Democracy dodged a bullet

WHILE our nation has fought many wars abroad in the name of democracy and liberty, the same zeal for democracy is not always evident when it comes to domestic issues.
Case in point (‘Marching Orders’ Mail, 2 February): the now-repealed ‘move-on’ laws, as they might have applied to the Tecoma anti-McDonald’s community protest.
One would have thought that, instead of enacting laws to all too easily jail protesters, the story of this peaceful, passionate community action would have been held up as a glowing example of dynamic citizenship.
No-one is questioning the need for the rule of law to be respected, nor the right of legitimate businesses to operate without harassment.
But when a corporate behemoth can employ a small army of lawyers, lobbyists and well-paid expert court witnesses, as well as dominating what we all read and watch, some counterweight available to the humble citizen is sorely needed.
That counterweight is the fundamental right to peacefully protest, even if the rest of the world disagrees.
With the repeal of the move-on laws, our democracy just dodged a bullet.
Karl Williams,
Tecoma.