Assange - giving credit where credit is due.

Now that we are expecting a free Julian Assange to be back in his home country Australia by tomorrow, it is time for the appropriate giving of credit.

Many many "ordinary" Australians have stood up for openness and fairness and have presented the case for Julian Assange's freedom, some for over a decade and have spoken to their elected representatives, lobbied, marched, spread the message and argued the case.

Those are the ones who should be given credit and take credit. They are the ones who have resulted in our elected representatives having to deal with the matter.

A few among them have spread the message on HotCopper - credit is due and I give them credit - including for persistence as that was certainly required.

A small number of our elected representatives recognised the merits and importance of Julian Assange's case themselves and early. Much credit is due to them for making a principled decision without having to be persuaded "politically" by evaluating the "optics" of the situation or needing to know how many voters would consider it important.

Credit again to the "ordinary" Australians for bringing many "wet" and "soft" politicians around, over a protracted period of years.

A successful outcome has now come - way too late.

It is said that "success has many fathers". Credit should be given to the real fathers - I expect that a great many others will now be "credit takers"for themselves.

I expect that we will now see many photos, appearances, media interviews and "confidential briefings" about "MY PART in Julian Assange's freedom" by the political Credit Takers.

We will need to swallow it, and remind ourselves of the role of the many principled "ordinary" Australians who pushed the case and the all-to-few politicians who made an early ethical principled decision (without waiting to see which way "the wind was blowing").