John Barilaro: Lord of the Lies.

Friendlyjordies is a YouTube channel (and website). I visit it often, as he is usually a witty and perspicuous commentator on Australian politics and life. Friendlyjordies is an Australian comedian, Jordan Shanks.

The deputy premier of New South Wales, John Barilaro, is currently suing Jordan for defamation. The case has not yet reached court. This week NSW anti-terrorism police (!) arrested and charged  the Friendlyjordies producer,  Kristo Langker,  for “stalking” Barilaro.

The charge sheet contains ‘details’ which are a demonstrable lie (Kristo recorded the incident with his camera), so likely with co-operation from the NSW police –who never contacted Kristo prior to raiding his house and arresting him, to determine the veracity of the allegations, to hear his side, so to speak–  Barilaro has lied on a sworn statement. Unsurprisingly, no good ever comes from a lying politician directing a lackey police force.

Not 2 months ago, NSW Integrity Commissioner Drake made findings that a senior NSW police officer ordered two other officers to “target, interact and harass” a criminal defence solicitor, to ‘stalk’ the lawyer. Many more police were aware of what was going on, but made no attempt to stop it.

Commissioner Drake said it was “deliberate, deceitful and malicious harassment”, and to be “serious misconduct” carried out for no legitimate policing purpose.

Commenting on the findings, and that no NSW police officer has been, or likely will be, charged, or even disciplined, for the offending,  Greens MP David Shoebridge said “This is seriously lawless behaviour by a number of police acting in concert and it’s close to unbelievable…We (will) not leave it here I can assure you. Seriously unbelievable.”

https://www.mondaq.com/australia/public-order/1052490/nsw-police-stalk-and-intimidate-criminal-lawyer-who-represented-bike

A spokesman for NSW Police said the release of the report had been “noted” and its contents and recommendations would be “considered”.

Just not good enough, and it should never be up to the police, to police the police.

So what do we have here?? After an uncorroborated and absurd  claim by  a politician, NSW anti-terrorism police violently arrest a journalist for ‘stalking’; an independent enquiry finds NSW police guilty of ‘stalking’, and the police respond by saying “Don’t care, fuck off, please come again!”

Likely we have a corrupt senior politician using a willing state police to intimidate and silence critics.

Seriously people, Australian democracy is fucked!

See this article:

https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/fixing-fixations-by-arresting-friendlyjordies-kristo,15199

Understand the delusional sense of entitlement, and denial of accountability, that permeates the corruption of these politicians and police. Recognize them for what they are: the pig-people.

An egregious double-standard indeed.

This video is important for a couple of reasons.

There is irrefutable evidence of a bias in policing, where police take a more aggressive approach to certain protestors/certain protests.

There is irrefutable evidence of a bias in policing internationally. Whether BLM protests in America, indigenous rights protests in Australia, anti-poverty protests in France, democracy protests in Hong Kong, female rights protests in Saudi Arabia –the list goes on– the police take an unwarrantedly aggressive approach in these situations.

So regardless of national wealth, religion or political system, the only common denominator is the police themselves, specifically who is selected to be in the police, how (even if!) the police are held accountable, what the police see as their role as their society, and what the society –the overwhelming majority of people in the society– see as the role of the police.

The bully in school, who only ever understands a bigger bully (and then will unquestioningly do whatever they say), the mean child who at best only received a pass mark in school, these are valued police recruits, whatever the nation. Police service attracts the thugs and bullies, those of a lesser intellectual capacity, with little ability for self-examination, and those that will follow any order, however illegal or unjust, while the consequences of deindividuation inherent in such organizations we ignore. And so even the black police officer assaults the black BLM protestor.

Conservatives and the right-wing resist making the police more accountable, conservatives and the right-wing endlessly profess their ‘support for law enforcement’, conservatives and the right-wing will excuse any and all police brutality or excess,  because the police need not be provoked,  and the police will happily enforce an iniquitous status quo.

You can no more reason with the police than you can with conservatives and the right-wing, regardless of evidence a reasonable and independent person would consider convincing. Their reality excludes reason and fairness, their predisposition authoritarian right-wing. This is an evident truth.

