Wednesday 6 May 2009

Come out Desley, wherever you are

Bryan Law has been given the opportunity, ironically by the Labor Party, to bring the subject of the Yacht Club destruction centre stage, even though Cairns MP Desley Boyle vetoed the Party's wishes to prosecute Law's actions during the election campaign.


I spent this morning in the beautiful Cairns Courts Building, summoned by CIB detectives to answer a charge of wilful damage to Desley Boyle’s election signs (what I call “the Golden Tiara campaign”). I went to the arrest court – a clearing house of first contact with the criminal justice system.

I haven’t been in Court for more than six months, but it hasn’t changed. It’s a sad parade of human foibles, with a cast of hundreds. First you get those represented by Solicitors, who mostly stand mute while their representatives negotiate an adjournment, and occasionally adjust their calendars to actually have a hearing of some matter – frequently drugs, drink driving, domestic violence and petty property “crimes” where appetite has over-powered sensibility. Sometimes you get a guilty plea and a small fine, which acknowledges the undesirability of putting any of these people in prison (because of the cost and futility).

After the solicitors are finished, you get those folk who represent themselves, and the percentage of guilty pleas goes up. Most people seem embarrassed to be there, and glad to get things over with.

I always feel a bit funny in Court, because my “crimes” are always committed publicly, often in front of the news cameras, with at least some public support – and the outcomes that interest me are political rather than legal. So I generally have quite a good time, and get to speak with the Magistrate and Prosecutor as equals (we’re all citizens here folks).

Today I was slotted in early, when there was a gap in the availability of solicitors.

_________________
Has anyone else noticed the remarkable similarity between Bryan Law and Desley Boyle?
Do they share the same hairdresser?
________________________

People ought appreciate that, for this initial mention, the Police and prosecution have only laid a charge. They haven’t prepared a “brief of evidence”, and are unable to present any evidence other than a Police statement in the most general terms outlining the bare bones of the case. I guess their hope is that people plead guilty, and thereby save the time and energy of the Court, the Police, and the prosecution.

So when I asked the Magistrate this morning to dismiss the charges, there was no basis on which he could do so. He had no evidence in front of him. The prosecution indicated they wanted to proceed with the charge, and I indicated that I wanted more detail of what was alleged, what evidence would be led, and which witnesses would be called for the prosecution. So the magistrate set down a further mention on 16 June, and promised that I would receive a brief of evidence from Police around 9 June, so that I can make appropriate applications to the magistrate on 16 June.

Mostly I’m interested in making sure that Desley Boyle is called as a prosecution witness so that I can cross-examine her about the signs, their use and value, and whether she is the real candidate for election, or whether she is the vacuous tool of the ALP machine. During this process I’ll be raising the issues outlined by Kitchen Slut and JKR, as well as the more technical issues around value and “damage”.

I notice that my critics on this blog challenge my assertion that I have public support – because I also have public detractors.

In terms of support I had a great day yesterday at the Labour Day Rally and march, where I got perhaps 20 messages of support, most of whom expressed surprise that the ALP would be vindictive enough, and deceptive enough, to pursue the charges post-election. I’ve received around the same number of messages from friends and citizens around cairns who weren’t at Labour Day. These messages hearten me because I’ve done nothing to solicit or encourage them. Nor have I (yet) orchestrated a media campaign to publicise the issue.

This issue has been taken up by members of the public, and by journalists in the media, on their own initiative. I think the ideas held by Kitchen Slut are steadily taking hold in the general population, and we will see higher standards of debate and accountability from political candidates as a result. Note the views of John from Kuranda.

At the same time it’s true that some folk, even from the yacht Club campaign, are put off by the idea of interference with property. But what I notice is that those people remain engaged with the issues, and have so far resisted the politics of personal attack. Which means they are available for dialogue and resolution as the case unfolds.

I've been contacted by Channel 7, the Cairns Post, and AAP (which now has a bureau in Cairns), all for a tiny little mention in a Magistrates Court.

