Queensland.

[J54156]

Our poor cousins down-under are getting some heat............https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TMOiMopMCU" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[tz375]

I didn't see any heat. The police were incredibly polite and the rider was acting like a bit of a smart ass. There has been a significant problem in QLD with bike gangs and drugs and violence and maybe the cops thought that the rider was on a supply run. They remained cool and professional and I'd be surprised if they didn't tow the bike in for a "compliance check". I have no idea what the search rules are down there with regards to probable cause, but maybe a drug sniffing dog would happen to be walking through the garage as the bike was examined for compliance with ADRs and construction and use regs and perhaps that would give them probable cause if the dog were to react to the bike.

There's always a fine line to be drawn between the freedom of an individual to look how they want and the rights of society to be free of drug dealers. In Australia, the rights of society tend to be placed higher than the rights of an individual - by society at least and maybe by the law too.

[Lorenzo]

Them got the upper hand anyway, so is better bite your lip, swallow the anger and play cool

take my word for it....

[ChrisK]

In Australia, the rights of society tend to be placed higher than the rights of an individual - by society at least and maybe by the law too.

Good observation, and not such a bad thing either in my opinion. The argument for individual rights plays into the hands of the selfish minority - I know I'll probably get flamed by many of my American friends, but the fact is we all have to live in a society together and that means some compromise at times.

[GT750Battleship]

I've lived there (Queensland) for 5 years,believe me it's "different" from the rest of the Country!!
The Laws are draconian,not just this one,in regards to motorcycle Gangs,Civil Liberties have suffered under numerous Queensland State Governments for decades....the rest of the Country uses a phrase to described Queensland "wind back your watches 100 Years" no reflection on the good people of the State....just the way they are Governed....attend any Public Rally,expect to be photographed....go for a walk in the early hours of the morning by the Brisbane River & get questioned by plain clothes Police,who tell you "to go home"........ I hope things have improved since I last lived there
Kind Regards,
Roger.

[stevebee]

its crazy there. a state to stay away from till they fix this problem .also interesting to see that the female cop has her id covered up http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DA_-K1ajRbk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[tz375]

It all stems form the rival bike gangs supply drugs and getting into street wars and so on. That has provoked a Law Enforcement response that is to be expected and everyone gets caught in the mess that ensues.

The guy with the camera has watched too many youtube videos from people in the US acting like dipsticks to show the rest of us how smart and tough they are protecting their rights. There's a few with people walking with a gun into a residential area or other populated area to "defend their right to carry".

The cops generally are polite and try to deal with the OP in a professional manner but they also lose the plot from time to time. There are cops who are on a power trip for sure and some should probably not be in the force. I know a few local cops who have to deal with people with guns who intend to cause harm and can do become aggressively defensive. That's a human response.

I personally have little sympathy for that dipstick who claims to dress like a gang member and then complains that he gets the attention of teh police that he's taunting. That is what he is looking for.

[pjmcburney]

You know Richard, I'm really gonna pull you up on this...


As a life-long resident of the Fascist State, I very, very much sympathise with that bloke's frustrations.

How is it possible that, regardless of your attire (last time I looked, a person is allowed to wear pretty much anything they like), you can be accosted, detained, questioned and harangued by six of the State's finest (idiots) in a service station for doing nothing more than filling your fuel tank?
Listen to his conversation with the troglodytes in blue - he's been pulled over twenty times since the VLAD legislation (yep, that's what it's called) was introduced for doing nothing more than riding his bloody motorcycle - an otherwise legal activity.

The way this legislation is written is such that the mere act of association, enshrined in the US constitution BTW, is a crime and a person or persons can be arrested, jailed in solitary confinement with no bail or presumption of innocence for at least six months.
Or fifteen years if proven to be a member of a declared organisation, or twenty-five years if an office bearer of a declared criminal organisation.

You get less for first-degree murder and acts of terrorism.

A declared criminal organisation is declared by the Government, not the Judiciary.
IOW, any group can be declared for no reason other than the Government believes it is involved in criminal activities - labour Unions, gun clubs or even Scout groups are potentially in the firing line...

Then you, as the arrested, jailed person have to prove to the court that you are no longer associated with a declared criminal organisation to be freed.
In other words THE COMPLETE OPPOSITE OF THE ARRANGEMENT IN EVERY OTHER WESTERN DEMOCRACY.

If these laws were enacted where you live, there'd (rightly so) be rioting in the streets.
Here, the non-motorcycling sheeple are too indolent and brainwashed by the Government and the rabid right-wing commercial media to think they'd ever be affected, MORE'S THE BLOODY PITY, so motorcyclists (as the most affected parties) have to carry the torch such that it is.

