Terror alert 2005! - Howard distracts from IR changes

Even the language used is very similar. Do they expect us to keep swallowing this bullshit over and over? 

By announcing the existence of a specific terrorist threat yesterday, John Howard successfully shifted attention away from Labor's favoured focus and onto the Government's. 

But in the process he used a megaphone to give suspected terrorists notice of raids. With two big, transformative bills coming before the Federal Parliament, Labor wanted to focus debate on one of them - the proposed changes to Australia's industrial relations system. 

But Howard preferred attention to be on the other - the counter-terrorism legislation that proposes a drastic increase in police powers over suspected terrorists. 

By calling a midday press conference to declare he had received "specific intelligence and police information this week which gives cause for serious concern about a potential terrorist threat", Howard easily trumped Labor. 

He was not asked a single question about industrial relations, which was hastily pushed far down the list of the media's priorities. He had succeeded in keeping terrorism on top of the national mind. 

Howard then announced he wanted to make an urgent amendment today to the Criminal Code to make it simpler to prosecute terrorism suspects. 

Howard said this would "strengthen the capacity of the law enforcement agencies to effectively respond to this threat". Implicit is that a raid and arrests are imminent. more