Clarke & Dawe

Clarke and Dawe meet with a reflective Philip Ruddock

14/08/2008 - Clarke and Dawe meet with former Howard government minister Philip Ruddock in a reflective mood.

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Clarke and Dawe soak up the Olympic atmosphere

07/08/2008 - John Clarke and Bryan Dawe report from the Olympics in Beijing.

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Gosper out of touch

Kevan Gosper's comments about the pro-Tibetan protesters is seriously misinformed and ignorant.

He said in Beijing... "These spoilers, these professional spoilers, don't think about this. They are just filled with resentment and hate. They just take their hate out on whatever the issues are at the time, and that hate against the host country is being taken out on our torch."

These comments illustrate why he should keep his mouth shut. John Coates' comments on the other hand were far more balanced and in tune with the Australian view. Gosper sounds like a mouthpiece for the Chinese Communist Party (with ill-fitting dentures).

Tibet

The Olympic Torch Relay has been disrupted by protests against Chinese aggression in Tibet. Awarding The Olympics to China was supposed to open them up and bring them towards the modern world. So far, it's exposed China as a totalitarian state that abuses its own people.

We all know that there is no freedom of speech in China. The torch relay is an ideal opportunity for Tibetans and their supporters to protest against China's presence in Tibet and the human rights abuses it carries out there.

Once the Games begin, there will be no opportunity to protest within China itself, so it's left to those around the world - in free countries to protest on their behalf. The "protest zones" to be set up in Beijing seem to be an attempt by China to appear tolerant of protest. They will be highly regulated and the Chinese that take part will be under immense scrutiny. I can only imagine what will happen to them after the Games are over.

Free Tibet!