For a few moments the discussion on the ABC's Question and Answer descended last night into an unedifying screaming bitch fight between Jacqui Lambie and Muslim guest Yassmin Abdel-Magied. Perhaps Tony Jones could have intervened a bit earlier, but who knows really?
What I couldn't get over were the views of Lambie. She comes out with some really simplistic brain dead stuff.
Like Muslim refugees will stop Australia from looking after it's needy. WTF? The only thing stopping Australia looking after it's needy is the Australian gov and the priorities it puts on the money it has to spend. Trying to cut $4billion out of welfare whilst giving $50billion to tax dodging corporations for example, is not the way to look after the vulnerable in our communities. You don't blame refugees for using resources when the gov hasn't allocated them to you, you blame the gov. As Lambie even said herself "because the gov doesn't want to spend the money on them".
But probably the most astonishingly stupid thing that came out of Lambie is the assertion that it's all about what the majority wants, not a minority. That's not democracy, it's mob rule. Trumpism. A gov's job is to protect minorities from such bullying by the mob, not support it. Being in a minority myself, are we not people? Do we not have rights simply because of who we are? Are we to have rights taken away because the mob says their rights are more important than ours?
I'm a duel citizen too, albeit just from New Zealand, but even Kiwi's are getting deported now after 30 or so years in Australia because they spent time in jail in New Zealand even before they came to Australia. Where does it stop? If you're going to demonise one minority, then who's next? The Kiwis are taking our jobs! They're taking our dole! They're criminal bludgers! Ban Kiwis from entering the country! Deport them!
As Penny Wong once said, "You can't argue against prejudice".
Is it time to define new rules so that migration doesn't disturb the peace? @JacquiLambie & @yassmin_a disagree vehemently #QandA pic.twitter.com/nRXyj3p2hG— ABC Q&A (@QandA) February 13, 2017
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