The man’s livelihood has been destroyed, his visa cancelled and his reputation dragged through the mud. No apology, no new visa.
PM defiant: no visa and no apology
I’m with Apidistra. Words fail me.
I have to say I agree. I also was astonished by the withdrawal of the case on the grounds that there was “no reasonable prospect of conviction”. Not because the man’s innocent, you see, but because we couldn’t find the evidence to prove that he was guilty, as we’d already made up our minds he was.
But Howard and Andrews strike me as being defiant in the hope of brazening it out, not suggesting that they screwed up with the view that if they shout long enough and loud enough, people will start to believe them. Andrews in particular is going on and on about how he’s going to release new evidence that will validate his decision; well, I’ll believe it when I see it, but I’m not holding my breath.
I’m sorry, but that’s pretty pathetic. I have no respect for someone who can’t stand up and say they made a mistake - in a politician that would increase my faith in their integrity, not diminish it.
Unfortunately I suspect that it was not a mistake. This is the sort of sensational fiasco Mr Howard and his grubby government are famous for using to their political advantage.
This is an election year - he is demonstrating to the ignorant and the xenophobic how tough he is on potential terrorists. And those who see through his tricks are not the type of people who would have voted for him anyway.