PELL

[Bruce Tuncks]

If you needed more proof that money influences the law in Australia, I dunno where you could look. Ordinary people only can afford one bite at the legal system, Pell got off on the third.

Personally, I still think he was guilty but the initial sentence was too harsh by far.

And our puritan culture was partly to blame for the guilt feelings of the victims.

 

I know a guy who was sent to prison for tax evasion. ( Money earned overseas and kept overseas ). His first case resulted in a non-custodial punishment which I thought was a bit harsh, but more appropriate than a prison sentence. Anyway, the crown appealed and the guy had no money left for lawyers ( the tax department and the lawyers had cleaned out his entire wealth including his house ) and he lost the appeal. He spent some time in Bathurst jail without his prescription medicine. I bet this never happened to Pell.

I have nothing but contempt and hatred for all involved in my mate's persecution ever since.

[old man emu]

It's a crying shame that the acquittal has generated further crimes. Making threats to kill, and using the Internet to do it are serious crimes.

[spacesailor]

WHY NOT !

There,s no justice, it seems in our two tier system.

spacesailor

[skippydiesel]

I am amongst the first to declaim its an unjust world but in truth it always has been.

No matter the system, it comes down to who you know and what influence you can bring ($$$) to your cause.

Until we evolve into Homo Superior it will always be so. At base , we are no better than a primate relatives - might (in all its varied forms) is always right.

[Mike Gearon]

That post above is how it goes. We do seem to have difficulty evolving. Who’d have thought we could return to a 1930’s world where right wing dictators or would be dictators are elected. Trump, Bolsonaro and Putin to name a few. Xi with lifetime in power is another terrible example of power manifested in a single individual. The tribal chiefs operating virtually with impunity.

 

I’m so jaded with religion I see the bush pilots in New Guinea we see posting on here and hope they are doing more good than harm. American exported religion doesn’t have a great track record in less technically advanced cultures. I had this as “less advanced cultures” Probably needs defining because they may have superior cultures spiritually that are overwhelmed by the medical/ educational/ engineering advances that can be brought in as the missionaries selected God (out of the 1,000’s of options of one true God possibilities) is propagated.

[spacesailor]

" Trump, Bolsonaro and Putin to name a few. "

Aren't they all from Republics. Just like Cromwell from the English Republic.

spacesailor

[Mike Gearon]

" Trump, Bolsonaro and Putin to name a few. "

Aren't they all from Republics. Just like Cromwell from the English Republic.

spacesailor

Like Churchill almost said....they all suck. I guess our system is the best of the worst. We can oust a leader fairly easily and fairly well demonstrated with Oz prime minister musical chairs.

[Yenn]

As far as I know we only ousted one PM, that was Whitlam. The others were ousted by those that put them in power. The party. We have absolutely no say in who will be PM, it is the party.

[old man emu]

Gough's ousting was conceived by the Opposition, but it did take an election to replace his party, and hence, him as Prime Minister. Gough outvoted Billy. Malcolm outvoted Gough. Bob outvoted Malcolm. Johnny outvoted Paul, and Kev outvoted Johnny. It's correct to say that we don't have any say in who from the majority Party will be PM, but we do have the power to change the party.

 

The problem now is that too much emphasis is placed on the personality of the candidate, and none on their leadership capabilities. Mind you, there's no Party that has a firm policy platform to entice the electorate to adopt. Elections now are name-calling bitch fights with no-one holding up a set of policies for the rest of us to adopt.

[Marty_d]

Mind you, there's no Party that has a firm policy platform to entice the electorate to adopt.

I'd disagree with that, look what Labor took to the last election. Unfortunately it was a suite of policies that we needed rather than something to entice us, so the public chose the parties with no policies whatsoever.

[old man emu]

look what Labor took to the last election

 

I must have lost the Labor policy amongst all the mud-slinging that the Conservatives would have done to obscure it.

[willedoo]

The Libs election strategy since Little Johnny has been to keep people scared and greedy. I think they borrowed it from George Doubleya. Don't worry about good policy; just offer the plebs candy and promise to keep them safe from nasty boat people. It works.

[Mike Gearon]

As far as I know we only ousted one PM, that was Whitlam. The others were ousted by those that put them in power. The party. We have absolutely no say in who will be PM, it is the party.

I’d suggest it is the opinion polls driving the ousting. It’d be next to impossible to vote out a prime minster popular with the electorate and expect that same electorate to vote in the replacement. Meaning.... we have a very strong say both in the immediate removal and then in the replacement.

 

Say for instance our prime minster was calling the corona virus a little flu. Say they then later blamed the WHO for a slow response and later still suggesting stupid fringe solutions such as shining UV light up the people. They’d likely be ousted with gusto.

Edited May 16, 2020 by Guest

[willedoo]

I’d suggest it is the opinion polls driving the ousting.

That seems to be the main driver. If a leader was on track in the polls to win an election, it's unlikely a challenger would muster the numbers. Sometimes personal ambition might drive the pretenders, but they still need supporters who are driven by polls and or promises of promotion. The ones driven by polls are the smart ones; those driven by bribes of promotion are the dumb ones. Turnbull seems to be an exception. He was so disliked within his party, there would always be plots cooking to overthrow him no matter what the polls said.

[octave]

Up to his old tricks

 

[Yenn]

He's been elbowed out.

[pmccarthy]

Looking for a gobble wallah.

[Jerry_Atrick]

Interesting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQZNly7CG8A

[old man emu]

The tail end bit about Murdoch -v- Turnbull was more relevant to current political matters as has been mention in other threads here.

 

 

[Jerry_Atrick]

Interesting ABC Mediawatch segement:

 

[Edit] Interestingly, Barry is stating the opinion that as it was 7 High Ciurt Justices to nill upholding the appeal, it is a signal he is innocent of the charges....

 

 

Edited August 30, 2020 by Jerry_Atrick

[Bruce Tuncks]

Not a finding of innocent of all the charges, just an opinion that there was insufficient proof. 

As if schoolboys could obtain legally watertight proof against such a senior cleric.

 

I have noticed a similar thing about Sir William Slim. How disgusting to ask of orphan boys that they obtain and present proof against the governor general.

Well in this case the boys, now grown men, knew enough to not even try. And so the official history calls the story "unproven allegations" and dismisses it all.

This is a much tougher test than the history one, which says that a person is a historically recognized person if there are at least 2 independent accounts .

 

[Jerry_Atrick]

Looks like he is back in the spotlight after the Curch failed to block the action based on the plaintiff (we call them claimants now) not being the victim: Catholic Church suffers setback as court rules lawsuit brought by Pell accuser's father can continue
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-24/catholic-church-george-pell-court-case-can-continue/101366566

[pmccarthy]

An acquaintance of mine recently bought a Cessna Cardinal, he calls it George.

[facthunter]

There was a Cardinal SIN in the Filipines. Nev

[onetrack]

It must be interesting to tell people you've been sitting in Cardinal Georges seat all day, while he beats on.