During the recent Cronulla riots, a former detective by the name of Tim Priest became the darling of the anti-Muslim rabble. So-called Middle-Eastern crime – explained here in Quadrant – “will have an impact on society unlike anything we have ever seen.” Priest was a peddler of hate, a supposed expert on the reasons certain Muslims were violent and would never integrate.
It now appears that Priest was liberal with the truth, his recollections about life on the beat disputed by former colleagues.… Don’t expect, of course, his supporters to admit the inaccuracies. After all, Priest was little more than an “expert” who confirmed their prejudices and bigotry. A new poll suggests that a majority of Australians think the Howard years have seen the country become less fair and meaner. The Prime Minister may have scored highly on managing the economy, but the other indicators suggest deep discontent with virtually every other policy area.