Guilt by association rejected

The now infamous situation and case of Dr Haneef stands as clear condemnation of former PM Howard and his Immigration Minister, Kevin Andrews. Their behaviour in all of this can only be described in one word - disgraceful! And this from men trained in the law.

Hadley Thomas, writing in The Australian, justly won the Walkely Award this year for his clear expose of the way the whole Haneef case was conducted by the Commonwealth Government.

With the Full Federal Court yesterday ruling that the decision of the original judge was correct, Thomas today reflects on the Haneef case and its implications in a piece "Let us reject guilt by association":

"The concept of guilt by association, adopted with great relish by the Howard government and its immigration minister, Kevin Andrews, in the Haneef case, is again exposed for what it is: deeply flawed, unjust and un-Australian.

As a result of the unanimous judgment by the Full Bench of the Federal Court yesterday, four out of four experienced and distinguished judges have concluded that Mr Andrews went overboard when he used the Migration Act to cancel the visa of Mohamed Haneef.

The judges set out in 50 pages what many people would regard as plain common sense - the trashing of an otherwise blameless individual's rights and freedoms by lumping them with the alleged misdeeds of distant relatives living on the other side of the world is repugnant. We now know it is also unlawful."

Comments

Reading the Chilcot Inquiry Report more closely

Most commentary on the Chilcot Inquiry Report of and associated with the Iraq War, has been "lifted" from the Executive Summary. The Intercept has actually gone and dug into the Report, with these revelations : "THE CHILCOT REPORT, the U.K.’s official inquiry into its participation in the Iraq War, has finally been released after seven years of investigation. Its executive summary certainly makes former Prime Minister Tony Blair, who led the British push for war, look terrible. According to the report, Blair made statements about Iraq’s nonexistent chemical, biological, and nuclear programs based on “what Mr. Blair believed” rather than the intelligence he had been given. The U.K. went to war despite the fact that “diplomatic options had not been exhausted.” Blair was warned by British intelligence that terrorism would “increase in the event of war, reflecting intensified anti-US/anti-Western sentiment in the Muslim world, including among Muslim communities in the

Robert Fisk's predictions for the Middle East in 2013

There is no gain-saying that Robert Fisk, fiercely independent and feisty to boot, is the veteran journalist and author covering the Middle East. Who doesn't he know or hasn't he met over the years in reporting from Beirut - where he lives? In his latest op-ed piece for The Independent he lays out his predictions for the Middle East for 2013. Read the piece in full, here - well worthwhile - but an extract... "Never make predictions in the Middle East. My crystal ball broke long ago. But predicting the region has an honourable pedigree. “An Arab movement, newly-risen, is looming in the distance,” a French traveller to the Gulf and Baghdad wrote in 1883, “and a race hitherto downtrodden will presently claim its due place in the destinies of Islam.” A year earlier, a British diplomat in Jeddah confided that “it is within my knowledge... that the idea of freedom does at present agitate some minds even in Mecca...” So let’s say this for 2013: the “Arab Awakening” (the t

An unpalatable truth!

Quinoa has for the last years been the "new" food on the block for foodies. Known for its health properties, foodies the world over have taken to it. Many restaurants have added it to their menu. But, as this piece " Can vegans stomach the unpalatable truth about quinoa? " from The Guardian so clearly details, the cost to Bolivians and Peruvians - from where quinoa hails - has been substantial. "Not long ago, quinoa was just an obscure Peruvian grain you could only buy in wholefood shops. We struggled to pronounce it (it's keen-wa, not qui-no-a), yet it was feted by food lovers as a novel addition to the familiar ranks of couscous and rice. Dieticians clucked over quinoa approvingly because it ticked the low-fat box and fitted in with government healthy eating advice to "base your meals on starchy foods". Adventurous eaters liked its slightly bitter taste and the little white curls that formed around the grains. Vegans embraced quinoa as

Mahler's Prodigal Son

Search This Blog