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An idiot’s guide to freedom fighting

Joe Hildebrand

by Joe Hildebrand

13 Aug 06:05am

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Filed under: London, Riots, Society, Violence

66 comments

Dear Comrades,  It is sadly not surprising that the freedom-fighters in London have been denounced as “rioters’’ by the right-wing media machine.

Its Thatcher wot caused it, innit

These brave revolutionaries have risked their lives or at least other people’s lives to create a new socialist utopia.

But, as always, the dark forces of capitalism have sought to crush their spirit and incarcerate their bodies _ at least for a few hours until they make bail.

Never has one group of people done so much to promote equality, freedom and the equitable redistribution of Adidas equipment. And yet they are pilloried by the capo-fascist power structure and painted as common criminals by counter-revolutionaries in the ruling classes.

As a result I am obliged to circulate this test to weed out any subversive elements seeking to infect our own revolutionary spirit.

In Solidarity,

Chairman Joe

Please complete the following sentences:

Slain Tottenham resident Mark Duggan was:

A) A drug-dealing gangster who was carrying a home-made gun

B) Hopelessly caught in a cycle of poverty and crime

C) A Marxist visionary

Setting fire to heritage buildings across London is:

A) A sickening desecration of history and culture

B) An inevitable by-product of spending cuts

C) A defiant blow to the capo-aristocratic establishment

Increasing police numbers on the streets to stem the rampant destruction is:

A) An urgently needed move to restore order

B) A confrontational move that will only provoke more violence

C) The jackboot of fascism on the throat of the working classes

Smashing shop windows to steal flat-screen TVs is:

A) Unacceptable behaviour no matter what your background

B) Only to be expected in a consumer-driven society in which individuals are judged by their material possessions

C) The first step in a wave of progressive internationalism

Tottenham vs Everton is:

A) A football match that had to be called off because of the London riots

B) A BBC mini-series about a bitter custody battle

C) An artificially constructed social division created to distract the working classes from their economic oppression

Welfare payments to the unemployed are:

A) A safety net of last resort to facilitate re-entry into the workforce

B) Contributing to a sense of dislocation, but must never, ever be cut

C) A vital redistribution of wealth from the industrial-military machine

Public housing estates are:

A) An outmoded recipe for ghettoisation that should be replaced with integrated housing throughout the community

B) An outmoded recipe for ghettoisation, but must never, ever be cut

C) A rich breeding ground for the revolutionary spirit

The Tweet “F*** the electronics, them Turkish jewellers needed to get robbed’’ is:

A) A clear incitement to violence

B) A complex study in socio-racial interaction

C) A call for a people’s uprising against capitalist materialism and/or the post-colonial oppression of the Ottoman Empire

A BlackBerry Messenger system is:

A) A smartphone communications network used by rioters to co-ordinate attacks

B) A means for disenfranchised youth to express their hopes and fears

C) Racist

Overall the UK riots are:

A) No different to any other outbreaks of violence

B) No different to what happened in South Africa under Apartheid

C) No different to what happened in Canberra under John Howard

Results:

If you answered mostly A: You are an avid consumer of news and current affairs

If you answered mostly B: You are writing a doctoral thesis at the Deepak Chopra Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution

If you answered mostly C: You are a far-sighted visionary, no longer blinded by the mask of capitalist hegemony

Most commented

353"Gifting", "journey" and other words we hate
309Thomson didn't answer the question everyone is asking
246A big day for Thomson, who thus far is guilty of nothing...
242They must pay for one's bitter disappointments
230Craig Thomson speaks. Meanwhile, in Australia...
230South Australia. It's the middle bottom bit.
224The most laughable, err, spoof since Einfeld
224Punch on: Open thread 17/05/2012

66 comments

Show oldest | newest first

    • Super D says:

      07:22am | 13/08/11

      If you answered mostly A’s you are a functioning adult occupying planet earth.

