becoming more educated on the subject every day. There's millions of decent Aussies who realise that the world needs to share in the burden of resettlement. But some just don't care, and are happy to treat people like animals, reject them and see them take their chances in an inhumane and violent world.

We have this flood of boat people because Ruddy kept his promise to the bleeding heart lefty academics, to soften the illegial's policy.

Of course we got what any half intelligent person would have expected. Not Ruddy evidently. Now he has to stop this flood, before real people start to see through his whole line of BS.

These bleeding hearts are more interested in what some third world academics think of them, than what is good for Oz & its people. What would you expect from the bottom of the garden fairies.

Now he has to bite the bullet, & do at least one thing properly. Cut this stuff off dead. There is no other choice, of action acceptable to most Ozzies.

The fact that a few illegal's get caught in the pipe line is justice.

I find some of you people so disingenueous it is hard to believe. If Howard had consigned these boat loads to Indonesian run centers, you would have been marching in your thousands. KRuddy does it, or tries to, & only a few of the most radical twits stick their heads up.

Actually, you make me sick.