Banjo I agree about the greens, but you should suck it up mate.
You and I every contributor so far, may not have the answer.
I suspect we all think we do under stand, but in fact few even begin to.
Government, opposition, have both let us down.
Labor first, its softer approach failed, bought about this flood, it is a flood.
You have seen me call for Gillards head many times, and again in this thread.
She has failed on this issue again and again.
*She should highlight Abbott's deceit, let his changes be introduced as law, for a 6 months trial*
IF IT WILL NOT WORK PROVE IT!
RELEASE PUBLICLY, every single word about the advice Nehru will no longer work.
Malaysia will, UNDERLINE the promises Malaysia has given.
Then go to the back bench, she is not a leaders bottom.
Abbott lied, over and again, during this debate,every debate.
He is unfit to clean the floors, you need to understand those words could have come, from a third of his party.
My anti Gillard ones from half the party in Parliament or in the rapidly DIEING ALP BRANCHES.
Banjo you know far less than you think given the facts you too may well beg both sides to get a leader, our country needs better.
The past saw the mad monk laughed at the future will see his side cry.
Gillards supporters have,, long ago bought wet cheeks to my party and empty branches, she must leave.
2 both sides wanting the same out come sold me and you out to the greens? how dare they?
Tony Abbott is far worse than my frank words say, they actually praise him by their softening the truth.

*I submit that the greens and Labor do not care one iota about the deaths*

I'd have to disagree with you there, Banjo. To me this is a classic
case of what psychologists call "emotional engulfment." Its quite well
understood. Some people just can't help themselves, unless they
are taught otherwise. They just follow their feelings and use any
excuse to justify them. Watching poor little Sarah bawling her
eyes out, made me feel like offering to pay for her to attend
a course in emotional intelligence, for IMHO she urgently needs one.

The fact that these kinds of people are deciding the future of the
nation, is quite scary really.

We really need more people with good reasoning skills in parliament.
The Greens are more the party of the emotionally overwhelmed and
Australia might yet pay a heavy price for this.

Labor does care about the deaths, Banjo.

Labor cares that Howard's legislation did not stop desperate people from drowning en route here, did not stop these hell bent on getting here from doing so, was inhumane, compromised our navy and prejudged those attempting to enter Australian waters as undeserving of asylum.

But greens, there I agree with you. They sleep soundly with pious principles intact while people die. That's the definition of not caring. They chose death for people over compromise and desrve to be run out of politics.

Interesting thing about Capt Emad, when four Corners caught up with him he wasn't sitting on all those tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars he would have purportedly made through his extensive networks and role as a people smuggler kingpin, nor was he sitting around living off social security cheques, he was out collecting bloody supermarket trolleys for God's sake.

And let me tell you it can be a real prick of a job especially in cold rainy weather. It seems he was on contract so paid per trolley rather than hours so you have to get cracking to make a quid in that game. It is a young man's line of work, and young is something the good Captain certainly isn't.

I'm not about to defend what else he was up to but he definitely wasn't shirking the hard yards

Most of the refugees I come in contact with are good hard working folk. I met a great young Sudanese lad last week who works full time at V-Line but is also studying full time for a commerce degree at uni. A Vietnamese chap I spent some time helping with English was working his days in a fruit shop and nights delivering pizzas. He is now gets up at 5am every day to get to Melbourne to study for his Medical English as he was a trained doctor before he came here.

One of my local GP's is a wonderful, deeply thoughtful Iraqi man who came as a refugee, he did some pretty average jobs before getting his papers.

Do some refugees like some Australians have a go at routing the system? More than likely, but I wouldn't be betting my house that the percentages are any greater.

But I'm eternally grateful and proud to be part of a nation that have given these people a chance, one I wager most refugees are grabbing with both hands.

Dear SPQR,

I've just read your last post to me and
Thank You for the link that you gave. It
was informative and - it asks a very fair question.
It is a question that I often bring up in our
discussions at home.

The compromise that the Government and the Independents
have come up with and one that was passed in the House of
Reps. may have forced Indonesia to come to the party, so
to speak. But now we'll never know. To my way of thinking
it would have been worth trying for 12 months to see
if it would work. Pressure could have been applied on
Indonesia's President when he visits our country shortly.

We'll now have to wait and see what happens next.
However, the entire fiasco in the Senate was as I stated
previously a disgrace - and hopefully people have now
seen just how little the Greens and the Opposition
care about the interests of this nation. Politics comes
first. Robert Menzies would be horrified.

Government has shown that they do not care what the majority of citizens want, both boats that sank were in Indonesian waters yet the people were bought to Australian land. Why were they not taken to Indonesia. How many people did Indonesia rescue and take to Indonesia? We pay millions of dollars to have the navy and customs patrol the waters whereas all they do is provide a free taxi service for the refugees, even if they are in Indonesian waters. Bring on the election the Greens and Labor will go.