“Go f--- yourself as soon as possible. The world will be a better place.”
— Australian Senator David Leyonhjelm, engaging in a spirited democratic email exchange with activist Gary Burns
Home | Bikie laws under the spotlight
THE GIST. Victorian Premier Daniels Andrews has spoken out about the difficulties of curbing outlaw bikie gangs, saying on Saturday that a national response is required. Federal Justice Minister Michael Keenan agrees, and says the states should sign on to federal 'unexplained wealth' laws which would supposedly make life much harder for bikies.
THE ISSUE. Because criminal laws are mostly dealt with separately by individual states and territories, they all have different ways of dealing with bikie gangs. Andrews says that this "patchwork quilt" approach allows the gangs to dodge tough laws, because "they don't respect state boundaries." It looks like the government is getting vocal about the issue now, because they're expecting a surge in bikie-related crime when a leader of the 'Mongols' gang is released in February. One member of the group says they plan to "run Melbourne" - a line that is now at unbackable odds to appear in a future season of Underbelly.
VLAD FROM QLD. Last year Queensland introduced tough measures targeting bikies, called the Vicious Lawless Association Disestablishment laws (in case you didn't realise who the bad guys were). The government has been trumpeting the success of the VLAD laws (which do things like send people to jail for a minimum of 15 years for serious crimes committed as part of gang activity), saying that they've been able to "reclaim the streets." Critics say the laws are too broad and that they turn "innocent pub drinkers with tattoos into criminals." The High Court rejected a challenge to the laws in November.
ONE NATION. Andrews reckons a consistent, national approach is necessary "to keep Australia safe." So far it looks like what he means is 'consistent' with the Queensland approach. If you've a Victorian, it might be time to trade in the Harley.
THE GIST. Last week the Swiss National Bank (SNB) unexpectedly removed its cap on the value of the Swiss currency - the Franc. It exploded in value - going up by 37% against the Euro at its peak.
PARKS AND REC. You know the cliche about rich people and powerful corporations having Swiss bank accounts? Yeah, it's true. Switzerland has been seen as a 'safe-haven' for a long time, but recent events - think the GFC and collapse of the Russian currency - have resulted in a lot of money flowing into the country. This means a lot of people buying Swiss Francs, which means the price (i.e. the value of the Franc) has gone way up compared to other currencies like the Euro and US dollar.
KEEPING A LID ON IT. A high Swiss exchange rate means that buying Swiss stuff is more expensive. If nobody from other countries can afford to buy goods from Nestle, Swatch and Lindt, then the Swiss economy suffers (exports make up 72% of the economy - that's a lot). The SNB realised this, and put a 'ceiling' on the Franc in 2011, by printing heaps of Francs and buying Euros with them. Flooding the market with Francs put some downward pressure on the value of the currency, keeping it stable.
BOILING OVER. The SNB's policy was never supposed to be permanent. Buying up heaps of Euros puts it in a vulnerable position, especially because it looks like the European Central Bank is going to start printing lots of Euros (called 'Quantitative Easing') in an attempt to kick the Eurozone economy back into action.
LID OFF. Realising that it was inevitable anyway, the SNB lifted the lid on the Franc and let it trade freely, and it took people by surprise. The Franc shot up in value, and Swiss stocks fell by 13% in a week. One analyst said "It was a mugging - it came out of nowhere. No wonder people are angry."
Fake'n Taken. Virtual kidnapping is on the rise in New York. Hundreds of 'hoax' kidnappings have occured over the last 18 months, with the perpetrators making random calls to victims and convincing them that a family member has been taken hostage. The victim is told to make a wire transfer of cash, usually out of the country.
Bunch of malarkey. An American teenager named Alex Malarkey has admitted to lying when he said that, as a six-year-old, he went to heaven after being injured in a car crash which put him in a coma. He said he made up the story - which was made into a best-selling book in 2010 - to get attention. "I can't believe it", said nobody.
Selling high. The founder of a week-old website that lets people pay to ship glitter to their 'enemies' is selling the business already. After getting more than 2,000 orders from the pettiest people on the internet, the Sydney-based proprietor said "Please stop buying this horrible glitter product - I'm sick of dealing with it." - a sentiment soon to be shared by 2,000 'enemies' who open their mail this week.
