individual,

Dead right. They are a bunch of scumbags. Freedom of speech has nothing to do with with disrupting other people and stopping traffic. High pressure hoses and gas, followed by mounted baton charges is the way to deal with them; then a complete ban on demonstrations of any kind, about anything, should be enacted. Mob rule should never be tolerated.

Foxy,

I believe in free speech, but with anything in life, as long as what you say or do has no direct impact on someone else then the state has no justification from interfering in your life. No one has the right to dictate your sex life, who you marry or what you do with your body. I have no problem with someone protesting, what I do have is twats that think that they have the right to screw up someone else's life or making a living simply because they want to get noticed.

You however, are clearly only for speech to be free when it suits you. You are happy for morons to be arrested for public nuisance 11 times with no consequences whatsoever yet happy to have a man's career ruined forever based on a single social media post.

Secondly, I don't intend to jail all these arrogant sociopaths, what I suggested was an escalating rate of fines and jail only for the most persistent offenders. What I don't want is the bloke who has been arrested 11 times and not had to pay a $ for all the damage he causes.

SR,

Thanks for reminding us what inconsiderate pricks the unions were and how lucky we now have a government that won't put up with this criminality.

Dear Shadow Minister,

Sure, as long as you are consistent.

MORE than 300 logging trucks laid siege to Parliament House in Canberra for five days last week. The trucks blocked all entrances to the buildings on Capital Hill. The blockade ended when the Prime Minister Paul Keating, agreed to speed up an inquiry into whether woodchipping can go ahead in 500 areas of native eucalyptus forests.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg14519641-000-loggers-win-concession-in-siege-of-canberra/#ixzz6201yyhrJ

Should the government have given it to their demands or should they have been carted off to jail?

And who better to say this then your own resident environmental sociologist. LOL.
Mr Opinion,
The day he comes up with a sensible remark I'll buy a Lottery ticket !

I wonder how long it'll be before the idea of a National Service takes hold. These protester scumbags could learn a thing or two about doing something positive for the environment by serving a year in NS.

Dear Shadow Minister,

You wrote;

“Thanks for reminding us what inconsiderate pricks the unions were and how lucky we now have a government that won't put up with this criminality.”

Actually mate you are going to have to clarify that one for me. The trucker's blockade wasn't a union thing, in fact the TWU withdrew their support early on.

“On Tuesday, TWU representatives dissociated themselves from the blockade, saying it would only harm their cause.”

In fact the trucker delegates walked out of a meeting with the minister because;

“The five NSW truckies’ delegates walked out of their meeting with the NSW Transport Minister, Mr. Cox, after objecting to the presence of two Transport Workers’ Union officials.”

These were owner drivers not union members who were by far the main organising and protesting group. Why have you tagged the unions as the 'inconsiderate pricks'?