Liberals
RED TED HAS RUN HIS RACE: Victoria’s alternative Premier thinks we’re racist
Prominent Victorian Liberals are in a state of fury after Ted Baillieu’s bizarre speech last night to an Indian community organisation where he agreed with unsubstantiated and highly damaging claims that there is race-hate motivated violence in Victoria, aimed apparently at Indian students with iPods.
One disgusted senior Liberal told VEXNEWS this morning:
“There is no consultation with colleagues on these issues. Poor Peter Ryan, he was setting the right tone in Police and now his message about getting more cops on the beat is being crowded out by Red Ted’s description of Victoria as racist. You see what we’re dealing with? No doubt Ted’s mentor Petro Georgiou and his pot-plant in Baillieu’s office Michael Kapel enthusiastically endorsed this approach. It’s f*ckin’ embarrassing is what it is.”
A CATALOGUE OF CRINGE
Ted Baillieu’s absurdly left-leaning views have repeatedly sent him in the wrong direction in his time as Victorian Liberal leader, insiders say.
He has defended Bill Henson’s extremely creepy trawling of a state primary school looking for talent for his nude photographs of children.
He opposed the vital channel-deepening of Port Phillip Bay by backing The Age’s hysterical enviro-scare campaign against it despite business groups crying out for the desperately needed infrastructure improvement.
He has had to be dragged kicking and screaming to muscle up to the government on many issues, including law and order.
He has stubbornly failed to clean out the stagnating party room, stacked to the brim with Kennett-era Liberal lefties whose best political days are clearly behind them.
Now he has accused Victoria of being a racist society.
ARE WE RACIST OR HAS TED RUN HIS RACE?
Specifically, despite Victoria Police conclusions to the contrary, Baillieu blames the muggings and occasionally more serious violence directed against some Indian students on racism.
It is a claim unsupported by any evidence. There are no thugs – a word invented in India – confessing to such a despicable motivation.
And yet The Age’s favourite ever Liberal leader claims “racist Victorians are creating a climate of fear and terror on the streets of Melbourne.”
Which streets? Can he even point to a single street where racists are running amok and creating a climate of fear and terror.
We’d like to know.
Because we’d like to stop it. We’ll gladly move to this Romper Stomper Street from our secure inner-urban location and put up our Racists Out shingle out the front, if only Baillieu would identify this racial hotbed.
We grew up reading about the Holocaust. And nothing touched us more.
And like many we pledged – silently – to ourselves. Never again. Never again.
We read the book “Willing Executioners” and vowed never to be one, however high the price.
But to equate Melbourne, Australia with such a racist society is a nauseating obscenity.
We are Australia’s safest big city. We are Australia’s most inclusive and cosmopolitan state. When the race-baiting One Nation party ran here they struggled to find candidates and when they did nominate, they polled the lowest of anywhere in the country. Victorians have every right to be proud of our record on such issues. And every right to be angry with those who falsely besmirch us as racist or condoning race-hate motivated violence in any form.
TAKE THEM ON DON’T SLAG VICTORIA OFF
Fighting the Brumby government on law and order is good sport. John Brumby himself appears to have lost confidence in his Police Minister and he has made a grave mistake leaving Rob Hulls in the Attorney-General portfolio for too long.
Suggestions flying around town that yet another Labor lawyer – this time John Thwaites’ mate and civil liberties boss Michael Pearce – is to be appointed to the Bench this year do worry us. Pearce might be a competent lawyer but his appointment will be one self-indulgence too many.
Baillieu has a lot of ammunition to fire on law and order.
But shooting at Victoria itself isn’t on.
WHAT RED TED SAID
Liberal insiders we spoke to last night and this morning were keen to read Baillieu’s speech, struggling to accept that he could have blamed racism for a failure in law and order. He ought to be ashamed of himself, one said, leaving aside the political stupidity of the move. We’ll try to find his speech to republish it but the parts quoted enthusiastically in The Age are bad enough. Like these bon mots here:
And we have a problem with racist behaviour and racial violence…
We have a minority of individuals whose racist behaviour is creating fear and terror for many who live in our community
Baillieu offered this message for those he brands racist criminals and thugs: a Coalition government ”will not let you destroy our society”.
