August 23, 2003

CONFIDENCE ERODED

Michael Duffy on the Hanson sentence:

In sentencing Hanson and her former colleague David Ettridge to a whopping three years in jail, Chief Justice Patsy Wolfe said: "The crimes you have committed affect the confidence of people in the electoral process."

This, of course, is complete rubbish. It's people's confidence in the legal process that has being undermined, because the sentence is so manifestly absurd. Only a judge could not see this.

Exactly.

Posted by Tim Blair at August 23, 2003 04:41 PM
Comments

A dozen people made a fund of $100K? Wow, rich people.

Posted by: Andjam at August 23, 2003 at 05:24 PM

Hanson's sentence on a trumped up charge drops a pillar across the political process. What hope for an ordinary Joe (like me or the bloke in the chip shop next door or his mum) to step forward into politics when we see the force arrayed against us.

In Australia it was Hanson, acting almost alone, who burst for us that suffocating bubble of 90's political correctness and made it possible to speak again. Our Suits and academics were too afraid and let us down.

Remember again that journalist talking to Margo's mates saying, "...what are WE going to do about that woman." In the end, how easy it proved for Tony Abbot to organise Ned Kelly Sharples and the volunteer Liberal Lawyers to bring Hanson crashing down and to now grind her under. Three years in chokey without the option for parole. How long did Colston, Lawrence, Joh or WA Inc, etc. etc. get? We've read of villains getting less for manslaughter.

What responsibility does the Electoral Commission have for its role in dishing out the money and allowing this to happen? Surely our political process is amenable to all without fear of being tripped up and ensnared in a nasty legal trap like this. Did One Nation get 23% of the vote or didn't it? In all fairness, wasn't it as entitled to the money as the other parties were?

Hanson's 3 years jail without parole sends a strong message to ordinary Australians that they must not challenge a major political party without risking being similarly done over. The major players will get you and you will go to jail for a very long time if you're popular enough.

It would appear that only the sneaky-clean machine-men have what it takes.

Posted by: Gnu Hunter at August 23, 2003 at 05:42 PM

Pity about Queensland.
Where did Judge "Patsy" Wolfe come from?

Posted by: robd at August 23, 2003 at 06:51 PM

"Whopping 3 years"?

Hanson should have been shot for subverting democracy.

Posted by: Analogue Voter at August 23, 2003 at 07:28 PM

Fraudulently obtaining 500K of public money is a matter of no contest? I'm on the wrong site- I have been reading some of the gibberish over at the One nation site, and have written a piece for the Australian Libertarian site on the matter; Strawman has a good item as well.
If taxpayers were not funding campaigns, no-one would give a flying fuck if the party was registered, who they recieved funds from, or what they spent it on.
In this case, it is MY money, and if the Bloodnut Bolshevik wasn't entitled to it, I want to see her in the slot.
The only reason the major parties are kicking up a fuss over the term is they can see themselves being subject to the same penalties.
You can't have it both ways, Tim, if the ABC is to be subject to scrutiny because it recieves public funds, political organisations should be subject to the same conditions.

Posted by: habib bickford at August 23, 2003 at 08:00 PM

Gnu Hunter:

Hanson's 3 years jail without parole sends a strong message to ordinary Australians that they must not challenge a major political party without risking being similarly done over.

If Aussies are anything like Americans (and I think they are) this will be like waving a red flag in front of a bull.

Good hunting, get some PC scalp for me.

Posted by: Jabba the Nutt at August 24, 2003 at 03:33 AM

Good one ANAL VOYEUR!!! you are the weakest link. GOODBYE! Pauline Hanson has been done over big time by the powers that be. god bless pauline!!

Posted by: roscoe.p.coltrane at August 24, 2003 at 06:43 PM

Is it true that she got the minimum sentence for the crime? I seem to recall reading this somewhere.

If it is true, then you should criticise the law, not the sentence.


Posted by: Nemesis at August 25, 2003 at 02:11 PM

Most of the time, the law is absurd anyway. Just go to Google and type in "Stupid State Laws" to see what I mean.

Posted by: TimT at August 25, 2003 at 04:40 PM