      If you didn’t then you clearly don’t realise that all the aspirational talk of the progressive chattering classes has just been violently mugged by the reality of the darker side of human nature.  No matter how modern and progressive we may think we are we are never more than a fortnight away from total anarchy.  Meanwhile some folks prefer to focus on what the temperature may or may not be 100 years from now.

      Perhaps we should send David Cameron a letter asking how he has offset the CO2 emissions associated with burning shops.  These were after all, man made emissions….

      Reply

    • Chris L says:

      09:51am | 13/08/11

      “violently mugged by the reality of the darker side of human nature” -

      Among the various ranting I’ve seen on the subject, this point actually makes sense. The ideals of the left are somewhat grander than human capabilities, which may explain why so many of the right consider it pointless. However, I still think the striving for improvement, in itself, is a worthy thing. Quite often poorly executed, and definately not cause for violence in most cases, but still worth attempting.

      On the other hand, I don’t see these riots as a protest or a political statement. More (perhaps) the natural result of people being cast aside for generations and venting their frustration. They are criminals and should face up to what they are doing, but maybe governments and communities could also do better.

    • Peter#1 says:

      07:22am | 13/08/11

      Joe, what an outrage that these poor misunderstood model citizens are being brought before the courts and some even incarcerated.
      They weren’t stealing, merely taking what was rightfully theirs.
      The greedy capitalist shopkeepers, who not only risk their capital but work long hours, have no right in denying these poor downtrodden people free goods. After all, we owe it to them to keep them in the style to which they have become accustomed.
      I’d better go and have some breakfast and take my medication.

      Reply

    • Gregg says:

      07:25am | 13/08/11

      Oh Comrade Leader, such visionaries to swell our ranks and some educated to work on submissions for grants from our generous government for further solidarity.
      Those capitalist thugs were hoarding goods that should rightfully have been distributed.

      Reply

    • Mik says:

      08:14am | 13/08/11

      What drivel. This was a cause with the highest of the ideals - didn’t you see the pride and determination on their faces? No shameful cloaking of identities here. And when they walked out of court, did you see how high they held their heads?
      The shop keepers are to blame - many probably came from very downtrodden backgrounds and then voluntarily chose to work very hard -  traitors!. It is they who thought that the old fashioned construct of safe community was important. Capitalist opportunists that they are, they also colluded with “the government” to pay their taxes. Don’t they know that their government just spends their money on social services and doesn’t understand the real need is for cool runners, blackberries and brand names? Long live those strugglers like the multinational name brands who fulfill our needs, WANTS, and dreams.
      Yeah, and who needs this education that they keep trying to crush our spirits with- most of the world’s populations don’t have it, so why should we? Yeh, and buildings are for burning, not for living, fool!!

      With these riots what started as a cause, which may have been very valid, quickly descended into an excuse and then lost all meaning whatsoever other than rampant self gratification and sheep mentality (my apologies to sheep).

      Reply

    • Fiddler says:

      08:16am | 13/08/11

      Gold. Love it

      Reply

    • Minko says:

      08:30am | 13/08/11

      This is a very good start to my Saturday morning.  I like how the closing paragraph allows those who truly believe in the path of the B) and C) thinkers to miss the irony and plod on victimhood rather than bashing them over the head with reality.  Unlike a lot of satire posted on The Punch this was to the point, intelligent and funny.  But maybe that’s just because I agree wholeheartedly with it?

      Reply

    • Pinko says:

      09:57am | 13/08/11

      Nah Minko, if you want an authentically good start to your Saturday morning, stick to the cartoons on telly. They are genuinely “to the point, intelligent and funny”. They’re more insightful and less pompous, too.

    • hawker says:

      10:23am | 13/08/11

      Something about sarcasm being the lowest form of wit comes to mind.
      Satire? Please

    • Minko says:

      10:29am | 15/08/11

      In amongst all the “raised to be victims” hand-wringing apologists floating around the internet on this issue, thought this was a good laugh.  Pinko, since you seem such an affionado at animation, maybe you should be watching less cartoons and getting out into the world like I did about 10 minutes after reading this article rather than spending the morning on the couch?  And Hawker, satire being the lowest form of wit doesn’t mean that it’s ineffective or unfunny.

