Tomorrow marks the 50th anniversary of the execution of Ronald Ryan. Just before 8 o’clock on the morning of February 3, 1967, Ryan declined a sedative but took a sip of whisky and walked calmly to the gallows trapdoor at Pentridge Prison.
Ryan addressed his executioner directly, “God bless you, please make it quick.”
Ryan’s supporters and opponents of the death penalty observed a three-minute silence. Protesters assembled outside Pentridge Prison in vigil.
The circumstances of his death at the hands of the state have led to great myth-making about Ryan. He has been variously painted as a bit of a larrikin, driven to crime by circumstance and little worse than a kite flyer (passer of bad cheques).
The truth is he was a career criminal and his crimes before his penultimate arrest, included what we would call today aggravated burglary and robbery in company.
His arresting officer on that occasion was Bryan Harding. I’ve known Harding for many years. He was an outstanding police officer and at various times headed up the Fraud and Homicide squads in Victoria. Harding is retired and now in his 80s; he remembers Ryan as a hardened criminal who showed little or no remorse for his crimes and gave nothing away under questioning.
Full column here.
I wonder how the supporters of trump here feel about Bannon stating he is a Leninist? You know claiming the “elites” are the problem, telling the media what to say and how to behave, destroying institutions, etc, etc. They do say the furher right you go the closer to the left you are.
Trumper likes to talk a lot about the “failing” New York Times, since it continues to table his lies each day.
Digital subscriptions are actually flourishing, thanks to Trump as people go looking for an accurate source of information.
“The New York Times saw its highest subscriber increase since 2011, the year the publication introduced digital subscriptions, following the November presidential election.
It added 296,000 digital subscribers in the fourth quarter, up 19% from the previous quarter and a 45.9% increase year over year.
CEO Mark Thompson said digital subscriptions had accelerated even prior to the election because consumers will pay for quality news products. Providing content worth paying for is part of the Times’ long-term strategy. Subscriptions now account for half of the Times’ revenue.”
Maybe The Oz and The Telegraph could get onto this new source of revenue. Shanahan and Co would have to start writing the truth though which would hurt.
Getting right back on topic for a moment I’ve only recently seen that Ryan’s fellow escapee Peter Walker was sentenced just on a year ago for drug & firearm offences, using false documents and dealing in proceeds of crime. It seems he has had long periods of staying out of trouble since his release on parole in 1984.
In 2006 a man died in Geelong and by 2012 Walker had quietly assumed the man’s identity and got caught up in the manufacture and trafficking of commercial quantities of methylamphetamine. He was questioned in 2013 about the drug manufacturing, then nothing happened until he tried to leave for England via Perth using his assumed identity a year later. Unfortunately he was carrying over $ 130,000 in cash that he didn’t declare. From there a search warrant was enforced in relation to that charge and the whole picture emerged.
He was sentenced just on a year ago to an effective sentence of 4 years and 4 mths. With time served on remand that means he gets out on parole some time next year.
For a fascinating read here is the transcript of Judge Kidd’s sentencing.
http://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/sinodisp/au/cases/vic/VCC/2016/160.html?stem=0&synonyms=0&query=dpp%20v%20walker
Now that Turnbull is shutting down the gravy plane it might be time for the reborn Shanghai Sam to suggest an alternate Chinese travel pass – you know it works!
I forgot to mention that it’s not enough to be a successful businessman to be the leader of a nation ’cause you’re not lookin’ for a zero sum game. Instead, you want EVERYONE to be a winner. A businessman can’t envisage that! Remember the meek!
The writing style is familiar, Fooey.
Roger Ramjet he’s our man
Hero of our nation
For his adventure just be sure
And stay tuned to this station.
I dunno why. The voices made me do it!
Penny says:
FEBRUARY 5, 2017 AT 9:29 PM
PENNY:-you say you don’t know who the Socialist left is in this country. That is easy. The Un National Party
There was a poll on the news:-from USA. Trump polling the lowest of any President 44%
All good for POTUS Trump BASSMAN, he doesn’t face the Electors for another 4 years by which time the USA will be running like a top class Swiss Watch. As for Turnbull that is a BaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaD government! Cheers old chap.
Don’t misunderstand me son. I WANT to see Trumper do good things for the USA. If the USA is strong the world is strong. I sincerely hope he DOES get those factories working again etc.
who cares about the polls Bassman? we are 2 weeks into a 4 year term and there are a lot of other more important things to be concerned about.
Yes:-so true
Goodness me. Malcolm has scrapped the Gold Pass with immediate effect. MP’s close to retirement who were looking forward to those free business class flights are furious we are told.
Perhaps they should have a chat to pensioners who had their retirement plans thrown into chaos in the middle of the game and are looking for employment again.
It’s an indication of serious panic in the ranks methinks
Maybe a little late
The expression ‘Shitting like big black Alsatians’ comes to mind Yvonne. They have bought it on themselves.
