You appear not to have understood what I wrote & therefore run the risk of misrepresenting me. At no stage have I expressed support for Julia Gillard's Malaysia solution, nor for her East Timor Solution or her Manus Island solution.
In short, I am opposed to offshore processing of refugees & to their mandatory detention full stop, even on the mainland [with predictable exceptions of course].
As for offshore hell holes; how appealing do you find the prospect of mandatory detention for years on Manus Island, Nauru & Christmas Island? Then take into account lanugauge issues, communication issues, health issues, lack of hope & hearing the xenophobic rhetoric from our shock jocks.
The Howard Govt's offshore processing & mandatory detention policies successfully traumatised thousands of people; the great majority of whom still made it to Australia, only in a more traumatised state. It was a success at whipping up xenophobia & thereby enabling Howard's re-election though.
Given events in Sri Lanka, Somalia, Iran, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Yemen etc. post 2007 there is strong likelihood the boat traffic would have resumed despite Howard's Nauru solution etc.
Btw, how do you rationalise the opposition to offshore processing of the Liberal Party's most famous elder statesman, Malcolm Fraser?
