Category Archives: Politics

Fitna

April 4, 2008 – 4:51 pm

The other day, I watched the film Fitna on YouTube, a film about Islam by Dutch right wing politician Geert Wilders.  I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I had read some interesting reviews by Skepticlawyer at Catallaxy, Pommygranate at Australian Libertarian Society Blog and Saint at Dogfight At Bankstown.
I must say [...]

By Legal Eagle | Also posted in Racism, Society, Terrorism | Comments (8)

Ideology, law and teaching

March 14, 2008 – 9:43 am

As I am a university lecturer, I was interested to read about the Young Liberals’ campaign to “out” left-wing lecturers. That seems to miss the point to me: it’s a bit unpleasantly reminiscent of a McCarthyist witch hunt.
I have to say that in law school I had a variety of lecturers, from open Marxists to known advisers [...]

By Legal Eagle | Also posted in Academia, Law, Society | Comments (6)

“You have to die, so that I can live.”

February 20, 2008 – 6:33 pm

Last night, I watched a rather depressing documentary on SBS called The Anatomy of Evil. It was about people who perpetrate genocide. I’ve been morbidly fascinated with this question for a while now, as I’ve explained in an earlier post. I’ve never quite been able to fathom how people could shoot/gas/blow up an innocent civilian.
This [...]

By Legal Eagle | Also posted in Middle east, Religion, Terrorism | Comments (19)

Who’d be a polly?

January 3, 2008 – 11:01 pm

Not me, for sure. I’m far too clumsy. In fact, I am known for the stories of my clumsy adventures, although I haven’t had one in a while (touchwood). Not since I dropped my office key down the lift shaft at work over a year ago.
Therefore I felt quite sorry for Julia Gillard today given [...]

By Legal Eagle | Also posted in Fark!, Media | Comments (0)

A mutual agenda

December 4, 2007 – 10:01 am

Well, this post is probably a bit late given the stunning victory by Labor in the Federal election. But maybe it’s good to have time to mull over things. I feel nervous dipping my toe into the political quagmire surrounding unions: but here goes nothing!
On the way home from work, I drove past a billboard [...]

By Legal Eagle | Also posted in Academia, Personal | Comments (6)

Kevin Rudd = Trendy Vicar (and some reflections on the ASBO)

November 25, 2007 – 12:03 pm

Now that Kevin Rudd is firmly ensconced as Australia’s Prime Minister elect, it’s worth looking at the social democratic party his ALP most resembles: Tony Blair and Gordon Brown’s ‘New Labour’. Just as Blair was Thatcher-lite, Rudd is Howard-lite, with the crucial difference that Rudd appears - at least superficially - to be even more [...]

By skepticlawyer | Also posted in Human/Civil rights, Law, Personal liberty | Comments (117)

A good use for old knickers

October 30, 2007 – 1:54 pm

As regular readers will know, we have just moved house. In the process, I have discovered that I have an awful lot of stuff which I don’t need, and I’ve been trying to cull my things.
On Saturday I went through my underpants drawer, and threw out the knickers that had baggy elastic, or strange scratchy [...]

By Legal Eagle | Also posted in Fark! | Comments (6)

Playing the race card

October 5, 2007 – 1:27 pm

Last night when I was driving home, I saw a large group of boys standing on the pavement outside the Housing Commission flats. The boys were predominately of African descent. I was thinking about it when I got home. The boys had been dominating the footpath. Would I have felt nervous if I had been [...]

By Legal Eagle | Also posted in Immigration, Law, Media, Racism, Society | Comments (14)

Kids with guns

September 11, 2007 – 4:23 pm

No, this isn’t a reference to the song by Gorillaz. It’s a reference to a Tasmanian government report that has been leaked to the press. It apparently suggests allowing children between the ages of 12 and 16 years old to use guns if they live in remote farming areas.
I am a lifelong city-slicker who supports [...]

By Legal Eagle | Also posted in Children, Law, Society | Comments (6)

Limits on executive power

August 23, 2007 – 12:07 am

I venture into questions of migration law and executive power somewhat tentatively. They are far from my “comfort zone”. But I couldn’t help having a curious look at the case of Haneef v Minister for Immigration [2007] FCA 1273.
The primary question in this decision is the interpretation of s 501(6)(b) of the Migration Act 1958 [...]

By Legal Eagle | Also posted in Immigration, Law, Terrorism | Comments (3)