In my return to actually writing, I'd like to start with a conspiracy theory.

If a state was going to re-introduce the death penalty after it having been abolished for (on average) about 35 years, how would it go about it?

The death penalty is right up there on the sensitivity scale along with abortion. How would a state, in a democracy, raise the issue in the the public consciousness without a crippling backlash?

Recently, there have been a spate of stories about Australians transporting drugs overseas & potentially facing the death penalty when caught. I cannot recall, in recent memory, the volume & degree of incidence of charges with the death penalty being greater. Shapelle Corby, Michelle Leslie, Van Nguyen & the Bali 9 have the incredible bandwidth. Sadly, Van Nguyen is no longer with us either. Right now, the death penalty is in the forefront of the Australian mind in a way it hasn't been since the hanging of Ronald Ryan, the last person to be excuted in Australia in 1967.

Recent polls conducted shows that more than 50% of the populace favour a re-introduction of the death penalty.

• Quantum Australia SCAN conducted a survey just after the Bali bombing, which showed for the first time in five years of polling that a majority of Australians favoured the death penalty. The figure of 51 per cent for, with 31 per cent against and 18 per cent saying don’t know, compared with an average over the previous five years of 44 per cent in favour, and 31 per cent against, and 25 per cent saying they had no opinion. The proportion in favour in both the United States and Britain is about 75 per cent.

• In a poll conducted in August 2003 by Newspoll, 56 per cent of respondents answered affirmatively the question: “Would you personally be in favour or against the introduction of the death penalty in Australia for those found guilty of committing major acts of terrorism?’’.

In the case on Van Nguyen, the poll results are a little less clear.
Of course, silly Australians have been trying to smuggle drugs into countries with the death penalty for ages. The fact there have been 3 high profile cases is nothing in itself. What lends to something behind this is indications that in the 'Bali 9' case, the AFP could have caught the offenders in Australia.

Irrespective of any other issue, the AFP was in a morally dark area. To claim to want to catch a 'Mr. Big' still leaves 9 mules facing the death penalty, which in a legal sense, Australia is opposed to. The fact that no Mr. Big was caught or any real evidence gained about one should put the AFP in some serious hot water.

The AFP was also involved in denial of 11th hour attempts to have Van Nguyen extradited to Australia. To a non-lawyer such as myself, reports that this was not possible appear credible. However, Downer himself admitted to not putting forward to Singapore the idea of going to the international court. Downer has attacked some lawyers for a too little, too late approach. Personally, I think Mr. Downer also needs to take some of that flack.

Several high-profile cases, AFP misadventure & political influence has inadvertantly killed several Australian citizens.

Does all this imply that the Australian voter is being 'softened up' to the death penalty or is this simply a case of "Any sufficiently advanced incompetence is indistinguishable from malice."

=my2c

BC