What is wrong with the police, and why real change is almost impossible: John Oliver’s brilliant explanation.

 

 

 

So-called democracies, such as America or Australia, who for so long have permitted such injustice, who do not acknowledge the unjustness, who offer no definite and agreed plan of redress, they have no claim to legitimacy, save for in the fantasies of the ideological, the privileged, and the apathetic.

As such, the enemy is clear.

The question really is: what is justified to force change? Because even in a country with constitutionally-protected rights, like America, peaceful protestors are kidnapped off the street by unidentified, armed  state agents, without explanation, without justification. In Australia, with no constitutionally-protected rights, our freedom rests entirely on the benevolence of the political class.

I say again: what is justified to force change??

For all, with equal opportunity:  life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

 

Today, the only difference between a cop and robber is that one has a badge.

 

 

Around the world, various police forces have demonstrated unjustified violence against peaceful anti-racism protesters.

Why is this so? To me, it reflects a behavioural predilection, and an expectation of unaccountability, but also a sense or expectation of permissibility.

Thugs and bullies are attracted to police service, which is not to say that all police are so, but certainly some/many/most are. The thugs and bullies want to act this way –it is their nature–  but with a degree of impunity –they do not want to be held to account for their behaviour–  and they find this opportunity in the police force.

It is indicative of a failure in the selection process that the thugs and bullies are not identified and rejected. It is also an indication of the militarization of police services, in personnel, training, tactics, attitude, and equipment, and successful civilian policing –that which respects and is respected–  is simply incompatible with a military approach.

I have had informal conversations with police officers, and with, for example,  university philosophy and ethics lecturers, and while both groups spoke English,  there the similarities ended. No good will come from putting a thug and bully in a uniform and not holding them accountable for their actions, and so the police whose actions led to the protests, unsurprisingly continue to use that same violence against peaceful protesters.

But the issue with police violence and unaccountability is a symptom of an underlying wrongness in our civil society, and at heart, the problem is a reflection of a failure of politics and political oversight. That is where the real responsibility lies.

The Gestapo did Hitler’s biding, and before them the brown shirts, and similarly the police everywhere work for the political system –totalitarian or so-called democratic,  the police defend the political system, which is to say the status quo, illegally if necessary, and they expect with impunity– and whether Labor or Liberal, Republican or Democrat, Tory or Labour, in government or opposition, the police are the dogs that the State uses to do its dirty work, and even in so-called democracies it is recognized by the political parties, in government or opposition, that it is a benefit to be able to whistle for the dogs.

There is NO difference between American or Australian police assaulting a peaceful protester, or Chinese police assaulting a pro-democracy campaigner, or North Korean police assaulting those that criticize the regime, or apartheid South African police throwing Steve Biko off a roof, or Nazi police assaulting a Jew, or Russian police assaulting critics of Putin, or Saudi police assaulting protesters calling for equal female freedoms, or French police assaulting yellow vest protesters calling for economic justice, or Iraqi police killing anti-poverty protesters last year, or the assault and killing of G9 protester Ian Tomlinson by English police, or South Australian police assault of a homeless man, or any of the innumerable instances of violence committed by the police –then and now, all around the world, totalitarian or so-called democratic–  against citizens in the name of law and order. To the police, everything –principals, ethics, equity, fairness, even accountability and responsibility, reason, common sense and evidence– all are secondary to the defense of the status quo.

Yes, we need to rid police forces of the thugs and bullies, the stupid, the unquestionably obedient, those that can’t think critically or act ethically, but attention needs also to focus on political systems, especially so-called democratic (as we profess higher ideals), where donations (bribes) and quid pro quo can buy decisions and outcomes, where secrecy is legally enforced, and where accountability for decisions and actions is deemed unnecessary.

Three of the rules of chivalry for knights:

1. Thou shalt never lie, and shalt remain faithful to thy pledged word.
2. Thou shalt be generous, and give largesse to everyone.
3. Thou shalt be everywhere and always the champion of the Right and the Good against Injustice and Evil.

Is this your police force???

Probably not, the knights are gone and we have thugs and bullies now.