And this:
”There are some who say these are not racial attacks. To those people let me say this: … In the course of those assaults they were racially abused.”
Right. So if our publisher was mugged and unpleasant observations were made by the perps about his weight that would mean that the wallet-seeking attack was actually really part of a War on Fat People that needed to be smashed with our leaders describing Victorians as pre-judiced against KFC eaters?
GOT THE POLITICS WRONG. ALL WRONG. AGAIN.
Baillieu’s analysis strains credulity. It is the politics of 1970s baby-boomer guilt-trippers who went on one too many Vietnam march. If there was evidence for his outrageous slurs against the community he seeks to lead, that would be different.
Young idiots do stupid things. For example, the Police put on a widely announced and sign-posted search for knives and weapons at a train station. And yet dozens streamed through, bearing arms and getting caught. The Courts themselves have metal detectors and scanners to reveal whether people are taking weapons into courts. And yet despite this, cretins still attempt to bring weapons in.
Yes, there are stupid people out there.
But that doesn’t make them anti-Anglo when they commit crimes against Anglos or racist when they mug an Indian student for his iPhone and HSBC debit card.
Why do people commit crimes? We have no idea. But if a community leader says racism is the cause, he’d better have some serious evidence.
Of course most voters couldn’t care less about the causes of crime, they just want the perpetrator to be punished.
RACIAL VIOLENCE OR JUST VIOLENCE?
When a tiny number of stupid people do stupid things to people who happen to be in an ethnic minority, that doesn’t necessarily make it racial violence.
There are many women raped than Indians mugged. Does that make Victoria misogynist? Or Victorian men a bunch of women haters threatening to destroy our society? Or is it just that a tiny minority of people anywhere who commit acts of evil?
That’s why Baillieu’s analysis is so ill-considered.
Again, if there was evidence for it that would be different.
All Baillieu offers is the assertion that during a drunken beating or mugging or whatever one of the cretins involved made a racial remark. That’s his justification for talking Victoria down in such a vile way claiming it is being over-run by racists.
Does he imagine his remarks won’t be repeated by Indian hot-heads in their irresponsible and hateful sensationalist media?
Last night’s speech is easily Baillieu’s most breathtakingly irresponsible move of his nearly five years as party Leader. It smacks of desperation. Liberal insiders emphatically insist to VEXNEWS that Baillieu’s assertions on this issue would not have been focus-grouped or tested. “Baillieu doesn’t like being second-guessed by 104.” What a joke.
We can only wonder whether his Chief of Staff Michael Kapel has had his hands in this, as our sources have speculated.
When Kapel published the names and addresses and phone numbers of every member of One Nation when he edited a highly regarded Jewish community publication, we knew that he was a warrior against racism. We supported his publication of it. And still do. One Nation was a blight on the community. But many think Kapel’s reaction then was an over-reaction. A bridge too far. And certainly Ted Baillieu’s reaction here has been a carefully calculated and deliberate over-reaction that has the effect of diminishing all of us.
Slag off the government, by all means. They deserve it, at times. We’ve been very quick to point out their flaws and get in their face. But do not slag our society itself, especially with lies.
The next generation of Liberal leadership in Victoria – only some of which is in the Parliament – is actually going to be very impressive. There are some great Libs out there. Liberals who will hit Labor hard and not look down their nose at the community they seek to lead. They wouldn’t dream of jeopardising jobs by playing along with The Age’s latest anti-development scare campaign, they wouldn’t dare take the side of foreigners with false claims that their own community is racist and they wouldn’t indulge Bill Henson trawling our primary schools looking for kids to lay bare.
It’s time they stepped up and took their party back from a desperate, born-to-rule loser whose political views appear to be derived from a set of beliefs extracted from a 1970s time-capsule of self-loathing and guilt-tripping.
Discussion
31 comments for “RED TED HAS RUN HIS RACE: Victoria’s alternative Premier thinks we’re racist”
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Red Ted = Epic Fail.
and as for Curly Austin stating that “this means this year’s state election will be a referendum on whether racists rule the streets”…
Puh-leeeze! that would guarantee a Labor majority in both houses.
