Dear Chris,

I'm not questioning the government's right to
govern. What I am concerned about is their
obvious total lack of transparency and accountability
and the PM's gag on his Ministers especially during
Question Time in Parliament. This I find goes against
our democratic tradition and against the promise to be
transparent and accountable that the PM made prior to
the election.

Foxy,

You just want your views to prevail.

I am merely one of many you turn on when your opinions are questioned, and your trademark cheering others on to bully posters who disagree with your views is exercised rather regularly to say the least.

Deaths at sea (in Europe in shipping containers and the like) are the work of the criminal gangs involved in people smuggling. While you take the moral podium as a 'do gooder', you show no empathy for the people whose lives are risked by the criminal gangs involved in people smuggling.

Anyone can go to an Australian embassy anywhere in the world and claim asylum. Doubtless you and other Left 'Progressives' applauded Messrs Assange when they he used the front door of a foreign embassy to seek and obtain refuge to avoid answering allegations made against him. Of course to do the same at an Australian embassy the claimant would be obliged to substantiate his claims.

The Australian population voted overwhelmingly for government to curtail people smuggling. That is why the previous Labor government changed its failed policy prior to the election. However the electorate was unconvinced that the man (Rudd) and the political party (Labor) that emasculated the previous successful policy in the first place were credible and would do their honest best to do what they promised very grudgingly and late to do.

otb,

No I do not want my views to prevail.
On the contrary. The reason I enjoy this
forum is having my views challenged.
BTW - my views are not set in concrete and
there are many posters who challenge me and
make me think. Unfortunately you don't happen
to be one of them. For the simple reason that
I'm interested in having a discussion, all you're
interested in is an argument and no matter what
I say or do, you always find fault, never reading
what I am trying to say, the points that I am
trying to make, you continuously stoop to personal
insults and then accuse me of not responding to you.
What else can I assume but the fact that you're either
an ignorant man or totally unhinged and best ignored.

Foxy,

You always try to divert the thread. Here, attack this:

<Deaths at sea (in Europe in shipping containers and the like) are the work of the criminal gangs involved in people smuggling. While you take the moral podium as a 'do gooder', you show no empathy for the people whose lives are risked by the criminal gangs involved in people smuggling.

Anyone can go to an Australian embassy anywhere in the world and claim asylum. Doubtless you and other Left 'Progressives' applauded Messrs Assange when they he used the front door of a foreign embassy to seek and obtain refuge to avoid answering allegations made against him. Of course to do the same at an Australian embassy the claimant would be obliged to substantiate his claims.

The Australian population voted overwhelmingly for government to curtail people smuggling. That is why the previous Labor government changed its failed policy prior to the election. However the electorate was unconvinced that the man (Rudd) and the political party (Labor) that emasculated the previous successful policy in the first place were credible and would do their honest best to do what they promised very grudgingly and late to do.>

otb,

1) Kindly indicate where I have ever shown no
empathy for asylum seekers.

Your accusations are unfounded.

2) You cannot make political assumptions about people
you don't know simply because they hold certain politicians
and governments to account.
You have no way of knowing where I stand politically.
Left, Right, or Centre. Most people fluctuate in their
views depending on the circumstances involved.

Again your accusations have no merit.

3) I am well aware of how the people of Australian voted.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/policy/abbott-boat-plan-as-unworkable/story-e6frg8yo-122625283136

cont'd ...

My apologies I left off a number from the link I provided.
It should be:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/policy/abbott-boat-plan-as-unworkable/story-e6frg8yo-1226252831368