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.
Meantime over the wall in East Berlin the excitement is extraordinary – and another astute column from a Paul Kelly gets booed.
Bernardi is the saviour of the right, a true hero. Turnbull is a villain – and at the next election the voters will demonstrate all this and everything will be fine.
They cannot seem to comprehend that their protest votes will hand government to Shorten.
It really is strange.
Kelly makes the point that the right is devouring itself to destruction – he is absolutely correct.
A great column by the master this morning Yvonne.
Excellent piece from Mr Kelly, I’ve given up on comments because they are so predictable and they hate Turnbull so much they would rather give government to Shorten, meanwhile Abbott stirs away in the background thinking they’ll have him back, he’s yesterday’s man. Time to go sit on that bench in Manly and feed the pigeons Tones.
As for Bernardi appalling bloke who is now even less relevant than he was before.
I’m with you Tracy. And it seems to be getting worse over there
I once thought that the PM was a smart guy but Jamie Packer just called and he wants his perceived inteligence back
These politicians whingeing about having their Gold Pass cancelled is pretty sickening…………….are they that out of touch with what they have been doing to the electorate?
Some of the pollies around today deserve a shearer’s send off. Shove a mutton bone up their arses and sool the dogs onto em!
Remind me never to go shearing with you, Razor…
Politicians and Public Servants Super and Pension reforms needed to bring it in line with everyone else in the country. their professions are More stable than others not less.
welcome to pensionville for them
Dismayed .
Yes you right on China spending 361 billion on clean power generation involving gas coal and solar after someone further back calling you names , I will hold back .Yes China is having a variety of energy changes with generators and coal -fire is one , plus later supplying Germans running through long lines is reason for extra plants built .Graham Lloyd had this long back inthe OZ .
Names, shmames, PFFFT. I can only present the data available for people to review and digest. Most refuse to accept it because it is inconvenient. It appears you may be have had a moment of clarity. Well Almost. Oh G. Lloyd PFFFFT. puhleeaasse.
meanwhile here….
http://reneweconomy.com.au/nem-watch/
Labor’s 50% renewable energy policy by 2030 is bloody madness. I am all for it but not 50%. Crazy crazy man is Shorten. Gittins is into him today and confirms all I have said about him. He must go.
darren 05:07pm.
Your opinion differs much from the experts comes to China coal future Mr Gump ! Ok it is your opinion and I except it .Go read Dennis Shanahan along with a range of others Forest when China is advancing along this line of technology.
You going around some path that does not meet the news coming out of China on the future development
of coal-fire technology advances , now India joining the party. Read up on this like many of bloggers have .
I except your opinion but I prefer the real people on the job doing research into forms of technology especially reporting coming out of China .
Please don’t bring idealogy into all this making you backward not keeping up.
Ahh the clarity becomes clouded again very quickly for the rodent.
EE, you are aware I assume that (a) many parts of china have an electricity OVERSUPPLY and (b) Beijing has ordered the reduction of coal fired plants by 30%.
The oversupply is because – as I already pointed out to you – the Chinese economy is not efficiently run and the Provinces have over built. Its funny that (a) you trust the wild speculation that passes for reporting on this subject when it is, in fact, impossible to confirm pretty much any economic fact in China unless you get in a car and go around and count these things personally. and (b) you coal power fans assume that China’s coal plant construction plans represent some sort of economically perfect plan. It does not enter into your head that -assuming your numbers are correct in the first place – maybe the powers that be in China have got it all wrong on this. Because, you know, they have been doing a great job in smog control, right? Sarcasm alert there – Beijing and Hebei smog is as bad as ever and its spread south to Guangdong. You make the – bizarre – assumption that China’s ALLEGED plans are perfect because you – and most western commentators – dont know China very well and because it suits your wonky argument to make that assumption.
I previously warned Dismayed that that 30% reduction figure may be an ideal figure because the provinces often dont do what Beijing wants. China is NOT a nation where power is completely centralised in Beijing. Despite what some dummies in the west assume the provincial authorities have their own power blocs and they use them. Xi Jinping has spent the last few years dismantling the “Shanghai bloc” set up by Jiang Zemin (the highlight of which was taking out Bo xilai).
Then you refer to experts on China and refer to Dennis Shanahan. Really? Shanahan. And your reference to Forect? Twiggy I presume? He actually has a good instinct for business from China but the idea that he understands China would be about as true as the idea that he understand quantum physics. But do any of these people speak and read Mandarin? Because I do. Have they read and understood and travelled all over China – in places laowai dont normally go? Because I have. Does Shanahan understand China as well as I do? Not a chance, Tongzhi.
Rodent, I am typing slowly again as I have not finished my TRSOL (Teaching Rodentian to Speakers of Other Languages) yet. You and the experts would do better understanding that the news coming out of China is the news that China want people to hear and not necessarily what is actually happening. Go to P in the dictionary ans scroll down to propaganda.
I see this daily in VN with the mysteriously named Viet Nam News, the local English language newspaper which is known amongst ex-pats as the Good News newspaper.
We have international news magazines come into the country sure but anything that the Party does not want the locals to read is redacted. I am sure that China would be the same.
Get the missus to head down for another trim and ask the Asian Thai about local news in Thailand now that it is not a true democracy.
Pork barreling is a buy election.
Pay that!
RODENT:- we all need your expert opinion here. Is Cory a rat? Please explain.
Ouch!
Of course not Bassy, conservatives are cut from finer cloth than your mob.
And this from South Africa
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnQNAT1XOwA
Someones telling porkies
https://science.house.gov/news/press-releases/former-noaa-scientist-confirms-colleagues-manipulated-climate-records
All this talk about dogs and sentience ,
Absolutely the best appeal advert ever made.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlFiMoCbVMQ
Oh dear, so sad………..
Sad? Are we looking at the same ad. We all have to die, dying old is the best time to die. The girl gets to live longer and the dog gets a new friend. Brilliant! Tears, but not tears of sad!
Unless you mean the “Leila” add. Not just sad, bloody tragic. There’s too may “Leilas” that don’t have to be.
Beautiful Jean, you old softie.
‘He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog.
You are his life, his love, his leader.
He will be faithful and true to the last beat of his heart.
You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.’
Excellent ad isn’t it JB? my organ donation card is in the wallet as is husbands.
You’ve got your husbands organ donor card in your wallet, Tracy? What do you keep in your shopping bag, his heart, liver, an appendage….?