Wednesday 18 August 2010

Move Leichhardt forward - Dump Jim Turnour! says Bryan Law

There's one message that infamous veteran protester Bryan Law wants voters to take to the booth this Saturday, and that's "Move Leichhardt forward - Dump Jim Turnour!"

Bryan Law is asking everyone to do their bit, and knock down political roadside signs, of the candidate of their choice.

"I want us to hold politicians accountable," Bryan Law says. "Over the last two or three elections, I reckon there's been a growing movement among the citizens to get rid of what they see as offence election signage."

Bryan Law says that the majority of people really don't like them, and this may reflect the substantial amount of election corflutes that most candidates have lost in the last three weeks. Both Labor and LNP, keep the numbers of stolen signs to themselves, however the Liberals have lost close to 200 since they first installed them three weeks ago. It's estimated that Labour have had a similar number taken.

"Their day is done for these signs," Bryan Law says. "The pollute the Political corflutes typically cost around $15 a piece, including the wooden stake. environment visually, they don't convey anything, they're information-free, and they're offensive. These candidates believe that we're stupid. They think we're going to allocate a vote based on how someone looks in a polished photo."

"They should stop putting them up, and they should start performing!" Bryan Law says. "Why do we put up with it? The citizens have rights. Judge Dorsett said we - the citizens - have rights. So lets use them, and teach these pricks a lesson.

"I'm going to put Warren Entsch at number six, and Jim Turnour at number seven. There's a piss-poor choice."

In the ruling Bryan Law refers to, Judge Dorsett found that there are other rights to those who put the signs up. The right to support or oppose candidate.

"While people have a right to put up an election sign, it may well be, that other people have a right to take them down - not to damage it or steal it, but just to knock it down," Bryan Law says.

Looks like it's not over till the fat man sings.
  • Hudson v Entsch (with Corrigendum dated 10 November 2005) FCA 460 (26 April 2005)

    Those elections were held on 9 October 2004. Mr Entsch was a candidate in Leichhardt.

    57 However there is a difference between protecting a citizen’s right to act in support of, or opposition to, a candidate and protecting or preserving the results of such action. Mr Hudson exercised his right to oppose Mr Entsch’s candidature by erecting signs.

    His right was not hindered or interfered with by their being knocked down. He remained free to erect more signs or to express his opposition in other ways. Further, having exercised one’s right to support or oppose a candidate, one must accept that any lawful response to it may also be valid support for, or opposition to, the candidate in question.

    To knock down an electoral sign may be as much an expression of such support or opposition as is its erection, provided that both actions are performed lawfully. The position may be otherwise if a sign is stolen or damaged.

    However it is not presently necessary to consider those possibilities, for there is no suggestion that Mr Entsch was a party to such conduct.
    (18 December 2009, Griffin allows appeal.)


Yesterday afternoon, Bryan Law took his protest to Anderson Street, North Cairns, and told his story to the CairnsBlog camera.


19 comments:

Col said...

Gee I can't wait to see jim turnours bloggers crying saturday night hhhaaaaa. I did tell you jim I was good at this hhhaaaaaaaaaaaa

Unknown said...

They do have a good use along with real estate for sale signs... Turn them around and use them for motorsport!

Samantha

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Bryan Outlaw said...

Crybaby Jim Turnour on the Hillbilly Hour this AM "Bryan Law's been knocking down my signs".

And BTW, the LNP commercial for Entsch showing Jim Turnour as a "flatline" on a hospital machine - - PRICELESS! And spot on!

Alison Alloway said...

Political campaigning is a feature of a democracy. If you don't like democratic institutions, then perhaps you need to question whether you should be living in this country or not. For the record, corflutes are almost always paid for by individual branches of a political party through the efforts of volunteers fund raising. I've sat at my sewing machine here, sewing all day long for items to be raffled or sold to help raise funds for corflutes. All over Australia, people sell tickets, mow lawns, cart rubbish away, clean houses, host bar-b-ques, cook etc to raise funds for the candidate of their choice. It is disheartening to see the efforts of the little people, who are contributing to democratic government, ridiculed in such a despotic and brutish manner. It reminds me of Mao's cadres burning posters of the Chinese Nationalist Party, or the
Nazis destroying Communist Party leaflets.

