What The Client Pays

Anger as warship clears streets
If 250 or more vehicles get carted off Sydney streets because a friendly ally’s navy comes to town, what penance will Sydney-siders have to suffer when APEC comes to town?

There was a time when an allied navy came to town that business would rub their collective mits together and count dollar signs. These days it seems, if the US Navy comes to town, citizens are expected to stay indoors, not go out to shop and certainly not park their cars outside their houses in the street. One wonders whether the same ‘courtesies’ would be afforded to the Royal Navy, or Japanese Navy? More than likely, not.
And why would that be, dear reader? Well, as a major compatriot in the Cabal of the Willing, I’d expect the Royal Navy to at least be attractive to the odd suicide bomber in a rubber ducky, but in reality, the Royal Navy just isn’t a big enough target, nor does it present as such. The US Navy, on the other hand, presents as big a target as you could possibly get. Phyiscally and ideologically. In fact, just about anything American does these days. Hence the extra jittery attitude from the Establishment when the oldest aircraft carrier in the US fleet decides to drop anchor in Sydney Harbour and spew out it’s 5,000-plus randy sailor compliment onto the bordellos of Coat-Hanger city.
The excuses from the RTA that clearways were needed to accomodate the 150,000 people expected to flock to see the carrier and accompanying vessels, as well as some youth day shindig, a rock concert and the footy just don’t seem to add up to me. Surely, Sydney by-ways attract more than 150,000 people every other day of the week. Not that I’d know because I don’t live there. Thankfully.
No, I’m afraid that Sydney-siders are simply paying the price of obeisance to what some determine to be Australia’s saving grace. The seemingly never-ending and always limitless premium on some vague insurance policy which we’ll never be able to realise upon, if the need ever arose. Damned silliness if you ask me. Just how much impact could a RPG have from Robertson’s Point anyway?