Humble servant of the Nation

Australia’s end of innocence

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Sydney has joined many of the great cities in the world in having police on patrols armed with assault rifles.

The Colt M4 that will be issued to 100 officers from the NSW Public Order and Riot Squads is a combat weapon, with an effective range of 600m, firing up to 800 rounds per minute. Standard magazines hold 15 rounds.

At major sporting and cultural events, at railway stations, at places where people congregate en masse, the people of Sydney will soon become accustomed to the presence of heavily armed police.

The situation is similar to that throughout Europe, and Australian tourists have become accustomed to seeing armed troops and police on the streets.

There are arguments against, of course. The Metropolitan Police Service in London, once a group of baton twirling bobbies, armed with whistles who, when encountering a ne’er-do-well were obliged to say, “Stop or I’ll be forced to say stop again.” Now, of course, many are heavily armed with automatic long-arm weapons on patrols of London streets.

The detractors say this has not stopped terrorist events, but this is a failure to appreciate the extent of the terror threat facing the world and how to respond to it.

Full column here.

279 Comments

  • Jean Baptiste says:

    The problem with Hollywood.
    It is said that more of the Westward Ho settlers killed themselves accidentally with their own guns than were killed by Native Americans.
    http://www.cracked.com/article_20372_5-ridiculous-myths-everyone-believes-about-wild-west.html

  • Milton says:

    Bad fire in London.

    • Dismayed says:

      You will get No apology from me. The NDIS was fully funded. It is a worthwhile investment. Only scum like you try to make political points out of an opinion piece referring to a draft paper. You are pathetic.

    • BASSMAN says:

      NIDS fully funded Bald….The Liberals keep saying NIDS was not funded by Labor but it was. It was funded by a 0.5% increase to private health insurance, reforms to retirement incomes and the phase-out of the net medical expenses tax offset. All blocked by Abbott. Also money could have been used from the billions the carbon/mining taxes ended by Abbott.

  • Dismayed says:

    The coalition do NOT want innovative and agile technology. Frydenberg knocks back plan for Lord Howe island to reduce diesel generator use by 70%. The regressive coalition are again holding the Nation back from achieving. No Surprises.
    http://reneweconomy.com.au/39084-2/

  • Henry Blofeld says:

    He came in like a Wrecking Ball, Mr Insider, and continues to wreck. Not content with being unceremoniously throw on the Political scrapheap by his own party for failing so badly as PM he now is trying to finish off the Liberal Party and make sure its decimated at the next election. Mr Shorten is beaming!
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxq__3z9zGM

    • Milton says:

      Have a read of today’s Richo, Henry. Turnbull has only himself to blame for most of his troubles. Rather than being a wrecking ball, Turnbull has been white anting Abbott since he got the Opp leader job and then the top job. Along the way Abbott saw off Rudd, Gillard and Rudd again and got the coalition into the coveted seats. During that time Turnbull was portraying himself as the modest (hehe) alternative to Abbott and seducing the commentariat and Q&A types with his lefty, liberal views. He has taken the coalition backwards, and worse, directionless.
      Personally I think Abbott should keep mum and let Turnbull destroy himself. He is still young and fit and his time in the wings should serve him well for the future.
      That Shorten could be considered a future PM says a great deal about the quality in politics and the parlous state we are fast approaching.

      • Jack The Insider says:

        We can talk personalities all day but the simple fact is the Coalition cannot deliver a national energy policy and that is a real indictment on the Liberal Party. National interests discarded for internal ideological battles. Shameful really.

  • Huger Unson says:

    Had a play with ‘Make America Kittens Again’ plugin for your browser, Jack?
    I’ve added Turnbull & Dutton to my custom list.

  • BASSMAN says:

    Splitting my sides observing the Looters tearing themselves apart in the party room fighting over what comprises a carbon tax. Surely it is their Direct Action which taxed the taxpayers billions instead of the polluters that is the REAL tax. At least Labor’s generated revenue which could be used for alternate forms of energy whilst the Looters taxed the people and emissions soared once again.

    Have you ever seen more hypocrisy than this when one considers during the carbon tax era GDP growth, unemployment, investment, debt, wages, consumer confidence and electricity prices were all better figures than they are now. Yes indeedy a much stronger economy all round. How do this mob keep getting away with it? Oh and lamb was $18 a leg and I am still waiting for my $550 Tones for a holiday in Whyalla.

    Someone should have brought these gems (below) up at the meeting. Labor is too dumb and bereft of tactics to do so:-

    “ I cannot lead a party that is not as committed to effective action on climate change as I am.” Turnbull:- 9th November, 2009

    “We have to put a price on carbon. We can do it via a carbon tax if you like.” Turnbull 2010. Also Turnbull in 2010 crossed the floor to vote in support of Labor’s Emissions Trading Scheme.

    Who said this? “The government’s (Rudd Govt.) emissions trading scheme is the perfect political response to the public’s fears. An ETS is a plausible means to limit carbon emissions”. Abbott, June 2009 in The Australian.

    Abbott on Skye News,15th July 2019…. “If you want to put a price on carbon why not just do it with a simple tax. Why not ask motorists to pay more? Why not ask electricity consumers to pay more? It would be burdensome but all taxes are burdensome”.

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