    • TheRaptured says:

      08:56am | 13/08/11

      Useful Idiots for the Global Elite in their quest for a New World Order out of the chaos they created in the first place.

      Reply

    • chungo mung says:

      09:11am | 13/08/11

      No irony missed here people, much like a slap in the face, what is missed by the punchy righties is complexity. But that is what conservatism is about - generalising, lumping together, simplifying and maintaining a self beneficial status quo. So righties unite! In a blanket explanation and a one size fits all solution, because if you question or you stop to think or you empathise and consider, then you are clearly just a commie bastard.

      Incidently, allthough many of you conservo-comrades will think otherwise, I am disgusted by the opportunism, the disrespect, the ungreatfulness and so on - of the looters and rioters, but I still wish to use my intelligence when considering these things that happened on the other side of the world from where we sit. And it is worth noticing before you chungo bungo me and simplify your discontent that it was the unyielding righties who barked on about this all being about race…. and in some cases still do.

      Reply

    • Steve says:

      12:23pm | 13/08/11

      It is actually about maintenance of a mutually beneficial staus quo. The righties do the boring hard yards that produces a staus qou robust enough to allow people like you to glorify yourself.

      What would you do if we all took residence on the high moral ground? How would you differentiate yourself? You need a mainstream right so you have got something to be left of.

    • Fiddler says:

      12:41pm | 13/08/11

      Yes because lefties never use generalising lumping together terms such as “neo-cons”, “military-industrial complex” or refer to these rioters as “marginalised youth”

      And for the record the unyielding righties that I have seen all hold the position that it started out being racially based and then expanded to be fuelled by opportunistic idiots of many walks of life, their only unifying force being a desire to smash shit and steal

    • chungo mung says:

      02:46pm | 13/08/11

      I am not for the lefties, I am for the presence and contribution of both sides, i just get a little annoyed when I hear the sound of serious righteousness in one or the other.

    • RyaN says:

      12:29pm | 15/08/11

      “So righties unite! In a blanket explanation and a one size fits all solution”

      followed closely by… “conservo-comrades”

      Hypocrite much?

    • Kipling says:

      09:34am | 13/08/11

      It is good to see that as Australian’s we are still able to find humour in the absurd and laugh about the misery of others…

      It is also refreshing to see us still starving for a hint of journalism.

      Reply

    • Shane From Melbourne says:

      11:12am | 13/08/11

      BBC is in that direction————>>>>>

    • H B Bear says:

      06:14pm | 14/08/11

      Actually the BBC is off to the left.

    • Geoff says:

      09:36am | 13/08/11

      Love it. It’s not too early and frankly had to be said. I’m off to pinch a new flatscreen teli and a flash pair of trainers

      Reply

    • Salmon Gums says:

      09:38am | 13/08/11

      It’s OK to spend hundreds of billions of pounds to fight wars of dubious merit, but we should cut back on helping the disenfranchised youth of our society. 
      Excellent setting of priorities.

      When the capitalist bankers run riot over our savings and retirement investments, we should shut the F*#K up and take our GFC medicine.

      Reply

    • John the Zombie says:

      12:06pm | 13/08/11

      Yep disenfranchised youth of one was a millionaires daughter another a teachers asisstant.

      These questions I have asked yet none of you can answer them.

      Also tell me why temples and mosques were been targeted?

      Tell me why a car mounted a kerb and ran over three young men who were protecting their business?

      Tell me why Richard Bowes was killed for trying to put a fire out?

      All I hear is excuse for what was and is a group of Chavs who only wanted to steal and rob business. What business did they target again, ow yeah small business’s run by mothera and fathers.

      I have seen this type of youth in my life. They dont want to work but yet still want to earn $100,000 per year and drive mercs and BMW. How do I know this? I was the manager at Hungry Jacks and was in charge of training. When ppl like these yobs were employed by the business on the first day they woud always come in late, they would always have a look on their eyes like they just smoked weed, they would not want to learn and by the end of three days they would no longer come into work.

