"HMAS Pirie, operating under the control of Border Protection Command"
the reality is that "Border Protection " means "open borders".. that is the way that propaganda works, when all is lost.
Gillard will mouth something about "strong borders". i am at a loss to know what "strong borders" really mean, but the words might give comfort to some.
before the 2007 election, rudd made strong noises about asylum seekers - yes he would turn the boats back - then gets into government and changes the rules - so that asylum seekers are made more welcome.
rudd never turned one boat back - but he did get the indonesians to drag one boat back (in a lead up to an election - rudd had to do something) .. rudd was a dudd - when the labor party dumped him - he mentioned something that he would not "move to the right" in relation to asylum seekers - but this was a 180 degree turn around from the position that he took before the election
- and then there was the farce of the oceanic viking.. the oceanic viking should have sailed into international waters, and then have been boarded by australian troops - who would have taken full control of the ship - and then simply have sailed to sri lanka - and dropped the "pirates" back in sri lanka.
there are no trade embargoes on china, for human right abuses etc - because the world needs china. if australia had returned a boat load of pirates, back to sri lanka - then the world would have turned a blind eye - because the world needs our iron, coal, uranium etc.
prior to the election the government would have known that the boats would not stop - and if they had been reelected, then they would have been looking for places to place the asylum seekers - now we have the farcical situation of putting 1500 single men, in a camp - in northam