This is all because of a massive media and Government beatup concerning the supposed level of organised crime that Motorcycle Clubs are involved in.
Which is bloody hard to swallow when the State Government's own statistics prove they dabble in less than 1% of all crime in the entire country.
Nothing like using a sledgehammer to squash an ant.

There is more-than-adequate legislation in place to surveille, arrest, charge and incarcerate those involved in organised criminal activity al-BLOODY-ready.
The dumbarse QLD Police Farce are too stupid, lazy or both to do their bloody jobs properly and utilise it and enact it effectively.

The social media groundswell has been giving the Government an absolute pasting about the laws since they were introduced, which has gotten their panties in a right twist.
Opinion polls have them losing an election by a significant margin at the moment, such is the increasing level of utter vehemence against them.
Of course, they're now going to spend $500,000 of taxpayers money to employ a PR firm to spin their ridiculous position - this is on top of the over $800,000 they've already spent 'promoting' themselves.

That's just fantastic value for money.
State school P&Cs, for example, are just absolutely delighted to know they'll be missing out on $1.3 mill of Government spending to stop THE EVIL BIKIE SCOURGE as opposed to providing much needed funding to properly educate their children.

In fact, the altogether favourite catch-cry of my State Government about all this is 'if you've done nothing wrong, you've nothing to fear'.
The last time a Government trotted out that chestnut was in Germany in the early thirties.
That ended well, yes?

To watch one lousy video and form an entirely ill-informed opinion on this issue from the other side of the world is doing yourself a massive disservice, mate.

You are dead wrong.

Do a bit of research, read the legislation (available on the interwebz) and make a much more informed judgement lest you continue to look and sound like the very arsehats (the current QLD Government) trying desperately to justify their fascist and altogether heinous and specious laws and ideologies.

PM me to discuss further - I can open your eyes.

[pjmcburney]

And, just so you know...


The Government in QLD is unicameral.
There is no Senate, so any legislative decisions need not be reviewed.

The current Government also has an extremely large majority, meaning the opposition Parties have no power to successfully vote down poor legislation.
The VLAD legislation (amongst a raft of other very disturbing legislative changes) was brought into being WITH NO PARLIAMENTARY VETTING WHATSOEVER.

Parliamentary Committees exist as some sort of legislative checks-and-balances arrangement, but they need not be used, and then when you (as the Government) sack the members because they dare disagree with you and stack the Committees with your own cronies, as just recently happened, well it hardly seems like you're running an above-board legislative process, eh?

The CMC has recently had its head replaced with a Government toady, so no longer can be relied upon for impartiality.
The recently appointed Chief Magistrate is a known Government sympathiser and overrules any Judicial decisions unfavourable to the Government.

And so it goes...

They'll soon be introducing laws which will tie in various streams of employment to declared criminal organisation 'association'.

Soon, if you cannot prove you have no association or links to declared criminal orgaisations, you will have your electrical licence recinded, you won't be able to continue in any Security role, or drive a tow truck, nor work as a tattooist.
You also won't be able to own or run a gym.

Upcoming changes to electoral rules will severly limit the ability for minor political Parties to take advantage of electoral funding and political donations will have no limit and will not need to be declared.
Well, unless you're a labour Union wanting to donate...

Labour Unions are now coming under greatly increased scrutiny, especially in the construction industry, and the Federal Government (again, right-wing arsehats) is considering a Royal Commission into the CFMEU.
I'm sure that will only cost a few million, and prove bugger-all other than a thinly-velied attempt to crush Unionism...

Motorcyclists are being regularly issued infringement notices for removing a foot from a footpeg and/or standing on the footpegs whilst riding - all legitimate infringements (in The Fascist State), but why now all of a sudden are the Police cracking down on this when for years they didn't blink an eye?

Richard, does this really sound ok to you?

Would you really be happy to cop this?

Would you really not arc up at a service station at a half-dozen coppers asking you dumb questions with all this going on?

[parksie]

Hmmm Very well put.
You might have to move south of that boarder mate.

[Suzsmokeyallan]

I'm not taking sides with either the police or the biker, but I do see an abuse of policing power there. After what you said Paul its all making sense and its down right scary whats happening.
So now you have this to consider, after all the bikers have moved out and gone where theres less 'abuse' whos next?? the car drivers??
Such things always start small, but ramp up very quickly as long as it doesnt effect you. Thats a false sense of security because when it does effect you, its generally too late.

[pjmcburney]

Allan,


Yeah, it's getting a little serious down here these days.

The trouble is, there is no effective Parliamentary opposition, and the likelihood of a entire change of Government at the next election is slim at best.
Even if a change came about, the undoing of the changes and laws would be long and difficult, and there's no guarantee any new Government wouldn't keep a lot of them for their own means.