Ex-MP Mike Kaiser secured high-paid job ‘corruptly’, Opposition claims From: AAP February 09, 2010 10:01AM Increase Text SizeDecrease Text SizePrintEmail Share
Add to DiggAdd to del.icio.usAdd to FacebookAdd to KwoffAdd to MyspaceAdd to NewsvineWhat are these?A FORMER Labor MP was corruptly appointed to a high-paid job with the national broadband network, the Federal Opposition has said.
Mike Kaiser took up the role with NBN Co – which will build and operate the $43 billion network – after quitting as Premier of Queensland’s chief of staff last year.
He will earn more than the Prime Minister.
His appointment has prompted allegations of political interference on the part of Communications Minister Stephen Conroy, who recommended him for the job.
The Opposition’s legal affairs spokesman George Brandis said that Mr Kaiser had no previous corporate experience but was a close friend of Senator Conroy.
“I’m accusing him (Senator Conroy) of interfering in the process to secure this job for one of his mates,” he told Sky News.
“The manner in which this was done is plainly a corrupted process.”
hmmm. The Howard Libs accusing Labor of corruption. pot. kettle black.
Ted Failyou strikes again.
Conservative voters who arnt completely rusted-on will vote for the conserative option in this election – John Brumby.
Lefists will think about it, then vote John Brumby anyway. The idea of voting for a liberal party, even a leftard liberal party, would probably make them feel like purging the morning latte.
Great strategy Ted. The only reason this wont be a labor landslide is its an eleventy-million-term old goverment that, against any credible opposition, wouldnt have a snowballs chance in hell of re-election. You the man.
Quick Ted get out to Altona. Join Bernie Finn and extreme right winger Andrew Elsbury at the Sanctuary Lake pre poll booth. Make sure you speak to every voter and explain to them you understand completely the hardship they face in paying mortgages, sending kids to high price private schools and how you make $20 spread over two or three days while you wait for the next pay day to arrive.
Yes He’s at it again claiming on ABC radio that he will employ 940 new police, that is not enough to
cover the suburban and regional
railway stations fromm 6:00pm till the last train each night, which he has promised to do.
Bye Bye teddy go back to Real Estate.
Why does Ted always read the mood wrong?
No-one thinks Victoria is racist and no-one thinks Indians are really being attacked because they’re Indians.
Baillieu is always reading the mood incorrectly.
Ted is rich and thick like King Island cream.
I heard TB on 3AW, even Neil Mitchell wasn’t being sympathetic to him on this, asking whether his comments would damage Victoria.
Is it too late to change to Terry ?
He wouldn’t label Victoria racist…
He’d win every country seat going.
Why can’t we put up a real fight ?
OMG! Done it again! He reminds me of a pedigree Jersey cow. You milk him, and milk him and the pure beautiful steaming frothy creamy milk fills the bucket to the brim; you lower your lips to savour the beauty, and just as your lips touch the brim, the bastard shits in it and kicks the bucket over!
Time for Ted to go, time for him to be SENT! Nov 27 is still far enough away for ANYONE to beat Brumby/Hulls and Co.
Cheers,
Observer.
He is assured of the Indian and asian vote as they have both been targeted by thugs. Dr Cao was murdered by a gang in Footscray who said they were going curry bashing. Now if thats not racist what is. Lets face it we are all racist in some way or another so to say Victoria is not is bullshit. Oppositions dont win elections Governemnts lose them!
Is this Ted’s last bizarre hurrah?
The white man is racist, this one you call the Red Ted speaks truth.
How dare Baillieu sympathize with the victims of racially motivated crime!
This site belongs to the Ku Klux Klan faction of Family Worst…
I’ll be voting Liberal for the first time.
Go Ted!
Gautum takes my cash
What will it take for the Libs to ditch this idiot? This is what happens when you have a leader whose sole advisers are Petro and David Davis.
