Some curious things are coming out of U S courts. 

The lawyers for Ghislaine Maxwell say that the prosecution sought to make her a ‘scapegoat.’  That is the fallacy of Socrates in his ‘defence’ in Plato’s Apology.  To impugn the motive of the prosecutor is not to provide a defence to the charge.

The lawyers for Prince Andrew say that the lady suing him is seeking a ‘pay day.’  That is one way of describing an action for damages.  For which the late Mr Epstein provided a handsome floor.

They also say that the prince is entitled to the benefit of an agreement – the release of Epstein – to which the prince was not a party.  This is, to put it softly, tricky.  About a quarter of a century ago, I tried to draw releases to corporations by having the corporation expressly enter into the agreement as agent for a class of people who might be subject to a similar claim.  When you are preparing a release for a serial pervert, with a criminal record, the possibility of an English prince being sued for a similar claim is not one that would gallop to the forefront of the mind of most legal draftsmen.  Especially if the prince is married – although marriage, like divorce, is no longer so significant in that family.

And there was oddness off the court.  The press is full of the news of the Balkan Superman now in custody.  But they don’t tell us which was the law firm that gave him advice on a very fraught and consequential part of our law.  Or do you suppose that the ignorance of Superman and his overpaid management team is matched by their arrogance – and that he did not get any qualified legal advice at all?  If so, his attitude to medicine is matched now by his attitude to the law – spellbinding stupidity and selfishness, so that now this low flying bludger deserves everything that I hope he gets.

What we do know is that he wanted to come here in defiance of our laws and wishes – and then boasted to the world that he had the wealth and power to achieve just such a result.  It is hard to imagine any twerp offering a more brazen slap in the face to a whole nation than that.

As I remarked to the nice Serbian lady who looks after me at the IGA Deli, ‘Keep a low profile, Dear.  This clown is doing nothing for you Serbs.’  She understood, but the usual suspects don’t.

We get this inane chatter about ‘segregation’.  People who have Covid should be kept away from those who don’t; so should people who are more likely to have caught it.  You don’t change that by substituting ‘segregate’ for ‘separate.’ 

Then someone said we invaded his privacy.  Let us put to one side his public trumpeting, and the difficulty of staying private when acting in public and your whole immense fortune comes from your doing just that, my privacy will be shattered if my name appears in the death notices, because of an infection by a stupid, selfish ratbag like this man. 

Then some clown with a flag at the vigil said this was ‘racism’.  Really.  Other people held in that of detention are – to our disgrace – victims of racism, but not this filthy rich white man.

Now for the good news about sport.  Usman Khawaja is man of colour and the Muslim faith.  His parents migrated here from Pakistan for a better life.  Yesterday he completed a majestic century against England.  There are few moments as big as that in our sport.  The Melbourne crowd were terrific with Boland.  The Sydney crowd were just as good, if not better, with Khawaja.  It is a moment of high drama and faith to see a man like that celebrate his century – with his wife standing up in the stand holding up their baby.  They are the things we live by and for.

Uzzie gave us the best repudiation of that crass and twisted tennis twerp.  It may be just a matter of time before our Prime Minister puts his oar in again, and say that this was the Australian way.