On 16 June, I’m calling on those who support open democratic debate to attend the Cairns Courthouse at 9am on Tuesday 16 June. Bring your favourite decorated electoral sign to make a visual tableau.

Ask yourself, do we want a decent level of public political debate – or are we happy to see money and professional spin control our electoral process.

I’m used to being criticised and attacked. I also know how to make the attacks stop. All I have to do is withdraw from public life and let the machine operators have their way. Ho Ho Ho!

See you on 16 June.

16 comments:

Princess said...

"the Golden Tiara campaign"????
What about "Golden Failure" or even more appropriate - "Golden Shower" with Bryan the recipient of urinary martydom by the throbbing appendage of the party machine...

Does this man really expect to be taken seriously?

Prince said...

Princess, you've hit the nail on the head. Bryan's delusions have him somehow thinking he's an "equal" of the judge, despite the fact that he's a criminal, just another piece of community detritus. His arrogance is only exceeded by his continued reluctance to plead guilty to his admitted crime.

Mark said...

If Bryan thinks that is vindictive then he needs a good old fashioned dose of harden the #uck up

Joe Blow said...

Good grief Mike! Can we get some one else to do a bit of self serving raving for a while. Brian's intolerable propensity to place himself at the centre of any debate is becoming nauseating.

Lillian at Yorkeys said...

Yep Bryan - as much as I love your anarchic self - this is getting boring. I think we have about another 300 or 300,000 other issues to deal with in our society. Do the crime, do the time. Why didn't you just design & buy your own signs? "Remember the Yacht Club" etc.
I take the point that Desley said "ho,ho, ho, what fun" until the day after the election - what would you expect - she's a seasoned pollie - so, yes, there's an issue. But take that one up, not the endless court appearances.
And I hope your health is still improving after the big op.

KitchenSlut said...

You people have no imagination! There maybe the seeds of a great idea in Bryan's call for supporters with decorated corflutes. Why not an exhibition of corflute graffiti art?

Somewhere like Crate 59 down on Sheridan St could be a good location to start, and encourage participation from some of our excellent local artists. It could grow from there to become an event of national significance to match the Archibald prize for portraiture.

The annual Cairns Exhibition and Prize for Political Corflute Graffiti Art could attract the best from Australia and the World and do more to promote the region than any TTNQ wet t-shirt advertisements. It could be the signature event Val is seeking for Festival Cairns. Blakey could whack on a rates levy to promote the event and donate his own corflutes for appropriate adornment by local graffiti artists.

It's time we moved corflute graffiti art beyond the boring old mustache and glasses, and the odd cliched swastika. Think of the social and political value if every election came with a blooming crop of entertaining and thoughtfully graffitied corflutes. Something looking more like a rally of wicked campervans than the current aggregation of boring faces and primitive chants. We may even look forward to election campaigns!?

Stuff their property rights, thats the price to pay for placing their advertising for free on public property in the public domain.

John, Kuranda said...

KS

What a great idea!

We could have the Rocky Horror Corflute Show!STAGE ONEAlready we have Steve Wettenhall at his drag best, plus those masterpieces that were done on our various LNP corflutes. Plus I know there a few left over from the 2007 election as well.

STAGE TWOFor a $20 entry fee (for charity) get the LNP and the ALP to provide from their stocks of used corflutes, blank canvases for the desecration of! Encourage the budding artists amongst us to use their KRudd stimulus to purchase paint and brushes.

The trifecta of cash, culture and comment!

Let's do it now, and then we can have a new category in the art section of the Cairns Show - a blue ribbon (naturally) for the best dressed corflute.

dog with a hair lip said...

*mark* *mark*

Hey mate. Given that these signs get defaced every election and often in a far more baseless stupid defamatory way than what Bryan Law did which was at least related to a relevant issue maybe it is Deceitful Desley who should "harden the f*** up" rather than abuse her more powerful position?

Keep that brown shirt well starched mate!

Bryan Law said...

Hey Lillian – I’m sorry I’m boring you. On February 21 I was willing to move on and forget the whole thing. I’d achieved what I wanted (publicise the Yacht Club as an election issue), and accepted the outcome.