Most of the time I try to not think too hard about it lest I get very, very angry.
I did not vote for this, yet I have to suffer it.

If there was ever a time for someone to rise up and do something truly spectacular and brutal, now (or very shortly) would be it.

How bullets aren't flying and people aren't getting injured and/or killed is quite surprising.

[tz375]

Paul, I agree with almost everything you wrote and would hate to have to put up with that BS.

The OP was looking for an audience and was ready to prove to the world that he's the victim. Why? Because he was pulled over again? Maybe. Because he wants the publicity and why would that be? It may be that he's a law abiding citizen who's peeved by the poxy banana bending government. Or possibly because he's just looking for attention. Or possibly because he wants to get the legislation changed so he and his mates can continue to distribute drugs.

We have no way of working out what his motivation is. We do know that gangs have been a PIA and that the Government is trying to stamp them out and that it's being very heavy handed in its approach. Is the cost of taking away people's freedoms a higher cost than the benefit of reducing crime? I am in no position to tell. For innocent motorcyclists caught in the cross fire I can only imagine how bad that must be. If it helps in some way to reduce the drug and violence problem, maybe the non-motorcycling Queenslanders consider it to be an acceptable price.

The question for motorcycle clubs is how can they help to get rid of the problem (assuming it still exists) so that those draconian rules can be repealed? And that's not a simple question and may actually be self defeating unless they can work out a smarter way to get the job done and to get publicity for their solution leaving no doubt that the laws did not work.

What is MA - QLD doing to help solve the problem? I'm no lawyer, let along an expert on QLD constitutional law, but there have to be ways to change the status quo - legally of course.

My original post was simply to provide slightly more context for the situation for our 'murican cousins.

As for QLD politics... Sounds like the old days of the Joe and Flo show.

In VIC the issue is overzealous speed cameras and outrageous fines for going a little too fast. I copped a $150 fine for being 3 KPH over the 100 limit on a freeway off ramp.

[Rhencullen]

Such things always start small, but ramp up very quickly as long as it doesnt effect you. Thats a false sense of security because when it does effect you, its generally too late.

Exactly - that's how they do these things...... The Thin End of the Wedge........

[pjmcburney]

Richard,


Sorry, I didn't mean to jump down your throat.
I get a bit carried away at times because of the seething hatred I feel for this vile Government that I lose my manners at times.

Look, the guy in the video is a bit of a dick, no doubt.
He is a member of a recreational club that wears vests and patches of a kind - they are not a declared criminal organisation.

But, despite what it may look like, he was just out riding and buying fuel, not actively 'baiting' anyone in any way - it's not illegal to to wear a vest with patches and ride a Harley. Yet.
Regardless, the response from The Filth was ridiculously excessive and entirely unnecessary - why does it take six of the dumbest Police Officers in the State to ask him questions and otherwise harass him?

And this is what I'm getting at - the response to the alleged heinous Bike Club crime 'spree' and defiant lawlessness is so over the top it's laughable.
Well, it would be if it weren't for the Fascistic laws now in place.

For a start, there is no Motorcycle Club, organised crime or bikie 'menace' in QLD or anywhere else here in Australia.
IT'S A MEDIA BEATUP TO OTHERWISE DEFLECT THE SHORTCOMINGS OF THE POLICE OR CREATE A SMOKESCREEN FOR SOMETHING EVEN LESS POLITICALLY PALATABLE.

Sure, they've done a couple of dumb things lately - beating a rival to death at Sydney Airport and starting a catfight in a restaurant are hardly particularly smart things to do and will draw all sorts of bad publicity.
But there is no widespread lawlessness that threatens public safety on a regular basis.
There isn't now and there never has been.

If anyone believes bikies are running rampant, they're deluded or they've swallowed the Police's rhetoric about not doing their bloody jobs with laws they already have.
Of course, the Police, the Government and the media will disagree, but then it's in their interest to do that - to create a reason or two for their own sordid, grubby and altogether corrupt and underhanded existence.

In fact, crimes committed by Police and members of Parliament are at a much higher percentage level of their respective organisations than any Bike Club anywhere, and there's many, many more of them.

Mate, the new laws are unnecessary and create very dangerous precedents that can (and are) affecting innocent people not committing crimes, whilst the real criminals go underground never to be easily identifiable ever again.

Crime will not reduce.

Public 'safety' will not be enhanced.

Drugs will still be sold.

Some lives will still be ruined.

People will still get extorted, or blackmailed or injured or killed.

Idiots will still believe otherwise.

Rant over - please resume normal programming...