Scarlet is right. Ted is not fighting the Altona by election, he is fighting for Mitcham, Burwood, Mt Waverly, Forest Hill seat etc.
He only needs a 3% swing in the general population and a big clice of the middle class Asian vote on law and order and eastern and southern fall like a pack of cards.
You ALP guys really need to get out more.
You think this is about Indians still.
It is about the large numbers of Chinese, Indians, Vietnamese, Sri Lankans, Malaysians, and Fijians who live and vote here.
They are all watching the ALP’s blame shifting, inaction, denial and racist sledging and thinking ‘a bit of law and order is needed’.
Also, can anyone find the text of this speech? It’s not on Baillieu’s website so far as I can see.
Baillieu said there is a minority ruining it for everyone.
This sort of sounds like what Brumby is saying.
The ones with emptyheaded media lines are the Government.
Media release
From the Minister Assisting the Premier on Multicultural Affairs
Tuesday, 9 February, 2010
BAILLIEU MANIPULATES RACE FOR CHEAP POLITICS
The Leader of the Opposition Ted Baillieu is cynically manipulating race issues for cheap politics, the Minister Assisting the Premier on Multicultural Affairs, James Merlino, said today.
Mr Baillieu has shown again he stands for nothing and will say anything after labelling Victorians racists, Mr Merlino said.
“The Leader of the Opposition has been fanning race issues in Victoria for a long, long time. It’s disgusting and reprehensible politics and he should be ashamed of himself,” Mr Merlino said.
“Mr Baillieu has cynically cultivated race politics and sought to manipulate the issue for his own political gain. Now he is fanning race issues again by calling Victorian Mums and Dads racists.
“Mr Baillieu is just plain wrong. Victorians are not racists. We are proud of our multiculturalism. Victorians come from more than 200 countries of origin, speak more than 230 languages and dialects, and follow more than 120 faiths.”
Mr Merlino said the Brumby Labor Government strongly condemned racism, but did not seek to exploit the issue for politics.
“Our Government believes that racism begins and ends at a few idiots who are out of step with the Victorian community,” Mr Merlino said.
“But Mr Baillieu has shamefully labelled Victorians racists in a bid to whip up race issues to serve his own political ends.”
Mr Merlino said the Brumby Labor Government was taking concrete actions to provide a more secure environment for international students in Victoria, including:
• Delivering 350 more police this term, along with a further 120 additional police announced last year and funding for Victoria Police to deploy 50 additional transit police;
• New weapons search and banning powers for Victoria Police;
• Amending sentencing laws so that judges are required to take into account motivation of hatred for, or prejudice against, a particular group when sentencing offenders; and
• Establishing a 24 hour International Student Care Service, an International Student Welcome Booth at Melbourne airport and more funding for the Indian International Student Advisory Service.
On top of this, Victoria Police has:
• Commenced an ongoing major crack-down on crime at train stations through the Safe Stations Operation, where high-visibility operations target trouble spots in the Sunshine, St Albans, Thomastown and the Clayton and Dandenong areas; and
• Established the Police Indian Western Reference Group to identify implement and monitor strategies to engage police and Indian communities to reduce the risk of crime.
“Mr Baillieu is selling out Victoria to try to score cheap political points,” Mr Merlino said.
“Even sections of Indian media are calling for calm on this issue, but Mr Baillieu continues to fan the flames of race issues by calling Victorians racists.”
Media contact: Michael Sinclair: 03 9651 5799 / 0438 399 959 http://www.premier.vic.gov.au
Dear Singh. The Chinese, Indians, Vietnamese etc etc are here with the assistance of Labor governments as well as some Liberal ones (except when Howard was in, not to many wanted to come here then). The labor party embraces multi culturalism and as can be seen with the diverse number of politicians we have from many ethnic backgrounds eg Vietnamese, Sri Lankan, Cambodian, Turkish, Greek, Croatian etc. Who do the Liberals have? Ask the Liberal candidate for Altona I am sure he can tell you who is a racist.
Merlino besides your media release when did you last speak in the House on multiculural issues keep handing money out to your mate George Lekakis
Now it’s about multiculturalism representation in Parliament. Not about STACKING. ALP under Brumby turning its back on ethnics
STOP THESE STINKING SUB-HUMANS, COMING HERE FROM INDIA.