I don’t know if you’re doing it consciously, and if so whether it comes out of a belief that all politics is corrupt/dishonest, and there’s nothing we can do to change it – but I just can’t go along with the idea that our elected representatives are entitled to lie, in order to maximise their vote. I think we can do better than that, and I think it’s up to the general population to insist on higher standards.

Do you remember in 2004 when Val Schier and Su Groome were seeing their signs defaced, and turned it into an art competition that involved many young people in “re-facing” their signs, and they put them on display at Munro Martin Park? I remember one in particular that gave Su a Carmen Miranda hairdo. That stuck with me as the kind of creative and selfless politics that I’d like to see more of. Kitchen Slut and mark from Kuranda are onto it.

For the record, I accept Desley’s denial that she has anything to do with the current prosecution. When I get her in the witness stand, on oath, she can repeat that denial and assist me to win acquittal. I’m looking forward to that.

But to suit your sensibilities, I’m willing to shut up about the legalities until we actually get into Court, and the witnesses can speak for themselves.

Meantime the challenge for ordinary individuals is how to match the reach of the professional spin doctors in communicating with the general public. You’ve probably seen the Cairns Post Story this morning. There’s also an AAP story that I’m told was picked up by the Courier Mail today http://livenews.com.au/rss-link/activist-faces-court-over-election-sign-graffiti/2009/5/5/205307

You’re right about one thing. If the ALP weren’t trying to bully me, and thereby intimidate others as well, there are plenty of meaty issues I’d be spending this time on (Wild Rivers, Code of Conduct, Operation Talisman Sabre). But they are having a go – and my intention is to make them pay for it just as much as I can.

Desley – you can end this particular fiasco any time you like, with just a word.

Cairns Resident said...

CMC have stopped all work on jobsites stating they need to arrange additional finance but they have subbies that haven;t been paid in months AND both CMC and Benchmark websites are offline. It doesn't smell right and may just be they need more time for the rats to leave the sinking ship.....

KitchenSlut said...

Will look at that in the morning 'Cairns Resident' and post to MM or Cairnsblog thanks for the info!

Lots doesn't smell right at the moment although don't expect rotteness to equate with reality or equality.

Our Tom is a classic example who will undeservedly survive despite a record of the most appalling abject incompetence.

I wonder where their donations go?

Charlie McKillop said...

Okay. I'm in. I am prepared to dust off the cobwebs of a couple of, let's say, 're-worked, corflutes from the Leichhardt campaign as long as proceeds go to a worthy local charity! I have long been a fan of creative, meaningful and/or relevant corflute graffiti... I feel Bryan Law's recent contribution qualifies on all counts.

Bryan Outlaw said...

"Charlie" (or did mum name you Charlotte, to her later consternation):

It's your blind association with thugs like Bryan Law that made the voters turn against the Liberals in the biggest electoral swing across Australia in 20 years.

You're another one that needs to find a real job, mate.

Steven Nowakowski said...

Brian Outlaw,

I think you'll find Charlie has got a job being a great presenter on ABC local radio (mornings).

Your obsession with Bryan Law is getting boring.

Charlie McKillop said...

Actually, my mum did call me Charlie... to the consternation of my grandmother. She was of the view the name was only worthy of parrots and drunks. Perhaps she was right but I must admit, it's grown on me with the passage of time.

Bryan Law said...

Dear Bryan Outlaw, methinks you've become a little unhinged. Charlie McKillop certainly doesn't have any "blind" association with me - and even if she did it wouldn't compare in any meaningful way with the community revulsion against John HoWARd, which was why we got a new government in 2007.

I supported the election of Jim Turnour in Leichhardt for that reason, even though Charlie was, and is, the better candidate. John had to go. Jim can go next time.

Charlie continues to demonstrate a caring and engaged personality, and a sense of prportion and perspective that you can only dream about mate. Your personal attacks against her are - how do I say this politely? - the product of loathsome prejudice and stupidity.