Hi there CHRISGAFF1000...

Your reference to Messrs BARLOW & CHAMBERS brought to mind, that hitherto much criticised 'suspended sentence' proved successful ?

I thought Australia learned decades ago that the very best way to get backs up in the region is to do precisely what senior politicians on both sides of the Parliament are doing now. -Being seen to lecture, act morally superior to and presume to interfere in its domestic affairs of a near developing country.

What Australian politicians and the senior public officials who have also made their opinions known are doing is living off and very rapidly trading away the goodwill that was very hard won and built upon by the leaders and diplomatic staff who preceded them.

Coming off the back of fairly recent complaints by Indonesia about embarrassing faux pas by Australia examples being spying and navy incursions into Indonesia's territorial waters, and what some Indonesians might see as unfair criticism of food animal handling and slaughtering practices, the international embarrassment Australia is causing Indonesia could be seriously detrimental to future relations and relations with other Asian countries as well.

The timing is poor as well, the Indonesian President has just been elected and has a strong mandate from within and international encouragement to deal severely with drug gangs.
TBC

contd..

It is very concerning how federal politicians are being led into short-term political populism, competing for headlines and ridiculous popularity polls. I blame much of that on the number of career politicians in the federal parliament - men and women who did not get where they are by demonstrating superior leadership and achievement in the private sector. They are lightweights and poor prospects where statesmanship and good judgement are concerned.

I am waiting to learn what very expensive concessions our federal politicians will be obliged to give in the near future as a penalty for the loss of face being caused to Indonesia and indirectly to other countries in the region. I would venture that parcels of prime Oz agricultural land -highly valued by other countries but not by feckless Oz governments- will be part of the deal.

As for the 'Progressive' $1.3 billion per annum ABC, the public is becoming rather used to it batting for every other interest but Australia's. No news there, just business as usual.

Dear rehctub,

It's always interesting to read what alternative media
has to report on any given issue. It broadens our
perspectives to what's found in the Main Stream Media
and it challenges existing powers. One of the
prerequisited for a democracy is access to information.
If citizens are given false or mis-leading information
the democratic process becomes a sham:

http://www.independentaustralia.net/life/life-display/chan-and-sukumaran-executions-indonesias-bali-payback,7375

OTB: Indonesians might see as unfair criticism of food animal handling and slaughtering practices.

Said like the video we saw of the Cattle being slaughtered was real. It wasn't. The woman who caused the furore was responsible for the whole set up. She bribed the watchman & paid some locals to do the killing. That's why the Greens dropped it when she was found out.

I believe, as reported on the Mid Day News, that the Indo's have a problem accommodating 10 prisoners in their local holding Cells. That's what the delay is all about.

Foxy: Drug Lords are based in this country and operate successfully and they will continue to do so no matter who's caught in Indonesia. They were just the "couriers" while the "King Pins," live in Australia and continue their trade.

You are right Foxy. The top King Pins are much too Powerful (Upper echelon of the Legal Profession) to be caught. Something I learned, from personal experience, when I was 17 years old & embroiled in the National Hotel Affair in Brisbane in 1963/4. an' you wouldn't want to cross 'em. Many a person went on a one way trip on an outbound freighter. Believe me, that's what the old Latvian was for.

Foxy: One of the prerequisite for a democracy is access to information. If citizens are given false or misleading information
the democratic process becomes a sham:

Er, Foxy, that's why they have official Doc sealed up for 30 years & some never to be released. Then there are things like when you local Poli tells you that he got you the by-pass for the town. That sort of thing is on a 25 year plan. The Poli who is in at the time it goes ahead then claims it was their doing. All BS.

Take the New Railway Station in Townsville, for one. The Survey marks were in place long before I started work on the Northside Workshops in 79. The model of the plans were shown in the Workshop Lunch room in 92. The Station wasn't built until 2001. For two, the New Workshops at Stuart were planed in 1945 & not started to be built until 1993. I was with the first group to start there at the Wagon Maintenance Workshop in 1995. We had Poli's everywhere claiming Kudos for the great work they had done. Unfortunately for them one of the old Foreman had News paper releases from 1945 & subsequent years the starting date was released, again & again.

The executions will go ahead. I, for one, will be glad. I will be cheering for the same fate for any other fool who wants to try them on. Is it a deterrent? I don't really care. The more dead Druggos the better.