26 May 2005

Diplomatic Immunity

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The ABC has this story on Canberra revenue chasers missing out on more than $160,000 from parking and speeding fines racked up by Canberra’s overseas diplomats (ie not the DFAT crew).

While the point is made that some countries feel they have a moral obligation to pay, but lets face it if you could tell the parking inspectors (aka the day wreckers) and speed camera vans to get stuffed wouldn’t you want to?

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Diplomatic immunity comes from the times when ambassadors had to be trusted to make decisions on their own but you didn’t want trusted people like that being held hostage.

Somewhat anachronistic these days but you never know when the times will change.

with the little computer devices the brown bombers sport, why cant they:

a: determine if the car has outstanding fines
b: call someone and have it towed to a compound
c: return vehicle when outstanding fines are paid

obviously you would have to have some threshold and some overheads liek an actual yard and a tow truck, but if it recovers 160k and ensures compliance its worth it.

850 fines… $160,000… $188 dollars per fine.

I take it the fines aren’t just for illegal parking. Some of them must be for some serious traffic offences.

What time range is this in? 1yr?

What is diplomatic immunity meant to achieve? I can see immunity while on the embassy grounds, immunity to work related communications, but a blanket criminal and legal immunity? Why?

Canberra_unsung_hero12:36 pm 27 May 05

From my observations of these diplomatic people over the past 30 years, they seem to live in their own little world …… but you seem to have got your message across, lol !

Canberra_unsung_hero12:00 pm 27 May 05

Hmmmmm …. an interesting example of “Pedestrian Crossing Rage”.

one of these arseholes backed into the stanley steamer one evening. i went the usual exchange of names and addresses route, but he didnt want a bar of it. i knew i was going to get nothing from the diplo plated bastard. i shant detail action taken, but lets say that he was convinced in no uncertain terms that failure to pay would result in his prestigious vehicle meeting unforeseen and regular damage.

sometimes you just have to realise that the rules you and i take for granted and which make our civilised city state function, dont apply to arseholes. at which point unique solutions are required.

Canberra_unsung_hero9:37 am 27 May 05

Wales, Wales,
Sweet are thy hills and thy vales.

I’d put a fiver on it says that our Supreme Councillor doesn’t want to continue to trigger off futher diplomatic incidents, as some of the key offending consulates probably support whaling.

Maybe Wales is one of them, and Stanhope’s latest diatribe was misinterpreted

Well why not name and shame the nations who are not doing their bit?

Cause a diplomatic incident sure but i can’t see that worrying the ACT Government.

Maelinar – no, some of them are being dicks. I’d hate to think I get judged by the behaviour of the people in my profession that generates bad publicity. The media love to report this stuff because people like to hear about how other people are assholes (just watch ACA one night). It doesn’t mean all builders a dodgy, it doesn’t mean all teenagers are voilent young brats, and it doesn’t mean all priests are…well, you get the idea. It doesn’t even mean a majority of people in those groups are bad. In the end, the ones responsible for stereotypes are the ones who choose to apply them based on reports like this.

Evictor – I have no doubt you found it annoying (or worse), nor do I have any doubt that those six, and probably others, are behaving in a morally reprehensible manner. But as a percentage of the diplomatic population, six countries isn’t huge, and the rest should not be judged by their actions.

maybe not all of them dude. But it’s now six separate states (I won’t mention names) who I’ve had the pleasure of dealing with when they are trying to worm out of responsibilities.

Spectra they’ve tarred themselves with a $160,000 brush…

We didn’t do that…

I think that’s maybe a slightly unfair generalisation. Don’t get me wrong, anyone who does behave like that is an asshole and has no business being a diplomat. However, the (small subset of) diplomats I’ve had the pleasure of dealing with have been the salt of the earth (and I know for a fact that they paid any and all fines on time). Let’s not tar them all with the same brush.

These guys are fucking scum. They try the diplomatic immunity trick whenever they can. I’ve seen them try and get out of $5000 debts with the immunity and have it all come crashing down around them. Then still not pay. Worst part of living in Canberra are the DC”s

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