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Are you that special person who - weary from trudging the endless superhighways - just longs to camp next to a glorious oasis of the mind? Do you desire to explore new frontiers, splash in shared ideas, fill your belly with the refreshing fruits of inspiration, and bask in the gentle rays of fond reflection?

Well, you can fuck right off. This, my friends, is not that place. This place is... The ShadowLands.

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Kevin's Drowning Generation

A few points on some of the arguments about Kevin's Drowning Generation:

* If Kevin hates people smugglers so much, why did he give them the business incentives?

* The claim that Australia's number of asylum seekers increased 19 per cent last year compared to a world increase of 12 per cent is not really very useful, since Kev only introduced the People Smugglers' Assistance Scheme in August 2008 and doesn't address the issue of the Drowning Generation.

* The key figure is that 279 maritime queue jumpers have arrived already in 2009 (with reports of another boatload on the way) compared to 179 all last year. If this rate continues, the numbers will have tripled, thanks to Kevin's new scheme.

* The known deaths resulting so far (including an incident in January) are seven, probably nine, and possibly many more.

* If Kevin's People Smuggling Assistance Scheme continues, we can expect there will be more deaths by the end of the year.

* The Refugee Council seems to be more worried about the politics than looking at ways to prevent more drownings.

* AFP reports that 68 potential members of Kevin's Drowning Generation were arrested in a hotel at a beach resort two hours drive from Jakarta. The ABC prefers to report that they were "in the jungle" somewhere near Jakarta.

UPDATE: Five deaths confirmed in the April incident, make the total so far this year - nine.

4 comments:

stackja1945 said...

Kev has gone overboard.
BTW I note New Tim print column follows similar format to some of your writings. Flattery imitation?

Margo's Maid said...

Can't say I've noticed the similarities stackja, but I do like to think I am very, very important.

Anonymous said...

MM,

1.6

Are they going to give you a payrise?

Anonymous said...

You forgot the extra very MM!