Right Pulse

By my count, 48 people have so far been lured to their deaths due to changes in refugee visa arrangements approved by Rudd:

At least one person has died while another 11 remain missing, feared drowned, after a boat carrying 39 suspected asylum-seekers sank 350 nautical miles north-west of the Cocos Islands on Sunday. 

So potentially that is 58 people that have so far died, tacitly encouraged by Rudd to engage people smugglers to get to Australia. More cruelty awaits however, with Rudd dumping people into Indonesian detention to bolster his border security credentials – presumably so Rudd can compound their misery by getting a taste of a third world detention centre and all the complimentary diseases they have to offer. The Pacific Solution keeps on looking more and more humane. It is almost as if Rudd had no plan for the inevitable arrival of his boat people. The Indonesians are understandably angry about a deal they claim they never made with Rudd to deal with the arrivals. At least Rudd has swallowed his pride on the Christmas Island detention centre, as it has taken front stage in the unfolding tragedy that is Rudd’s refugee policy. Tony Abbott has struck a chord:

“I put the question: what’s so moral about policies that don’t prevent people from taking to sea in leaky boats? 

“He is responsible for the government policy on boatpeople and if people think trying to come to Australia in leaky boats has a reasonable chance of permanent residency they will be tempted to take the risk. He is responsible for the policy.”

Rudd should take responsibility for his arrivals by placing them in Australian run detention centres on the isles of the Pacific and have their applications for refugee visas processed by the U.N. In other words, bring back the Pacific Solution. Instead we have a union stunt to paint Rudd as too hard on refugees, when it was Rudd’s softening of visa arrangements that has sparked his ill convinced knee jerk reaction to the latest tightening of opinion polls – 52 to 48 2PP.

THE union movement will today demand Kevin Rudd adopt a softer approach to asylum-seekers and allow 78 people in limbo on board the Oceanic Viking to enter Australia for processing.

Rudd’s office and the ACTU probably got together to come up with a way to paint Rudd as tough on border security to appeal to voters; Get the loony left to say Rudd is too tough. Rudd will have to go back to ABC Radio National indoctrination classes for the masses.