They killed the golden goose. If they had used it moderately nobody would have noticed.
Turnbull being so rich though…it would never worry him. He could afford to buy his own plane as a tax deduction.
100% spot on Bassy. They just couldn’t keep the snouts out of the trough. Human nature I suppose.
Every Looter should read this
http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/life-and-relationships/real-life/as-a-struggling-single-mother-centrelink-terrorised-me-over-expartners-debt-20170205-gu61nu.html
……and then they should go and watch the film:- I Daniel Blake
That was a good movie, Bassy. The resigned despair is palpable.
Another excellent movie currently showing is Manchester by the Sea. One iwf the best movies I have seen in years. 5stars from me.
I would cry too much. I am hopeless,
If sick kids come on the TV, violated kids or animals I have to leave the room quickly.
Although I cried all the way through Lion, I didn’t cry in Manchester by the Sea. Brilliant script, brilliantly directed. Manages to keep a balance btw the sad and the good.
I would recommend it to all.
“I guarantee you they are terrified.”
Thank-you for the link Bassman.
You know I do try very hard to put my job aside in the evenings but that woman’s story crashed its way in because I see the frightened faces of people like her every day.
They are the most vulnerable and not often articulate enough to be able to deal with deliberately wrong debt notices & certainly not the relentless harrassment of debt collectors. Out of their depth is an understatement but this rancid government is depending on that.
They disgust me & if they begin gouging the elderly in this fiasco, it will be the first time my organisation will be encouraging a class action against this pathetic government.
What sort of scum politician do we accept these days and why do so many stay silent when the moral treatment of fellow Australians has descended to this?
Regards, Bella
I don’t think Labor would change it much if they got in Bella.
Hear, hear Bella
Jack how much is it to join Cory’s new party? Do you get a certificate? Has Cory got a 2IC as yet?
wait..what???
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/malcolm-turnbull-axes-life-gold-pass-immediately/news-story/0d1a36b5a366bdc22fd368c90cbc0bd4?nk=df7dbd08754e301421f2a651a6bb8307-1486431737
I’m not convinced that Bernardi has a right to retain that senate seat when he was voted in under the Liberal flag.
Culleton was replaced with another One Nation candidate – fair enough.
Surely it is fairer to say cheerio to Bernardi, good luck with your new party see you at the next election, etc etc and then replace him with whoever was second on the Liberal ticket?
Let’s face it, he is controversial, to say the least. If I was a Liberal voter in that constituency I would be furious.
That’d be a liberal voter in SA. Bernardi somehow strong armed the local libs into putting him first on the senate ticket and then slipped a spot at the last election. Likely further demotions on the list would have followed until he had the unwinnable spot. So – the grubby reality behind the story being sold – Bernardi really had not much to lose. This way he gets to say his piece until the next election and then make a bid to get a senate spot on preferences. No way in the world is he going to give up all the free publicity a senate seat will give him until then. But theres no point in a lib/lab preference deal if the libs are going to pander to the outer fringe by putting nutters on their lists. And that last bit has been the core of the problem, along with the almost wilful refusal of the lib/lab/nat parties to recognise the real problems and deal with them (and repeating slogans doesnt deal with those problems).
Where would you put Kim Jong Carr on your nutter scale?
Not sure if you mean Bob Carr or Kim Carr, Razor. I dont like either man but Bob is high on my nutter scale. He is, however, not completely over the cliff like Bernardi and Christensen. Those 2 have problems stringing rational thoughts together. Kevin Andrews is another fringe dweller who is not fully acquainted with reality as perceived by most rational human beings. And theres a few more like Andrews quietly scuttling about the place. Also – and maybe you havent noticed – Bob is not in parliament and was quickly dispatched by the ALP. The nuts on the right of politics are like poo on a shoe.
Something of a protégé of the somewhat less insane Nick Minchin.
Agree Darren. It won’t make much difference to the crossbench negotiations, but it’s a matter of principle. Admittedly principles don’t seem to mean much these days, but I thought they solemnly swore stuff on the bible when accepting their seat, courtesy of those who voted for them?
He has betrayed those voters, not to mention the good Lord. JB’s new best friend.
Yvonne, Im not sure what the oath of office is for senators but Im certain it doesnt include swearing to do what your political party tells you to do. The funny thing about that is I believe the ALP actually formally requires its MPs to obey the party line (I havent checked the details of that rule) – and the ALP has always been pilloried for that by the libnats, who claim its some kind of”communist disctatorship” thing.
Kind of amusing seeing some libnats abandoning that “principle” in the face of realpolitiks.
Anyone who hadn’t twigged, even last July, what Senator Bernardi was up to, has had their head in the sand. I was going to say “doing the ostrich trick” but I don’t think ostriches are quite that unperseptive.
I mean, the chatter was deafening.
We are not as intelligent as you Bald.
What did you say about hindsight again Carl? always 20/20 or something?