BREATHTAKING HYPOCRISY OF “POLITICALLY NEUTRALITY” PROPAGANDA Jam not a candidate in the 2015 Bar Council election but | wish to say something about the propaganda disseminated by the hard right wing faction headed by David Bennett and orchestrated by John Hyde Page. The email from Menzies to which this replies is yet another example, Everyone agrees that Bar Council should not be a party political body. It is not now, and never has been in my observation. Because of its duty to its members and our wider duty to the community, however, it must on occasion take positions which are, broadly speaking, Political. An example is the 20 August media release issued defending Dyson Heydon from the personal abuse to which he had been subjected. That abuse came from the Left, that is, the trade unions and the ALP. | agreed with the Bar Association position (who wouldn't?) but itis a political position. The Bennett/Hyde Page faction is highly political and | believe both its assertions about a return to political neutrality and its criticisms of the current leadership of the Bar as political are disingenuous. Consider the restoration of the archaic honorific of Queens Counsel. The faction’s aim is to restore to a politician, the Attorney-General, the right to determine who. should be granted the rank. That is a political choice. | have been around long enough to recall Attorneys of both political persuasions appointing their political cronies as silk, Restoring power to the Attorney clears the way for the appointment of solicitors as QC, a now happening in England. Is that what we want? Is it what the B/HP faction wants? Whatever the answer to that question, the faction’s stance is not politically neutral. The B/HP faction stands for political values and beliefs which have been rejected by mainstream Australia and even by the Parliamentary Liberal Party. Itis ironic, when that party rejects the extreme right positions of Tony Abbott in favour of the liberal approach of the present Prime Minister, this faction wishes to foist upon us policies of which Abbott and his claqueurs from the Spectator and 2GB would be proud. Indeed, the language of the B/HP propaganda is reminiscent of the weary clichés used by the former prime minister, For “Stop the boats” substitute “Support political neutrality”, for “Axe the tax” “Policy in favour of choice” about QC/SC. These positions are designed to disgt an attempt to hijack the council by the extreme right. So much is obvious from the support given by Fred Nile and Alan Jones to those positions. My own view is the restoration of Queens Counsel would be divisive and make us look ridiculous in the eyes of the wider community. It is as ludicrous as restoring knighthoods and giving one to Prince Phillip, but surely no-one could be so politically naive and out of touch with moder Australian values as to do that? There is a further issue that is disturbing. While writing this | attempted to obtain the Bar Council's submission to the Attorney-General seeking restoration of Queen’s Counsel. It turns out that it is not publicly available; those behind the proposal, including members of the B/HP faction, have decided it should be kept secret. Why? What does it contain that they are too frightened to reveal to the people they wish to represent? | call upon the B/HP faction and the Bar Council to disclose it immediately so that we can take it into account in deciding how to vote. Please think carefully about how you vote—I suggest the wise course is to study the Bennett/Hyde Page ticket and vote for anyone not on it. R Ws Crt —_———,