Thou shalt not annoy on Youth Day

[laura_seabrook]

From the Sydney Morning Herald article:

The laws, which operate until the end of July, have the potential to make a crime of wearing a T-shirt with a message on it, undertaking a Chaser-style stunt, handing out condoms at protests, riding a skateboard or even playing music, critics say.

Police and volunteers from the State Emergency Service and Rural Fire Service will be able to direct people to cease engaging in conduct that "causes annoyance or inconvenience to participants in a World Youth Day event".

People who fail to comply will be subject to a $5500 fine.

Er, how did these laws get passed here in New South Wales!? There'll be a change of government next State elections - just you see!

Comments

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

So this is the utter stupidity that 'religious vilification' legislation had descended to?

Too right there will be a change in government. And Labor has itself to blame.

[hbdeath.livejournal.com]

There will be no change of government in NSW until the Liberals can actually offer something better than the present incumbent. There was no way Labor should have won the last election, and they still did it because the Liberals fatally wounded themselves by letting that troll Debnam be their leader. He made Iemma look far better than the latter had any right to look.

At the moment, Barry O'Farrell's only major selling point that I can see is that he's not Morris Iemma. And while I think Kevin Rudd got by at the federal election largely because he wasn't John Howard, Barry's going to have a harder time pulling something similar off if he doesn't present an actually positive change. Especially if Labor finally summon up the nerve to dump Iemma at last and put someone actually good in his place.

[laura-seabrook.livejournal.com]

There is much truth in what you say. To be honest, I had no idea just who the opposition leader was, because I seldom heard his name in the media, whereas Iemma's is there almost every day.

I think in many ways it doesn't matter who is in government if they've been in for too long - they get lazy and stop responding to the electorate or have delusions of infallibility.

Certainly the whole Catholic event seems to be way out of hand. I have no object to them having it, but why not have the same rules as say, the G&L Mardi Gra?

[aesmael.livejournal.com]

I am suspecting there will be a change of government at the next election largely because no one does know the Liberal leader's name. They've been so quiet or overlooked lately they can probably get by on people's dissatisfaction so long as they do not stir up their own stupid.