      I am wondering the young youth who said I gave my resume in to alot of places. I would ask him name me the places you gave your resume to, I would ask him how much do are looking at earning (see how realistic his goals are) and lastly I would ask him, what year did you complete your studies at and if he say anything lower then year 12 then I would ask him why did you not stay in school?

      Last to note what was his comment when asked if he regreted it? His comment was not no, the issues of the youth have been seen now but was no as I am enjoying watching my new plasma tv.

    • Perth says:

      12:15pm | 13/08/11

      Did you answer A to any questions?

    • Mik says:

      03:00pm | 13/08/11

      Yet how alike they are - these youth wanted to get rich quickly off the hard work and sacrifices of others., not giving a damn about what they destroyed or who they maimed.

    • brett says:

      09:57pm | 15/08/11

      Capitalism? Capitalism is private property.

      The only reason there are wars and the only reason the bankers responsible for the GFC still have jobs is because the government coercively stole the private property of the productive (ie taxation) and redistributed it to the military and bankers.

      None of this would have happened on a free market, nor would millions of unfit parents be raising intellectually stunted, welfare-addicted youths who are unable to get jobs

    • iansand says:

      09:44am | 13/08/11

      D - Simplistic knee jerk to what may be a complex problem.  Or it may not.  However, any uncertainty should not stop someone having an opinion.

      Reply

    • Chris L says:

      09:58am | 13/08/11

      Very clever Joe, and I got a few good chuckles.

      It does seem, however, that those who identify as right wing are taking a kind of glee at being able to point toward destruction and say “that’s the left wing!”. Perhaps a welcome relief after the uncomfortable thoughts that became unavoidable after the incident in Norway.

      Someone recently pointed out (in their opinion) that this current mess may have been the product of directionless agression from the left meeting insidious control from the right. Obviously this idea doesn’t go down too well, and I agree that the perpetrators of this violence would have known better and should face the consequences of their actions, but I do think it could be wise to at least question whether our society as it stands could have been better.

      Reply

    • PsychoHyena says:

      10:05pm | 13/08/11

      Chris L: I would agree whole-heartedly with the “directionless aggression from the left meeting insidious control from the right” quote. It’s like the “unstoppable force meeting the immovable object”. It is interesting to note that anyone not fully to the right gets called a lefty these days, apparently the right is the new centre.

      Most conservatives follow the line of “the house is broken but at least I have millions in the bank”, and then when the house falls down it’s someone else’s fault.

    • Lisa H. says:

      10:18pm | 14/08/11

      Bizarre summary of the (rather arbitrary) label ‘right’.

    • sir ronald bradnam says:

      10:02am | 13/08/11

      Satire at its pinnacle, a whole new respect for your sense of humour and writing ability.

      Reply

    • stephen says:

      10:03am | 13/08/11

      Bad kids make bad news… and a teacher from the local area was interviewed and she said that her profession is not allowed to discipline students in any way.
      You would think that at school, where you learn things, some life-guidance objectives, (discipline ?) would stop kids trashing their communities.

      Reply

    • John says:

      10:31am | 13/08/11

      “London have been denounced as “rioters’’ by the right-wing media machine. “

      Right wing media? You gotta be kidding? The entire western media is liberal, socialist and leftist. Even news-corp. Gays Rights, Whites are Racist, support Multiculturalism, support Immigration , church and pedophiles, Atheism is better then Christianity. The reality is also the socialist media cover’s up immigrant crime, and the race of rioters in London which pretty much means they are reds. They are just rich red socialists. These little red anarchists are just pawns to the rich red socialists.  The question is where is right wing media? Well it’s on the internet and it’s not part of mainstream media. The western media has a socialist agenda, they might but be very telling about it, but they do.

      Reply

    • Shane From Melbourne says:

      11:15am | 13/08/11

      Damn those socialist pinko Fox News people.

    • Chris L says:

      02:58pm | 13/08/11

      Do I detect the sound of an automatic rifle being loaded?