When my parents came to Australia back in the 50’s, dragging a bunch of skinny , no speak da english kids. People of my ethnic background would say we are being picked on. Our kids are doing it tough at school etc etc. Guess what we are all Aussies now. Cricket, Playing football, drinking VB, marrying into other ethnic groups. My brother in Law saying to me you’re not a bad bloke for a wog! as we staggered out of Young and Jackson’s on my bucks night all those years ago. Let us condemn the hooligans who cause trouble no matter who they are and get to know our neighbours better.
The ALP do not understand the Asian vote and are about to pay.
Ted does not have to do anything more to get Asian vote.
The furious denials by the mainly anlgo Ministers will confirm for many that the Brumby faction has become an anglo elite living off migrant vote banks.
Ethnic ALP members are uncomfortable going into a state poll with the ALP defending the racist thugs and the Liberals calling for more police in mainly ALP seats with high crime.
Grassroots ehtnic leaders know that their areas have poor police presence and often bigotted cops who ignore complainst by anyone with an accent – our ALP vote base.
Looking forward to Victoria’s upside election but I cannot say it was not coming.
The mass exploitation of international students in the labour market should have been enough to get labor into action to clean up the mess in our suburbs.
But no… the Victorian ALP has turned its back on the Whitlam and Keating heritage of non discrimination and outword looking internationalism and instead retreated in to a defensive and reaction pre world war two isolations ALP position of blaming foreigners and kicking the nearest migrant.
Put under a little bit of pressure from ill resourced cabbies and students labor has curled into a defenisve ball of racist denial.
Remember the students and cabbies original complaint was not just about the attacks it was about the Labor leaderships uncaring indifference to those attacks.
If the problem was addressed laster year in a serious way then we would not be standing in the ruins of what was once the party that was the champion of migrant workers in this state.
So the ALP elite have not just trampled on our multi cultural credentials – Brumby has stomped over any claim we have to protect the rights of the lowest paid in this society.
Victorian Labor has not simply betrayed Indians – Victorian Labor has betrayed its own values of a fair go.
Ted needs to go. Is there any Libs in the house with the balls to have a go at the job.
Singh, you’re bias and blatant twisting of the truth is most disturbing. Do you have an agenda?
World war 2 examples, belitteling of good ethnic politicians and grossly misrepresenting your community. As for the Asian vote, when have the Liberals had an Asian in Parliament?
You are not Singh of Melbourne, you are Singh of the never never.
ted is the man?
C’mon both parties in Victoria have ceased being mass or democratic parties a while ago.
They are both simply small clubs and pre-selections for both liberal and labor safe seats involves around 50 local votes at best.
So both party’s do not and will not put in people who reflect the community. Indians, Chinese and Italians, young people and women are just some of the people not in parliament because of the club like mentality of our major parties. That is a big list you would agree.
My point is that Ted is promising police on stations – and that is hell of lot more than ALP denials.
No one wants to bare their soul on this racism issue, it is not comfortable for any of us, we just want some action on crime in public places. Simply repeating ‘There is no problem’ is not a considered policy answer.
The Greens have also shown themselves to be moral cowards and very selective champions of human rights in Victoria.
The current elections will not be liberating for anyone. The federal Liberals will vilify boat people and the ALP will counter with its withdrawl of 20,000 student visas, its own legalistic and very public version of ‘curry bashing’.
As far as I can see the Indian community will be a bystander in both Federal and State polls – and simply punish the dumbest ‘do no nothing’ party.
At the moment I am sorry to say that is the Brumby team at the state level.
Ted is the man?
I am not sure Ted is anywhere near ready to govern but that does not really matter.
Ted is cashing in on bad situation (and of course has no intention to be socially inclusive in any meaningful sense) and ‘Australia’s best and brightest state labor government’ fell for it hook, line and sinker.
48% of Vex News Readers think Victoria is Racist – Do we need anymore proof?
52% of vexnews comments are racist….so do we need anymore proof?