I spy said...

Alison the lnp have lost over 500 corflutes and I saw personally two of your grubs last monday week in a white wagon putting up julia grudd signs and knocked all the others down . So it is your beloved pricks doing it. he was early fifties grey hair she was plump and had black hair.

MaryO said...

I think the point Bryan is trying to make - and so very succinctly - is that corflutes do not add anything of substance to political debate - and are also polluting.

To the very converse, Bryan is not actually undermining democratic expression. He is, in fact, modelling more effective modes of expression, such as his very own distinct, expressive forthright way.

We are all little people, who can choose do do bigger, and better things - than merely promote the use of corflutes.

Alison Alloway said...

"I Spy"...what do you mean by attributing these vandals to me??? I am a strong advocate for DEMOCRACY, which is what I wrote about above. I strongly believe all people have the right to run for Parliament, and campaign (within the law). I am not friends with any "grubs" and I condemn any person who destroys or defaces property which demonstrates our democratic traditions. It is a poor show.
Frankly if a political party has lost that many corflutes, they should head straight for the police.

Bryan Law said...

Hi Allison,

Have a read of the article again, thinking about what’s legal, and what’s illegal.

For judicial authority I cite the published decision of a Federal Court Justice. Most importantly that Judge held that the rights conferred on Australian citizens by the Electoral Act were broader than hitherto recognised.

Australian citizens have a right to support or opposed candidates for election to Parliament. That includes the right to put up signs, and the right to take them down.

You say that taking down a sign diminishes democratic discussion. Wrong.

I take the signs down in peak hour traffic. I stand facing the oncoming traffic, moving to accentuate the act of pulling out signs, and casting them down. I am in fact participating in democratic discussion.

Then the ALP puts them back so we can have the discussion again tomorrow. What could be more democratic than that?

I spy said...

Alisin you are a card carrying labor holder so they are your "grubs" they sure as shit sherlock are not mine.

Alison Alloway said...

Really, "I Spy" and who told you that? And how dare you insist I know these people! I note you don't publish your name. It's all too easy to make allegations isn't it?

Paul Drabble said...

would be nice to see any movement either which way...at present its a stagnating pond of political weeds!!!

Morgan James Davies said...

Turnour was standing on the side of the Redlynch bypass waving at motorists with two cohorts holding up a 'Vote for me' banner. I gave him the finger.

I spy said...

Truth hurts they say Alisin oh yeah and if the cap fits and if it looks like a pig smells like a pig it is a pig.
And jim told me.
Why are you denying you are a card carrying labor party member?
And how did you read "And how dare you insist I know these people! " into my comment and I would be suprised if you did not know them .
Birds of a feather oh shit there I go again.

Alison Alloway said...

Now did he really, "I Spy" or are you making this up? Tell the truth. By the way I know who you are now. Your postings reveal a repeated difficulty with your spelling and curious grammatical construction, which I have seen elsewhere.

Alison Alloway said...

Bryan Law, I have in the past joined some of your anti-war protests. I am no longer prepared to do so and I will advise those others whom I know from the Greens and Socialist Workers Party not to join with you. I am also no longer prepared to defend you. Your behaviour disgusts me.

Bryan Law said...

Alison, you do what you got to do sister!

What I'm hoping of course is that you'll now take anti-war action with Greens and Labor. You need to take charge on these issues, to make Greens and Labor respond.

I'm sorry you no longer want to defend me, but I don't feel like I need defending.

In the past five years I've grown closer to a national cabal of Christian nonviolence practitioners, and three times we have directly, physically hindered the war machine.

Among my friends, the rat-bags, are movements towards a major "Ploughshares" action at Rockhampton airport in June 2011. The target will be a US warcraft, probably a helicopter, and the goal will be to wreck it with mattocks and hammers.

I might need defending then, but I won't be looking to the ALP for any help.

It's time for Jim to go.

I spy said...

So what Alisin do you think I care oh grammar queen and labor stalwart .

Taurus said...

BRYAN I will get the bat and ball of alisin and join you I THINK YOU HAVE SACKLEYS I MEAN BALLS HHHHHHHHAAAAAAAA