    • Max, says:

      10:40am | 13/08/11

      Mein Gott you haf red my buch,  I am zo appy , pleez write more.

      Reply

    • Greg says:

      11:49am | 13/08/11

      Nice try Max, but Joe is Jewish, so it doesn’t really work.

    • Anna says:

      11:08am | 13/08/11

      Some moral relativism with your morning coffee, Joe? I don’t endorse the behaviour either but maybe you should read some Chopra, it sounds like it would do you some good.

      Reply

    • Shane From Melbourne says:

      11:19am | 13/08/11

      I wonder if they have come out with a “Rioting for Dummies” book yet?

      Reply

    • marley says:

      03:09pm | 13/08/11

      I’ll bet you there’s an app for it…

    • Gregg says:

      11:30am | 13/08/11

      Hmmm,
      replies function seems to have gone amiss again but for the Drongo Chungo Muncher
      ” what is missed by the punchy righties is complexity. But that is what conservatism is about - generalising, lumping together, simplifying and maintaining a self beneficial status quo. So righties unite! “
      Yep, you’d have to be a drongo leftie, displaying such intelligence.

      Reply

    • Richard M says:

      11:53am | 13/08/11

      I’m worried.  I actually agree with a point made by one of the world’s great smartypants arseholes, Joe Hildebrand.  But then. my concern is tempered by his customary puerile, undergraduate, sarcastic methodology, which typifies both his scribblings and his less than edifying appearances on “the Drum”.

      Reply

    • Steve says:

      12:01pm | 13/08/11

      I answered A to every question. After completing the questionaire I can see the appeal to the B and C answers. Yoy can project a more intelectual and caring image if you answer B. As for C , well what could be more exciting than being a revolutionary.

      Whilst there is a majaority of us A people the house will be kept in order however I can’t help but resent those who enjoy the orderly house and get the glamour of being a B or C.

      Reply

    • Lisa H. says:

      02:18pm | 13/08/11

      Ain’t that the truth.

      Turning up for work day in and out, dealing with the power struggles and the ‘personalities’  IS boring, stressful and hard graft, often for no outright large reward. The advantages of self-actualisation are incremental, slow to accumulate.

      Being accountable requires more than tenacity: stomach, inner resolve, dignity, mental strength. A co-operative nature AND individual drive.

      No wonder we crave the glamour and ‘compassion’ of the left. It’s easier somehow.

    • Chris L says:

      03:02pm | 13/08/11

      You guys are so darn awesome! I bet that, secretly, every leftie just wishes they were you.

    • Lisa H. says:

      08:49pm | 13/08/11

      Ah c’mon Chris! It’s the opposite.
      Inside every accountant is an repressed artist struggling to get out.
      We all want to sleep in, ‘express ourselves’,  take drugs and generally ‘goof off’...don’t we?
      I know I do…

    • shmeh says:

      10:46pm | 14/08/11

      Wow, massive self righteousness my friends. So every left thinking person doesn’t go to work or face the cold realities of the world, only conservative people have jobs, and as usual they are flat out running the whole world for everyone else. Please, lay in bed a little longer people and have a good tug.

    • John says:

      04:10pm | 13/08/11

      any political descent against the phoney left right paradigm pushed by the lying media will classified as terrorism. When will they start knocking on people door’s and taking everyone to concentration camps, gulags for not worshiping obama, cameron, sarkozy and news-corp? People who don’t believe in the official theory of 9/11 attacks, 7/7 attacks, people who don’t trust the bankers. People don’t support the carpet bombing of the Libyan people by NATO criminality.  Martin you logic is truly skewed, American Revolutionizes murderer of JFK? The people that rule America today were most likely behind JFK’s murder.

    • TheRealDave says:

      05:33pm | 13/08/11

      LNP = Tea Party??

      Que?

      Look I despise the Libs and Nats as much as anyone who can actually think for themselves…..but you do know the LNP IS the Liberal AND National Party - amalgamated in Qld cause they both drew bupkiss at the last several elections and the Libs looked like being outnumbered by the Independants in State Parliament!

