So Barnaby Joyce...

Yes Barnaby Joyce popped up in the news again & a good friend who's of a different political bent than me contacted me. As always a cordial exchange, even when we disagree we don't get disagreeable. Who won? Dunno, who cares?

Friend - So I suppose you heard Barnaby Joyce is in the news this morning? He won pre-selection for the seat of New England. What's the go there for goodness sakes?

Me - Ahh ok, no I didn't know that but yeah I guess he ran, process was run and he was chosen. What's the issue?

Friend - Well after all his goings on you'd think they'd tip him out?

Me - Why?

Friend - Well after all those allegations you'd think the Nats would have the decency & the good sense to throw him on the tip don't you think?

Me - Well no not really.

Friend - Why the hell not? Are you completely mad?

Me - Mad? Possibly if so I probably wouldn't know but that's not relevant. What's relevant is I don't know what he did or didn't do. I know some allegations were made but never made public, no charges have been laid & the Nats process deemed it all to be "inconclusive". So if he's not proven to have done anything one way or the other, beyond reasonable doubt it's not really blind natural justice to push a penalty on him just for penalty sake. If the pre-selectors thought he was the best person to stand and his selection is in the best interests of the Party, the NSW Nats party then so it is.

Friend - I can't believe you're defending him

Me - I am not defending anyone, nor attacking anyone but I am defending the rights of all our citizens to be considered innocent until proven otherwise. That's not defending guilty, that's defending citizen rights to a fair hearing or if need be a fair trial. We cannot short circuit due process and convict people just because. There's a reason there is no Star Chamber in this country.

Friend - Yeah but you got to admit, its on the nose?

Me - Ignore this is concocted but imagine I went public and said "Do not trust Mother Teresa, she stole from me, she is a thief. Tell everyone not to trust her at all. Thieving woman" What would your response be?

Friend - I'd say you're talking rubbish end of story.

Me - Possibly. Effectively I made a claim without evidence that could potentially harm anther person's character and your response was not to ask for facts to back the statement up or contact the authorities it was just to respond in a dismissive way...a dismissive way that makes a claim "that's rubbish". Either way NO facts used, presented or exchanged. Do we convict & clear all charged people this way?

Friend - OK I see your point.

Me - That's all I hope for, disagreeing is your choice but staking a premise that conflicts with another needs facts and evidence as the blind justice pivot point to see which side on the scales rises and falls.
I dunno what he did or didn't do. I know allegations were made but I don't know where, what, when & why. I just know one person made a claim and its was found inconclusive. Not to say it did or didn't happen just that some one decided there's no definite answer.

Friend - So where do you sit with #metoo movement then?

Me - Simple, all allegations need to be taken seriously. All complainants need to be supported in coming forward and we should encourage anyone in coming forward. We need to hear their story & it needs to be test at arms length, independently by the system and let the system judge the result without fear or favour. Just on provable facts and evidence. That's not always what #metoo does.
In the Kavanagh case in the US the #metoo thing cranked right up and said women don't lie about these things, a woman must be believed no matter what. Well turns out one woman who claimed to have been raped subsequently admit she'd never met the guy.
Yes bad guys get convicted, sometimes bad guys get off but blind independent justice must be the process we defend & insist on.

Friend - What if a woman can't prove it then?

Me - Then that is a tragic thing but we must convict people "beyond reasonable doubt" not with reasonable opinion. Yes good people become victims and get no justice sometimes, male & female, adult & child but we cannot abandon due process & let in even a subtle lynch mob.

Friend - See what you mean but are you happy about Barnaby getting pre-selected?

Me - To be honest...2 words, staggering indifference. Pre-selectors made the decision, not my electorate, not even my state. Their call. He's a special envoy for the drought, so while he's there keep him working flat strap. I don't know if someone ran against him or if there was if they were better electorally or not. Barnaby is Barnaby. It is what it is.

Friend - You got to admit that #metoo is the best thing to happen lately?

Me - Depends on what you think its doing lately. Its caused 2 primary producers I know to decide to vow to not to employ any female back packers on their harvest & seeding workforce because there's a thing called Vicarious Liability. Its where its possible for an employer to be prosecuted or penalised if a worker is sexually assaulted by his/her co worker and the victim says the employer failed to provide a safe workplace. Saddens me to think things have descended to a point where this is a thing So instead of solving the problem some employers are delivering women a barrier to employment because its safer & easier. It's counter productive to fairness, equality & safety...and yet those two farmers are not changing their minds now.

Friend - So what's your answer?

Me - Well raise standards for sure. Support victims when they come forward. Help them to understand if they make an allegation it needs to be done properly with supportive yet independent process where an outcome is derived solely by evidence to ensure if a person is found guilty it's guilty beyond reasonable doubt...not gut feeling.

Friend - Yeah but will that work?

Me - Most of the time it probably will. Some victims will not ever get justice. This is the way its always been though & we can't go down the path way where unfounded allegations are enough to convict or defame people. Life's tough, life is hard but we must be the best we can be by sticking to blind natural justice.

Friend - In my opinion he shouldn't have been selected.

Me - Well that's an opinion, your opinion and respect your right to believe whatever you want. Me, I'm still stuck on staggering indifference. He's not charged nor convicted of anything. Irrespective of what may or may not have happened, no evidence means no charges or prejudice.
Fact remains the Federal Parliament lacks statesmanship & nationhood as primary drivers. That goes for all parties. When those 2 things left the building the decline quickened.
That's just an opinion so...

Friend - No we totally agree on that.

Me - Yeah but I haven't got the answers to that though ;-)