      What I’d love to see is how the hell the Liberals managed to swindle the Nationals in Qld and take top billing…considering the Nationals in Qld have been the dominant conservative party in Qld for several generations. How the hell did the Nationals ever agree to that LOL!!

    • John the Zombie says:

      05:44pm | 13/08/11

      Martin it is your left that gives these thugs excuse. It is also funny that the laws that allowed these youth to becone so out of control and stripped the police force of all its powers was, oiw yeah a labor lead govt.

      It is interesting that labor cant find anyway to defend their outrageous postion and the stupidity of this govt so what is there choice.

      This is labor currently, first call all ppl who suport the liberals racist and now start saying they are tea party supporters. Also note that is the govt that is supporting censorship to stop free speech. This is a govt that has undertaken a refugee policy which is racist and is baasically trying to hide the increase in boat numbers.

      Martin hope let me ask you this question. What is your position on the fact that the cost of running the two defence force bases that are now been used as refugee centres is to be passed onto defene and not the immigration department? 

      I support the liberals and I am willing to debate labor and the greens on any issue.

    • john says:

      04:31pm | 13/08/11

      I felt mostly “c” to be true and correct for all the questions, especially this question below - it should be noted that no-one made such a fuss about the riots in greece where athens burned over & over yet again since 480 BC !
      If anything it exposes how we have become ice tea totalling, cafe latte drinking gossip whining elitists reading news fodder designed for the masses living in the west.

      ===>{very funny, obviously “c”}Overall the UK riots are:

      A) No different to any other outbreaks of violence

      B) No different to what happened in South Africa under Apartheid

      C) No different to what happened in Canberra under John Howard

      Reply

    • Leah says:

      05:04pm | 13/08/11

      I had to laugh at the guy who, taking plasma TVs, was saying “I’m getting my taxes back” ...yeah, I’m sure your taxes paid for those TVs. I’m sure the government you pay your taxes to are the ones now losing out when you steal those TVs…. or not.

      Reply

    • Mik says:

      05:13pm | 13/08/11

      On a far more serious note, sadly the youth interviewed seemed to display such vagueness about their cause, such delight in the “fun” they were having and such impulsiveness in their behaviour that, along with the reported school misbehaviour/difficulty in learning , one has to wonder if possibly many had foetal alcohol spectrum disorder. Certainly they are displaying similar behaviours to many teen/young adults with this disorder.

      Reply

    • Baal says:

      06:14pm | 13/08/11

      Look a complex issue reduced to a joke.
      People died Joe, people have died and we need to know why.

      Reply

    • NESLIHAN KUROSAWA says:

      09:03pm | 13/08/11

      Hi Joe,
      Is this really all about freedom fighting as you might have chosen to call this particular article??  Which happens to be fine!!  freedom to do what, I wonder??  Somehow freedom without education, income, financial status, commonsense about what is right & wrong,  mean absolutely nothing, no offence to anyone!!

      The young generation, these days in some countries are living in an empty shell, with not means of being productive as well as contributing to the society, they sort of belong to.!! There is a major lack of respect, appreciation of their environment!! 

      Can you all blame them really??  There is a s such a big difference when it comes to the living standards, income & education standards.  If they have not learnt the true meaning of being productive & self sufficient members of their community, is it already too late to learn the basic survival techniques as well as the true meaning of hard work & self worth?? 

      I strongly believe, freedom alone means absolutely nothing by itself!!  There has to be other factors such as our living environment, having fulfillment in our personal lives & having the right social skills, so that we all feel confident enough to actually succeed at everyday tasks, instead of being a burden on our society!!  Best regards to your editors.

      Reply

    • Glenn says:

      09:19pm | 13/08/11

      The comments say a lot about public perception, left or right? What is everyone talking about?
      If you mean to represent economic power between the State and the Free Market our democracy has been steadily giving economic power to the market for the last 50 years, ‘to big to fail’ has been a long time in the making.  I think you will only find one political party in Australia is left of centre.
      On the other hand, are people worried about the shifting of social power from the Individual to the Authority?  We are certainly not sitting on the individual side of that balance beam.

      Trying to describe a position in both the examples above with a single binary identifier is either madness or a confidence scheme.

      Reply

    • Dodge says:

      10:07am | 14/08/11

      Oh it’s that right-wing ‘comedian’ guy again. Is there a guide to the parts where I should laugh?

      Is lack of cause and effect analysis a trademark of neo-conservatism, tea party style? I understand it aligns with the suppression of knowledge and expertise waged by the far right, but it seems so unhealty to tackle the underlying issues around such events.

      We wont have Facism anytime soon in Australia Joe, sorry to disappoint you.

      Reply

    • Blind Freddy says:

      01:12pm | 14/08/11

      Ol’ Joe sure does give his straw-man a regular and good beating.

      The straw-man doesn’t stand a chance with Joe’s rapier wit. Stupid straw-man.

      Reply

    • debs says:

      01:54pm | 14/08/11

      An idiot’s guide to <strike>journalism</strike> bias and right wing spruiking is joe hildebrand

      Reply

    • Sleepless says:

      05:52pm | 14/08/11

      The best one YET! I know I’ve said it before, and I know I’ll say it again

      The sad part is that not only the ‘poor’ participated in the riots. Some joined in for the hell of it. Out of approximately 1800 arrested 17% were under 18? Hope UK have a lot of room in their jails, as these under 18th will end up there before they are 21

      Surprised that the benefit payments haven’t been cut off. Then again it might have started another riot.

      UK taxpayers support them, they destroy /steal from the taxpayers, tax payers pay for their jail stay. Whats wrong with this picture?

      Reply

    • James O says:

      08:09pm | 14/08/11

      We are just living in a time of the bored generation, the bored and those living on borrowed time. Cut back on the chemicals in food ,please.

      Reply

    • Chloe says:

      12:58am | 15/08/11

      Hilarious as always Joe! Love it!

      Reply

    • Jim says:

      10:29am | 15/08/11

      To be fair, Joe, that Duggan bloke does seem to have been shot by the police on the one day of his life he didn’t deserve to be..

      Reply

    • fml says:

      12:28pm | 15/08/11

      Damn the youth! always making us adults look like idiots.

      Reply
 
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ToryShepherd

ToryShepherd 23 May 12 10:44AM

Does anyone, anywhere, have access to the audio of Isobel Redmond at the @ceda_news shindig?

tory_maguire

_Tors 23 May 12 09:40AM

"If there was no Schapelle Corby there, in a Balinese prison, we'd still be doing it."...

tory_maguire

_Tors 23 May 12 09:39AM

Bob Carr says releasing Indo kids convicted of people smuggling has nothing to do with Corby...

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Schapelle has done her time

by Daniel Piotrowski

7

Schapelle has done her time

Schapelle Corby has served more than seven years in Kerobokan prison for attempting to import 4.2 kilos…

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by The Punch Team

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Do women need to know when to walk away?

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Who murdered the Arts degree?

by Lucy Kippist

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Who murdered the Arts degree?

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Nosebleed Section

choice ringside rantings

From: They must pay for one’s bitter disappointments

Michael S says:

"A teacher at Geelong Grammar had criticised her for using words that were too long, which had left her confused and had made her doubt her ability to write essays. She became ''quite distressed'' when her English marks began to fall." I can sympathise. My scholastic mentors conveyed to me a causal relationship… [read more]

From: Welfare for breeders is a bonus for everyone

Change Up! says:

I have no problem paying my taxes. As a single, childless person on a very decent income, I can afford it and not have my life severely altered. Plus I understand that my taxes paying for things like schools, childcare and infrastructure is ultimately a good thing. A better community is better for me… [read more]

Light weight

Gentle jabs to the ribs

They must pay for one’s bitter disappointments

They must pay for one’s bitter disappointments

A private school girl’s family is sueing her elite, extremely expensive private school for not… Read more

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